Chapter 27
Twenty-Seven
REGINA
Nico is deep inside my mind, body and soul, and is stripping me bare.
I never expected this—him. What started out as a fun game/experience has turned on its head and become everything.
He is everything. I see no others, and as he moves inside me while staring into my eyes the entire time, it’s intimacy of the most life-changing kind.
This isn’t sex; it’s an epiphany, and time stands still as the moment sears its memory into my heart and soul. I will never forget this moment if I get no others because I finally understand what all the fuss is about.
Sex was never like this with Connor. It was cold, clinical and over with before I could work up a sweat. Not this beautiful experience, not this clashing of souls, and as the chandelier sparkles overhead, I truly believe I am in paradise.
He is holding me as if I will break yet tearing me apart inside, shattering any resistance I have to him—to this experience. Drawing me under his spell and controlling me in a far more devastating way.
His movements quicken and his eyes burn darker as he pushes in deeper, dragging it out, dominating me, proving he owns my body now as well as my mind. It’s a takeover that causes his enemies to fall and worship the ground he walks on. I am no different; he owns me now.
In one last attempt at wrestling back control, I push him back, rolling over until I am straddling him, his cock buried deep inside me as I move slowly, fully in control now. Riding him, cupping his face in my hands as I take charge of the situation, claiming him, owning him this time.
His smile could deflower a nun, and the wicked gleam in his eyes lifts my spirit. I take charge; he’s mine to break now, and as I ride his cock, I press my hands on his chest, feeling liberated as I take what I want from him.
Then I’m on my back again. I didn’t see that coming, and this time he makes no secret he is in charge as he tears through me like a twisting tornado. My mind spins as my body screams in ecstasy, euphoria rippling through my body as he wrecks it forever.
His hand flies to my throat as he holds me down, thrusting in and out, taking what he wants from me, the caveman now fully in charge.
It’s an assault on my senses, every single one of them, as Nico Ravera signs our contract with his cock.
I am his. I may believe I have some form of control, but I never will.
I get what he allows me, and when he is done, he snatches it back.
His thumb presses my clit, and out of nowhere my scream echoes around the room as my body convulses into a spasm, taking me on a ride I have never joined the line for before.
One final thrust causes him to roar like a beast, and I momentarily wonder if one condom will be enough to contain the onslaught.
His body jerks, his heart beats against mine, and our sweat slides between us as nature reminds us what animals we are.
Time stutters, worlds stop spinning, and nature takes a moment to mark the occasion.
My life has now changed forever because what began as a bit of fun, a game if you like, has altered now.
Fake engagement, over my dead body, because now the most important thing in my life is to make this man fall madly, deeply and impossibly in love with me because I truly believe I’m there already.
There is no awkward embarrassment when he pulls me to my feet; if anything, he has become more human. His smile is a genuine one as he kisses me lightly on the lips and whispers, “I’ve been wanting to do that since the gala.”
“Same.”
I don’t care what he thinks of me because I have.
He nods toward another door.
“Come, I’ll show you the bathroom. We can clean up before dinner.”
We head naked through the door and as I step inside, I squeal and hide behind him, peering out over his shoulder at the huge panoramic window that gazes over the ocean and several security men patrolling the area.
“There’s not much privacy, is there?”
I use him as a human shield, and his low chuckle makes me smile.
“It’s fine, privacy glass. We can see out, but they can’t see in. It’s bulletproof, bombproof and hurricane proof, so you could take a bath and stare out at Armageddon and not be affected by it.”
“Seriously?”
I venture out from behind him and head over to the window, jumping as a seabird flies dangerously close to the glass.
I notice the guards walking around the perimeter of the property, and Nico moves beside me and whispers, “Actually, I was joking. They can see everything.”
“Oh my God!”
I make to get away but he grasps my wrist and forces me flat against the glass, pushing into me from behind and as he bites my neck, I squirm in embarrassment as a helicopter hovers above the lawn, the pilot level with my eye-line.
“Nico!”
I moan as he plays my body like a musician who is at the top of his game, and he chuckles softly, “Relax, I’m messing with you. Nobody can see a thing.”
The fact that my body is tripping on adrenaline right now means I have forgotten any shame in a wave of heated lust.
He groans softly, “As much as I’d love to play with you for the foreseeable future, we are here as guests and must act accordingly. My family takes Christmas very seriously, which is why we are all under the same roof. It’s one of the rare times we are, so sadly we must revisit this later.”
He spins me around to face him, and as he kisses me deeply, I swear my toes actually curl, and when we finish, he pulls back and nods toward the shower.
“Let’s freshen up and change.”
It’s only when I turn that I notice the decadence of his bathroom, and I stare in shock.
“How is this even thought of?” I gasp as I note the porcelain floor, with a huge soft rug sitting proudly in the center.
There is a vanity unit stretching along one wall and what appears to be a shower room through an archway.
Cupboards hug the wall, filled with towels, lotion and oils, and the shower itself stretches the width of the room.
There’s a dressing table set beside a double sink unit, and mirrors and subtle wall lighting create an intimate and welcoming atmosphere.
“Why don’t you live here?”
I shake my head in amazement, and his reply is abrupt. “Because my father does.”
“Don’t you get on?”
I’m concerned for him, and as he flicks a remote and the shower bursts into life—from all angles of the wall—he shrugs. “We are more like business associates than father and son. He speaks, we listen and act on his orders.”
“Wow, he should lighten up a bit. I mean, look at this place; surely he should take his foot off the gas and enjoy it.”
I shake my head, and Nico grins. “I’ll leave you to tell him that.”
“Do you think I should?”
Perhaps Nico wants me to help lighten the load a little, but he chuckles softly. “It’s probably in your best interest to keep quiet around him. He’s not one for being told what to do or criticized in any way.”
“Wow, and he built this empire with those qualities. It must have worked out well for him.”
“It did.”
Nico drags me into the shower with him, and quite frankly, I could get used to this. He applies soap to every part of my body, instructing me to do the same to him as he washes my hair. It’s as if I have a personal slave, and I’m not going to lie, I’m loving every minute of his hot attention.
Once I am wrapped in a warm fluffy robe, my hair in a warm towel, he leads me across the heated floor toward yet another door at the other end.
“Now you’re just showing off.”
I gaze in wonder at his dressing room that positively screams masculine alpha because this place reeks of him.
It’s dark, subdued and impossibly chic. There are hidden corners housed in dark shadows, subdued lighting highlighting rails of tailored suits and shirts. His shoes are in two blocks at the end, and there are drawers and shelves that are carefully arranged with accessories and underwear, etc.
It’s like the finest men’s clothing store laid out for decadence, and once again a sparkling chandelier takes pride of place on the ceiling.
“This is too much, Nico. I’m drowning in envious astonishment right now.”
He merely shrugs. “You’ll get used to it.”
“Will I though? If I didn’t appreciate a place like this, I would have failed at life.”
“In what way?”
He rummages in a drawer as he speaks, and I heave a deep sigh. “Because then I would have lost my soul, the part of me that values the simple things in life. To own so much must take away the part of the soul that makes you human.”
He stands and turns slowly, catching my eye in the floor-length mirror.
There is sadness in his expression that causes my breath to hitch, and his voice is husky as he speaks.
“When this is all you know, humanity never played a role at all. I am the result of a lifetime of planned decisions, my mere conception being one of them.”
He surprises me by reaching for my hand and tugging me down onto a padded bench, and as I sit on his lap, his arms wrap around me like he’s holding a baby.
My head curls onto his slightly damp chest, and he whispers, “There is no love in my parent’s marriage, merely affection.
My father married for power and influence, and my mother was the chosen one.
Her family ruled an empire that my father wanted a piece of, and so he sacrificed both their happiness for a business deal. ”
“That’s so tragic.”
I stroke his chest, loving the dark hair covering it that sends a shiver down my spine, and he adds, “My father has kept a mistress for my entire life. My mother was never allowed that privilege.”
“A mistress?” I pull back and stare at him in shock, but he merely shrugs it off.
“He visits her a lot, disregarding my mom’s feelings on that.
Everyone knows about her, but nothing is ever said because he has decided it’s acceptable.
My mother was expected to bear his heirs to the empire and has played her part well.
Four sons, no less, plenty to choose from, and she was even denied the pleasure of trying for a daughter.
So, that is why I asked you here. My fate is mapped out as a similar one.
The woman who will arrive tomorrow was chosen by my father and for exactly the same reasons. ”
“An arranged marriage.”
I squeeze him tightly, sorry for his plight, and he nuzzles against my neck and hisses, “I won’t play his game. I will marry the person I choose, not him, and just so you know, right now that person is you.”
“Marriage!”
I pull back and stare at him in shock.
“I know we’re fake engaged, but would you really marry me to prove a point?”
“Of course. I like to win.”
He shrugs, his expression now cold and calculating. Indecision creeps in, and my fuzzy feeling of happiness is fast deserting me as I learn the true nature of my business here. I am in the middle of a full-blown family war, and it’s not me Nico wants, just what I can prevent.