Chapter 40 – Amanda
Stupid, stupid me! Instead of keeping my cool, reasoning through the situation, I just had to blow up.
In the pause that followed Vincenzo leaving the restaurant, I calmed down enough to realize that I was taking my pain, my frustration, my own self-doubt out on another human being who wasn’t responsible for the collapse of my life.
I was in the wrong.
The apartment wasn’t empty when I returned. Nicole offered to come upstairs with me, but I wasn’t in the mood to watch a movie and told her I would be fine. I thought I wanted to be alone. When I heard the shower running, that resolve felt like a lie.
I wanted to be with Vincenzo. I needed to fix what I broke.
Why, WHY did I have to be stubborn and stupid?
There was one way I knew that would make it up. I could show him that I wasn’t here to fight him while still planning to keep my independence. A truce. We needed that right now.
Shedding one of my last untorn outfits, I tiptoed on bare feet to the bathroom. The cats meowed loudly at the closed bedroom door, but they didn’t need to see what I was about to do to their father.
Pulling back the curtain, I stepped into the shower stall. “I’m not here to talk.”
Vincenzo was bowed under the stream of water. Soap sluiced off his body. His hard gaze was wary, but the moment I fell to my knees, the fine lines at the corners of his eyes softened.
Good lord, even his thighs were covered with ink. I peppered kisses across the designs, taking my time to memorize them as his cock swelled. His hard, muscular body was a work of living art. It would be amazing to draw him, to immortalize this demi-god in some medium.
Since I was artistically challenged, maybe I would find a nice camera and take boudoir pictures.
If only we can have a future together….
His cock strained, bobbing impatiently as I ran my tongue over the black viper that trailed up his hip. The sound of his hard breathing filled the shower.
I showed him mercy.
Grasping his erection, I pulled the tip of his cock between my lips. Vincenzo groaned in pleasure. Heat tingled between my legs, but I didn’t reach between them for relief. This was about establishing a truce. Establishing trust in the twilight of our harsh conversation.
Vincenzo braced his hands on the tiled walls.
Those scarred knuckles turned white where they weren’t stained with art.
I didn’t have a single tattoo—I’d been too busy.
Or so I’d always said. In truth, I couldn’t decide what I wanted.
Now, pulling his cock between my lips, a seed of jealousy turned green in my heart.
Some unknown artist—probably several—had seen his body in the last ten years.
They’d enjoyed the sight while creating a visual masterpiece.
Well…he was here now. In this moment with me.
I relaxed my jaw and pulled him deeper into my mouth. With one hand braced on his thigh, I cupped his balls. They were heavy, drawn up tight. With a moan, I swallowed his length.
“Fiore,” he breathed.
The name was a prayer.
I sucked hard, cheeks hollowed, and tongue rubbing against the velvet skin. Because his body blocked the water, only the finest spray whispered across my skin.
“Those pretty lips feel so fucking good.” His gravelly praise was music to my ears. It slithered through me, setting my body on fire.
Hollowing my cheeks, I pulled him as deep as I could. I fought the urge to gag. But the growl of pleasure that vibrated through the beast above me made it worth it.
“That’s it…take it all. Show me how deep you can go.”
I did.
It still wasn’t enough. I wrapped my fingers around the base of his cock, tugging and stroking as my head bobbed to take his length.
“My legs are shaking, Mandy,” he rasped. “What the hell are you doing to me?”
I gasped and shuddered. My core ached. My skin was on fire. My nipples throbbed. I wanted him to stop so I could join the fun and find some much-needed relief.
But I didn’t come into the shower for that.
His cock pulsed in my mouth.
With a vicious jerk of his hips, he tugged himself free. I cried at the sudden loss of him, but he was fisting his cock. Pumping it as his orgasm made him groan.
Hot, thick ropes of cum shot out. They decorated my chest with an intricate design.
I knelt there, staring up at him with a raw, unguarded look.
Vincenzo returned the look, breathing hard.
Somewhere, in this primal, charged moment, a deeper sensation passed between us. It transcended time and space, dominating the sexual energy. The hollow place inside me thrummed with new life.
I reached out tentatively, brushing the tips of my fingers down his thighs. My soul was there—alive and waiting for his.
“I like the way you watch me when I do that,” I confessed. It felt like he owned me. And there was a part of me he always would.
His black gaze heated. “I know. I could see it.”
“I would have swallowed,” I added with a little pout.
That semi-erect cock bobbed between us.
“Mmm,” he growled. “But I wanted to see you this way.”
My cheeks blazed. “Why?”
“Because…you’re such a pretty little deviant, wearing my cum and nothing else.” He brushed the pad of his thumb across my cheek. “Are you mad because you wanted a taste?”
I scowled at him. I wasn’t going to answer that.
Using two fingers, he swiped them across the mess, brought the offering to my lips, and pressed them between the scowl.
“Suck, fiore,” he commanded. “I know you want to.”
With a moan of surrender, I let his fingers slide into my mouth. I used my tongue to lick them clean; only then did he stand back.
He reached behind and shut off the water.
“Enzo!” I jerked back and stumbled to my feet. “I’m still a mess.”
That wicked mouth quirked up in a fiendish grin. “I like seeing you this way.”
I gestured to where the sticky ropes dripped down me. “I need to wash this off.”
“Go ahead.” His smirk widened. “But we’ll both know you’re wearing my mark.”
He stepped around me, grabbing the towel that hung on the rack. I stood there, helplessly turned on, and watched him slip into the bedroom.
I can’t do that.
Need pulsed between my legs. But I said that I wanted a truce.
Head held high, I followed him into the space. I plucked the sweatshirt that lay across the pillow and pulled it over my head. That dark gaze was a physical caress as it watched me.
Tomorrow, I would shower and wash the hoodie.
For tonight, I would wear his mark.
Wearing nothing else, I crawled onto the bed and sat cross-legged. Only then did I find the courage to meet his gaze. Vincenzo stared at me as if I were the most incredible creature on planet earth.
I stared right back. The towel hung low on his hips. A flick of the knot and it would fall.
“Sorry, I was going to grab some clothes and be gone before you came, but the cat was hacking up furballs,” Vincenzo said, referencing our earlier conversation. The one where he said this could be my haven, and he would give me space.
I didn’t want that.
If I hadn’t been so upset, I would have realized it sooner.
“You have nothing to apologize for.” I clasped my hands on my lap. “Truly, I mean it. I wasn’t thinking straight today.” You have that effect on me.
Vincenzo nodded. “I’ll just grab my things and go.”
My chest fell. I didn’t want that. Honestly, I wanted to erase this fight.
Stretching my legs over the side of the bed, I ran my palms over my thighs. “Look, this is your place. I don’t want to kick you out. Can we find a way to coexist here? For however long I’m staying?”
His gaze heated.
I fought back a shiver that raced down my spine.
“Are you sure that’s what you want?”
I nodded. “I’m not your enemy. I’m just….” Lost.
He understood. Of course he did! This man knew me better than any other human.
“I have some things to deal with on the streets. It will take a few days. But when they’re done, I’ll text you and see if you still want me to come back.”
Time. Space. An opportunity to heal.
To the world, this man was a monster. For me? He was a dark angel. I felt as though I could bask in the soft warmth of his shadow forever.
“That sounds like a good plan,” I said, words low and raw. “And thank you. Thank you for offering me a safe place to stay.”
“Always.” He walked past me, stopping abruptly. His fingers brushed the sleeve of the hoodie. “That’s mine.”
I bit my lip and nodded. “I don’t have many clothes.”
“Looks better on you,” he added. “Take whatever you find around here. It’s yours if you want it.”
My cheeks heated. That little voice in my brain included him in the offer. “Be safe out there.”
“Always.” With a final caress, he left.
The cats took the opportunity to bolt through the cracked bedroom door.
As I snuggled Grigio close, the loft door opened and closed.
Gone. The mobster was gone. The monster gone out to play.
This was what being with a man like Vincenzo meant.
Temporary goodbyes, periods of uncertainty, and long waits until a reunion. I wanted that once.
“Maybe I’m crazy enough to want it again,” I whispered to the cat.
The tiny beast only yowled loudly for some food.