CHAPTER 12
NINA MARCHESI
The speed at which the temperature around us goes from warm to unbearably hot is impressive. And it has nothing to do with the winter sun, shining gently above us. Feeling Nero so close is what suddenly makes my skin feel like it’s boiling.
Honestly, just seeing him without the suit—catching sight of his tattooed forearms—had already put me on high alert when I stepped out of the house and found him leaning against his car, arms crossed, waiting for me.
The white shirt with its sleeves rolled up to his elbows left far too much to the imagination, making me wonder what the continuation of the tattoos beneath it looks like, shadows being all I could see.
The sunglasses covering his eyes hid his gaze from me, and I felt foolish for having left mine inside my bag instead of on my face. I really would’ve appreciated something to disguise the lingering look I gave his body.
Nero slides just his thumbs along my thigh, right at the exact point where the fabric of my beach cover-up rode up when I wrapped my legs around him—teasing me while his breath brushes my face, slow and deliberate.
I lower my eyes to his lips.
Kissing him is so good.
“Is it just the two of us here?” I ask.
“Just the two of us.”
“And no one’s going to show up?”
“No, Little Fae. It’ll be just us.”
I don’t resist.
I press my mouth to his, fitting our lips together before licking his lower lip, then the upper. I nipped them lightly and have my own lower lip stolen by Nero’s teeth.
The sensation sends shivers racing through my body, and suddenly I feel overdressed for being on a beach. Nero seems to think the same, because his hands start to rise, dragging my dress up with them until it’s tossed away and I’m sitting in his lap wearing nothing but a red bikini.
Nero pulls back, retreating just enough to let his gaze kiss my entire body, point by point, as if every inch of me were too precious to miss.
He starts at my neck, moves down to my chest, lingering over my breasts before continuing his descent over my stomach and detouring to my thighs—only to travel back up to my face.
His hands follow the same path, only in reverse.
This time, he’s the one kissing me.
Not with my soft, exploratory style—Nero kisses me with something close to hunger. His tongue is demanding and determined, licking and sucking at mine, invading my mouth and claiming every bit of space it can find.
My body closes the small distance between us on its own until my breasts are pressed against his shirt, and I think now it’s him who’s overdressed for the beach.
I move my hands.
I take them to the first button of his shirt and start undoing it by touch alone. When I finally free the last one, I grip the fabric at his shoulders and push it back, forcing Nero to pull his hands away from me to get rid of the shirt.
When he touches me again, it’s no longer with teasing exploration.
Nero grips my thighs and slides his palms over my skin until they reach my ass, squeezing it firmly and making me moan into our kiss.
He pulls me tighter against him, pressing my breasts to his bare chest. They react instantly—aching and swollen, hypersensitive to even the lightest touch—making me moan again and again with every contact while Nero’s tongue continues to turn my mouth into his domain.
My hands explore his body, smoothing over his shoulders, roaming his back, scratching at his nape. The low, rough sounds that leave his lips are delicious—and make me feel powerful for drawing them out of him.
His hands move me like a doll, rocking my hips forward until I feel the center of my body rub against his hard erection. I tip my head back, unable to keep kissing him as my mouth opens to release a helpless moan.
The pleasure I feel is completely new. Nero’s lips trail down my jaw, his tongue licking my throat before he sucks there. I roll my hips, craving more of the contact he just gave me, and his mouth finds mine again.
I find what I’m searching for—fitting Nero’s erection against my center and grinding against him without caring about the layers of fabric between us, feeling completely irrational.
All I can think about is how much I need more.
More of his mouth.
More of his touch.
More of the pleasure grinding against his lap is giving me.
My moans grow louder and more frequent as my movements turn frantic, chasing what I want. Nero doesn’t mind that I’ve become incapable of sustaining our kiss, too lost in sensation.
He keeps touching me, licking and sucking, until I’m too overwhelmed not to shatter.
The orgasm shakes me and turns me into a breathless puddle in Nero’s arms. I keep my eyes closed for long minutes, trying to figure out how to make my heart return to a steady rhythm.
When I finally open them, I find blue eyes fixed on my face, desire practically overflowing from his dilated pupils.
“You come beautifully, Nina,” he praises—and my cheeks immediately heat.
I laugh at myself and drop my forehead to Nero’s shoulder, hiding from his attention. I just used the man to get off, and that’s what makes me blush? Give me a break, Nina.
I feel his lips on my shoulder, then the tip of his nose brushing my skin, sending shivers through me all over again. My core throbs—whether from satisfaction or from a new desire being ignited by the touches that have just resumed, I don’t know.
I lift myself from my hiding place, and Nero drags the tip of his nose along my cheek in an unexpected caress.
He kisses my mouth softly—and just like that, I want more again.
This time, it starts slowly.
A sequence of subtle, almost rehearsed touches ignites me little by little. His mouth grazes my chin, his teeth scrape my jaw, and his hands slide along the sides of my body until I feel his thumbs slipping beneath the strings of my bikini.
I search for his mouth, push my tongue into his—but I don’t even get two seconds of control, because when Nero’s fingers brush my nipples, skin to skin, sensation overtakes me completely.
“Too fast,” I gasp, pulling away, realizing that if we keep going like this, we’ll definitely go too far. I slide off Nero’s lap and practically throw myself onto the sand beside him, covering my eyes with my arm. “I need a minute,” I add.
His answer takes long enough that I almost move my arm, needing to see him.
“I think I need three lifetimes,” he finally says.
I pull my arm away, alarmed—only to find him smiling at me.
Nero lies down beside me, propping himself up on one elbow to stay taller than me. His free hand comes to my cheek, his thumb brushing over my skin in a gentle caress.
“I’m kidding,” he says. “We’re not in a rush for anything, Nina.”
He reassures me, and I bite my lip, thoughtful. I take a deep breath, gathering courage before speaking.
“I think this is a good time to tell you that I’m a virgin.”