CHAPTER 8
I probably shouldn’t be doing this, but I can’t ignore the feeling that Fleur needs me. There’s been a tugging in my chest all day and the more I tried to ignore it, the more I couldn’t. How did I know it was Fleur who needed me? I have no fucking clue, but I’m not going to ignore what I’m feeling.
I can’t do it. I’ve been ignoring the need I have for my woman for far too long and that shit ends today.
In talking with my brothers, we agreed to give her some space after the night we spent together. I didn’t completely agree, but I did think if we pushed her too fast then we could lose her.
It’s been a week since I woke up to find Fleur snuck out of Club Sin and I’m not going to wait anymore.
Even though we’ve had someone watching her while knowing her house is very secure, I need to see her. I need to touch her and make sure she really is okay. I’m willing to deal with my brothers being angry at me to make sure our woman is safe.
Their ability to stay away surprises me, but I’ve seen the toll it’s taken on them as well. They weren’t faring much better than I was this morning when I saw them. We barely looked at each other and we didn’t speak at all.
I think it’s time for us to step up and do what we should have done from the beginning—claim our woman as ours. I just need to get my brothers on the same page because Fleur isn’t going to make it easy on us.
She’s not the only one who will probably try and stand in our way. Leo told us what happened the other night at The Sanctuary and how he suspects Prodigal is aware something happened between him and Fleur. We don’t know if thinks it goes any farther than Leo.
I’m going with probably not considering he hasn’t shown up at our door and aimed a gun at our heads.
When I get out of my car and walk up to Fleur’s front door, I don’t hesitate to knock. I’m trying to be patient as I wait for her to open the door, but it feels like she’s taking forever when I see a shadow move near the glass panels at the side. I knock again and I swear I hear a squeak from inside that has my heart racing.
“Tesoro,” I yell, “I know you’re in there. Open the fucking door.”
Before I can start to pound on the door, as fear I’ve never felt before wars with the need to see my woman safe and sound, the door swings open. I barely have the time to take in Fleur’s tearstained face before she plows into me and wraps herself around me like I’m her fucking salvation.
Warmth blooms in my chest even though my heart is beating far too quickly to be healthy. My hands roam over her body and I’m not sure if I’m checking to make sure she’s okay or trying to soothe her. Maybe a little bit of both.
My voice is a harsh rasp, “What is going on, Fleur? Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
Panic starts to swirl through my gut, and I fight against the feeling of being pissed at my brothers for insisting we give her space when it was probably the last thing she needed. We should have shown up on her doorstep the moment we knew she was gone.
“I’m fine,” Fleur’s voice is wobbly, and I don’t even have to be looking into her eyes to know she’s lying to me.
I move us through the door and kick it shut behind me before I grip her shoulders and push her away from my body just enough so I can look down into her eyes. I study her face, taking in the way her blue eyes are filled with fear, the puffiness under her eyes, and the way her bottom lip is swollen because she’s been chewing on it.
“You’re not fine.” My voice is harsh, but only the worst-case scenarios are filling my head right now. I demand, “Tell me what’s going on and what has you so freaked out.”
“It’s probably stupid,” she admits in a whisper.
“If you’re scared, no matter what it is, then it’s not stupid.”
Her shoulders square and determination fills her eyes, but I can still see the remnants of fear there. “I’m not scared,” she insists.
“Fleur,” I say her name like a prayer and arch an eyebrow, “the moment you saw it was me you clung to me like a spider monkey.” She narrows her eyes, but I cup her face in my hands and hold her gaze. “I could see the fear in your eyes. I know you’re an independent woman and you don’t need to lean on anyone. It’s one of the many things I love about you, but you are allowed to be afraid sometimes.”
Her eyes widen when I use the word ‘love’ and she bites on her bottom lip. I pull it from between her teeth gently and kiss her forehead, needing the connection just as much as I think she needs it. The way she sighs as her shoulders relax tells me everything I need to know.
Fleur nods once and then turns quickly which causes me to lose my grip on her face. I follow her as she marches into the kitchen where there is a beautiful bouquet of flowers. I narrow my eyes at it knowing I didn’t send them to her and neither did my brothers. I desperately want them to turn to ash in front of me.
She wrings her hands together, an action which tells me how much the flowers are freaking her out more than words ever could. She is not the kind of woman to fidget or be unsure. Knowing the bouquet got to her so deeply has me wanting to find out who they are from and kill them before presenting their head to my woman as spoils.
“I thought they might have been from you and your brothers,” her voice is soft and hesitant, like she knows I’m right on the edge of my sanity.
She wouldn’t be fucking wrong. Whoever thought they could send her flowers is going to learn really fucking quickly that she is ours. We might be sharing her between the three of us, but that’s it. There’s no chance in hell we would allow anyone else to touch her.
“They aren’t,” my voice is harsh, but my anger isn’t directed at her.
“I know,” she mutters. She grabs a card I didn’t notice on the counter and hands it to me. “Once I found the card I knew. I have no idea who they are from.”
Soon we’ll be together. Just you and me.
My eyes snap up to look at my woman after I’ve read the card so many times the words start to swim together. She’s not looking at me, she’s looking at the flowers.
“They’re my favorites,” she murmurs, sadness and horror etched in her voice.
I drop the card back onto the counter and snag my woman around the waist, pulling her to me and wrapping myself around her like it will be enough to keep the demons at bay. The way she relaxes against me has my cock hardening even though now is not the right time.
“You didn’t come after me,” her words are muffled against my chest, but I hear them as clearly as if she’s saying them right against the shell of my ear.
“My brothers convinced me you needed a little space and if we came after you too soon then you’d try to run,” I admit honestly.
I won’t ever lie to her, and she needs to know that right from the start. Nothing good comes from lies and half-truths. She knows the kind of lives we lead and the danger that comes with it. Trying to keep her in the dark will only put her in danger and if I can’t lie to her about some things then I can’t lie to her about anything.
She huffs out a humorless laugh as her arms tighten around me. “I can’t say the assumption is wrong.”
When she tilts her head back and looks up at me, I get lost in the blue of her eyes. So clear and beautiful. I could drown in them and be a happy fucking man.
When I kiss her, her eyes flutter closed and my tongue pushes past her lips to sweep through her mouth. She clings to me, but her touch doesn’t have the same fearful desperation it did at the door. With my hands cupping her ass, I lift her up and almost roar out in satisfaction when her legs wrap around my waist.
Even though I’ve never been inside Fleur’s home, I’ve looked at the specs and know where her bedroom is. My steps are strong and sure as I make my way through the relatively humble space considering who she is and the money I know she has at her disposal and shoulder the door to her bedroom open.
Only when I lay her down on her bed, do I release her mouth and her eyes slowly open. The way her fingers run through my hair has some of the tension inside me easing. I’ve been on edge for a week now and being with her is the answer to it.
I knew it would be true and I was right.
“We’ll protect you, Tesoro,” I vow.
“I know,” she whispers as she leans up and kisses me.
I pour everything I am and everything I feel for her into the kiss. Being the baby of the Guidice family was the only identity I was allowed to have my entire life. I learned quickly that people and their motivations for wanting to get close to me couldn’t be trusted.
With Fleur, I know that my name has nothing to do with what is between us. She sees me and I’ve seen her for far longer than I’ve admitted to anyone. I had to ignore the pull for far too long, but I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to her.
I undress her slowly, kissing her skin softly as I do. I want her to feel the reverence I have for her. I don’t want her to be able to ignore it.
She arches into my body and her hands grip my hair, tugging and trying to get my mouth to move to where she wants it. I nip at the skin right under her breast and she stills.
“Patience, Fleur. I’ll give you everything you need. You just need to be patient,” I grunt against her skin.
She scoffs, “I’ve never been good with patience.”
I chuckle because I know what she’s saying is true. I would never describe my woman as patient, but I will reward her if she is. I make a humming sound and continue to kiss and taste her skin. When she’s naked underneath me, I sit back on my heels and look down at her, soaking her up and memorizing her perfection.
“You’re beautiful,” I murmur softly, loving the way she smiles at me and thanks me with her eyes.
“You’re wearing too many clothes,” she pouts, and I reach back to grab the neck of my t-shirt and pull it over my head.
Her eyes widen and she sighs in contentment. I nudge her legs apart as I lay down between them and kiss up the inside of her thigh. As I inhale deeply, my nose almost pressed against her pussy, she wiggles her hips in invitation.
“I should go slow and tease you as punishment for running away,” I murmur.
“Rocco,” she moans, her fingers threading through my hair to try and pull me closer to where she wants me. “Don’t tease me,” there’s a plea in her voice and when I look up her body and our eyes meet, I can see how much she needs me.
I don’t tease her; I dive straight into her cunt and devour her like I’ve been starving for her. Because I have. I wanted her taste on my tongue when we were locked away in Room Eight, but I didn’t get the chance. There’s no way I’m going to let it go to waste now.
I suck her clit into my mouth as I plunge two fingers inside of her pussy. Finding her g-spot, I rub against it, and she screams out as her walls clamp down on my fingers. It reminds me of how fucking good she felt wrapped around my cock.
I rip myself away from her and stand up quickly. My hands are shaking as I rid myself of the rest of my clothing. She’s just starting to open her eyes, which are filled with need and desire, as I cover her body with mine again. I give her most of my weight, wanting her to feel every part of me while I take her.
My shaft finds the wet heat of her pussy and glides between her lips and we both moan at how fucking good it feels. Fleur arches her back and presses her perfect tits up against my chest. Her hard nipples drag over my skin as she does, and I grit my teeth to stop myself from plunging all the way inside of her in one thrust.
“You want my cock, Tesoro?”
“Fuck,” she draws the word out like the need she feels for me is painful, “want. Need. Now. Please,” her words are choppy like she’s barely hanging on to her ability to speak as she grinds her hips down against my length.
I adjust my body over hers and grip the base of my cock, rubbing the head through her wetness and lining myself up. I take her in one fast stroke, and I clench my jaw at the feeling of being wrapped in her warmth again.
“Fucking perfection,” I grit out.
When she starts to circle her hips in the attempt to get me to start moving, I lose all semblance of control. I fuck my woman hard and fast, both of us gasping for air as we cling to each other. It’s dirty and it’s rough.
Fucking perfection.
“Oh, Rocco.” She gasps, “Fuck.”
I growl against Fleur’s throat before I nip at the delicate skin there, her breathy moans and pleas making me move faster and harder. Every time I fill her with my length, her pussy squeezes me like she’s refusing to let me go.
“Your cunt loves my dick, Fleur,” I growl as I brace my hands on either side of her head and her legs tighten around my hips.
“Yes,” she screams as I grind my pelvis against her clit.
“Come all over my cock. Soak me,” I demand.
I watch her face contort in pleasure as she gives herself over to her orgasm. The way her pussy tightens around me sends me right over the edge and I plant myself deep inside of her as I fill her with my cum. Our bodies are pressed together, and our hearts are pounding; I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I know there are still things to deal with and I need to call my brothers, but I take a moment and soak up the feeling of my woman, our woman, being right where she belongs.