18
“R oman, wait!” Alessandra called from behind him, her voice apprehensive.
“Keep up!” he said with a smile, continuing to walk toward the wooden fence. Behind it, a small herd of Salers cattle was grazing in the vast field, not paying them too much attention.
“Roman!” his wife hissed in warning, and he heard the gravel crunch under her sandals as she crossed the deserted country road to follow after him.
They were near Avignon, in the southeastern region of Provence, heading back to their hotel after having visited the nearby village of Monteux.
Roman had suggested Paris for their second week of vacation, but Alessandra was curious about the French countryside, and since he had no real preference himself, he went with Alessandra’s wish.
The drive from Monte Carlo to Avignon was only three hours, and after spending the first two days visiting the historical town, they were now venturing to its surroundings for the beautiful landscape and numerous villages filled with picturesque shops and restaurants.
Roman paused at the fence, turning to grab her hand when she stopped beside him. “They’re just cows, baby.”
She looked from him to the bovines minding their own business. “But I’ve never seen so many in one place. And look at those horns—they’re huge.” He pulled her closer, setting a foot on the fence. She tried to pull her hand free, but he tightened his hold in return. “Where are we going?”
“I saw something over there.” Roman pointed to a distant point in the field. “It looks like an old cabin.”
“Why would you want to see an old cabin? Maybe someone lives there.”
He gave her a grin, suddenly feeling like a kid again on the verge of discovering a new adventure. “I don’t think so. Come on.”
“No. We should head back to the car.”
Fingers clasped around hers, he leaned down to give her a reassuring kiss. “Trust me.”
Alessandra sighed, not looking very convinced she wanted to. But after a moment, she finally relented with a grumbled, “Fine.”
He jumped the short fence before turning around to help her.
She was wearing a summer dress that barely covered her ass, and, inevitably, she flashed him the white thong underneath when she lifted her leg to cross over to the other side.
Once her feet landed on the soft grass, he grabbed her waist to steady her, enjoying the feel of her warm skin beneath the thin material of the dress.
The more time he spent with his wife, Roman was starting to discover that keeping his hands to himself was getting nearly impossible.
Not that he minded, but it was quite distracting, the way her presence seemed to monopolize his brain.
If gluing his hands to her alluring ass were a viable option, he probably would have done it at this point.
It was strange to think that only weeks ago, Alessandra had been a mere stranger to him.
An unfamiliar face in a sea of many others.
And now… now she was everything .
It had been too long since Roman felt this way about someone.
Sure, there had been other women during the years. Beautiful women the average man could only dream of. But none could ever hold a candle to the little Italian with the soft brown eyes and a smile he was getting more obsessed with each day.
It wasn’t even about the looks anymore, although that was a definite plus.
She was stunning in an unassuming way, which made her beauty all the more enticing.
But underneath that pretty facade lay an intelligent personality with a tender soul, and that to Roman was as addictive as the best drugs on the market.
At least he imagined so. He hadn’t touched a narcotic in his life, which given his background was a feat all in itself.
Beauty and nice personality aside, Roman realized that he quite enjoyed being married to Alessandra and coming home every evening to her waiting for him. After a hard day handling Bratva business, her presence in his life was like a cooling balm to a burning wound. Gentle. Calming. Relieving.
Somehow, she was exactly what he’d always needed but never knew he could have. And now that she was an intrinsic part of his existence, he never wanted to break the chains tying them together, no matter how nefarious the reasons for which he found himself shackled to her in the first place.
Hand in hand, they headed across the field, past the cows and the backdrop of tall trees keeping them shade. The building Roman had spotted was indeed an old cabin that looked uninhabited. He grabbed the door’s rusty handle, noticing the lock was broken, and gave it a firm push.
“Roman, what are you doing?” Alessandra fisted the back of his T-shirt, trying to stop him from entering.
The door opened easily, and he took a step forward before turning to her. “It’s abandoned. Come on.”
“I’m not going inside.”
“Yes, you are. Nothing bad is going to happen.”
Before she could protest again, he reached out an arm and dragged her to his side.
The sole room inside was scarcely furnished.
There was a wooden bed that looked as old as the cabin, a matching table with two chairs, and a stove with a single cabinet hanging above it.
The blue curtains covering both narrow windows had some sort of rustic design printed on them that had faded over the years, but other than that, everything else was plain-colored in shades of brown and gray.
“Wow,” Alessandra said from beside him, taking it all in. “It’s definitely abandoned.”
“Told you so.”
She walked over to the table to inspect a few items left there while Roman watched her from his spot near the door.
“Look at this.” She held up a book bound in black leather.
“What’s that?”
“Looks like an old Bible.”
“Huh.” His gaze moved from the book to her face. “You read French?”
“Not really, I just understand a few words. The cross on the cover kind of gives it away, though.” She smiled teasingly and set the Bible down to glance around. “I wonder who lived here.”
“Probably someone who took care of the cows.”
“Maybe. The bed looks comfy. Not .”
Roman followed her gaze and felt a smile pull on his lips. “Let’s try it out.”
“Ew, no.”
He walked that way and held out his hand. “Come here.”
She made a face that only served to make his amusement grow. “It’s dirty.”
“It’s just a little dust.” He grabbed the blanket and yanked it off, letting it fall to the floor. Thick dust exploded into the stale air and lingered there. They would definitely need a shower after what he had in mind.
When Alessandra hesitated, Roman reached for her, grabbing her waist and walking backward until they both fell on the bed. It groaned under their combined weight, expelling more dust from its ancient fibers.
“What are we doing?” she said with a cough, waving her hand to clear the air around them.
“What does it look like we’re doing?”
She rolled her eyes, her legs straddling his hips and their chests pressed together. “Hmm, I don’t know. Getting ready to leave this place? ”
Roman drew her closer until his already hard cock was nestled right where it wanted to be. “Soon, but not before I fuck you.”
“You know; we have a perfectly clean bed back at the hotel.”
“Now, where’s the fun in fucking on a clean bed?” he asked rhetorically, already reaching for the hem of her dress. He pushed it up, revealing the panties he’d seen earlier.
“You’re crazy,” she breathed, but the way her fingers grabbed hold of his hair told him she wasn’t exactly opposed to it.
He kissed her lips and smiled. “And you’re beautiful.”