Chapter 22
T he car feels like a pressure cooker. My knuckles turn white on the steering wheel as I navigate through Manhattan traffic.
In the rearview mirror, I catch glimpses of Lucrezia and Hazel sitting in silence in the backseat.
Lucrezia stares out the window, her profile illuminated by passing streetlights.
No one speaks. What is there to say after what happened in that fitting room?
I focus on driving, on the mechanical process of checking mirrors and signaling turns. Anything to keep my mind off the taste of Lucrezia's lips, the feel of her body pressed against mine.
When we pull up outside Matteo and Hazel's brownstone, relief and dread wash over me in equal measure. Relief that the suffocating silence will break, dread that I'll be alone with Lucrezia.
"Thanks for coming with me today," Lucrezia says to Hazel, her voice surprisingly steady.
Hazel squeezes her hand. "Call me later, okay?" Her eyes flick to mine in the rearview mirror, a silent warning I can't quite decipher.
I watch Hazel walk up the steps to her door, waiting until she's safely inside before pulling away from the curb. The car feels even smaller now.
"Where to?" I ask, my voice rougher than I intended.
Lucrezia doesn't answer immediately. I glance in the mirror and find her watching me, her eyes dark and unreadable.
"I don't want to go home yet," she finally says.
Fuck me.
"Lu—" I start, but she cuts me off.
"Please, Daniel." Her voice is soft but determined. "Just... not yet."
I should take her straight back to the mansion. I should call Damiano and tell him I can't do this anymore. I should do anything except what I'm about to do.
"Okay," I say, turning the car away from the route that would lead us to the Feretti compound.
We drive in silence for twenty minutes. I take random turns, no destination in mind, until I realize where my subconscious has been steering us all along. My neighborhood. My street. My house.
I pull into the driveway of the small brick house I bought five years ago but rarely see. It's nothing like the Feretti mansion—just a modest two-bedroom with a postage-stamp yard—but it's mine. No one from the family has ever been here.
Lucrezia sits up straighter, looking around with curiosity. "Where are we?"
"My place," I say, killing the engine. "I thought you might want somewhere quiet."
She studies the house through the windshield, then turns those dark eyes on me. "I didn't know you had a house."
"Not much reason to use it. I'm usually at the compound or traveling with Damiano."
We sit in silence for a long moment. I should start the car again. I should take her home.
Instead, I get out and open her door.
The night air is cool against my face as I lead her up the short walkway. My hands shake slightly as I unlock the door, hyperaware of her presence behind me.
I flick on lights as we enter, suddenly self-conscious about the sparse furnishings. There's nothing personal here. Just functional furniture and bare walls.
"It's not much," I say, watching her take in the living room.
Lucrezia turns to me, her eyes shining with something I can't name. Understanding dawns on her face as she looks around.
"This is your house," she says softly. "Your actual home."
I nod, unable to speak past the tightness in my throat.
She steps closer, close enough that I can smell her perfume. "We only have this one chance, Daniel." Her voice trembles slightly. "In five days, I'll be married to someone else."
My heart hammers against my ribs. "Lu?—"
"I want this," she whispers, reaching up to touch my face. "I want you."
Those are exactly the words I've been dying to hear from Lucrezia's lips. Even though I know after today she still won't be mine, I can't stay away. Not now. Not when she's looking at me like that.
I crash my mouth against hers, all restraint gone. My hands grip her waist as I walk her backward until her back hits the wall with a soft thud. She gasps into my mouth, her fingers digging into my shoulders.
I break away just long enough to look into her eyes. "Are you sure?"
"Yes," she breathes.
That's all I need. My hands find the zipper of her dress, tugging it down with trembling fingers. The fabric pools at her feet, leaving her in nothing but lace underwear. She shifts nervously, crossing her arms over her chest.
"We can stop," I say, though it might kill me.
"No," she says, dropping her arms. "Keep going."
I peel away her bra, then slide her panties down her legs, leaving her completely naked except for those black heels.
"Fuck, Lu," I growl, my cock straining painfully against my pants. "You're so goddamn beautiful."
Her chest rises and falls with rapid breaths, her skin flushed pink. I've never seen anything so perfect in my life. I drop to my knees in front of her, running my hands up her calves, feeling the smooth skin of her thighs.
My fingers glide up the smooth skin of Lucrezia's inner thighs, trembling against her skin.
I nudge her left leg up over my shoulder, the sharp stiletto heel pressing into my shoulder blade.
She gasps as I spread her wider, exposing her pussy.
I can smell her arousal, that heady scent that drives me wild.
I lean in and flick my tongue across her swollen clit. Her whole body jolts against the wall, a sharp cry tearing from her throat. I bury my face between her legs, licking and sucking on her sensitive flesh. Her hips buck against my mouth, seeking more pressure, more friction.
"Fuck, yes!" she shouts, her voice echoing off the bare walls. "Don't stop! Please!"
I grip her hips to hold her steady as I slide a finger inside her tight heat. She's so wet, so ready. Her inner muscles clamp down on my finger as I curl it, searching for that sweet spot. When I find it, her knees almost buckle.
"Oh god! Right there!" Her voice is raw, desperate. "Keep doing that!"
I add a second finger as my tongue continues circling her clit. Her cries grow louder, more urgent. Her thighs tremble against my head. I feel her tightening, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps.
"Daniel! I—" Her warning cuts off in a strangled scream as her orgasm crashes through her.
Her body convulses against the wall, riding my face as wave after wave of pleasure shakes her.
I keep my mouth on her through every spasm, drinking her in until she collapses back against the wall, panting and trembling.
For a moment, I just hold her there, my breath hot against her sensitive flesh. Her chest heaves as she looks down at me, her eyes glazed with pleasure. She reaches a shaking hand toward me, her fingers brushing my lips.
"More," she whispers, her voice rough. "I need more of you."
Daniel rises from his knees, his eyes dark with hunger. In one fluid motion, he scoops me up from the floor, his strong arms cradling me against his chest. My body still tingles from the aftershocks of pleasure, my legs too weak to support me.
"God, Lu," he growls against my ear. "Hearing you scream my name like that..." He presses his face into my neck, his breath hot against my skin. "I want to hear it again and again."
I wrap my arms around his neck, clinging to him as he carries me through the house. No one has ever touched me like he just did. No one has ever made me feel this way.
"I never..." I start, then hesitate.
Daniel pauses in the doorway of what must be his bedroom, looking down at me with concern. "Never what, Lu?"
"I never had anyone before," I admit, my cheeks burning. "I was a virgin when they..." I can't finish the sentence, but I don't need to. Daniel knows what happened to me.
His expression softens, a mixture of tenderness and rage flickering across his features. "Lu..."
What he just did for me was extraordinary. I never knew it could feel like that.
Daniel lowers me gently onto his bed, the dark blue comforter cool against my heated skin. He stands over me, his eyes never leaving mine as his hands move to his shirt buttons.
"Let me show you how it's supposed to be," he says, his voice a solemn promise.
I prop myself up on my elbows, watching as he undresses. Each button reveals more of his tanned skin, the hard planes of his chest coming into view. When he shrugs the shirt from his shoulders, I can't help the small gasp that escapes me.
Daniel's body is a roadmap of scars and strength. A long, jagged line runs across his left pectoral. Smaller marks pepper his shoulders and arms. But it's the sheer power of him that takes my breath away, broad shoulders tapering to a narrow waist, muscles defined from years of training and combat.
I want to touch each scar, learn the history written on his body.
He unbuckles his belt next, his movements deliberate, giving me time to change my mind. But I don't want to stop. I want everything he can give me.
When he steps out of his pants and boxers, I see all of him for the first time. He's hard and ready, his arousal evident. Unlike the men who hurt me, who used their bodies as weapons, Daniel stands before me offering himself, waiting for my permission.
"You're beautiful," I whisper, the words slipping out before I can stop them.
A flush creeps up his neck, and I realize with surprise that my words have embarrassed him. This powerful man who could snap someone's neck without breaking a sweat is blushing because I called him beautiful.
"Come here," I say, holding out my hand to him.
Daniel moves toward the bed, his eyes never leaving mine. He takes my outstretched hand and brings it to his lips, pressing a kiss to my palm that makes my heart stutter.
"Are you sure about this, Lu?" he asks, his voice rough with restraint. "We can stop right now."
I pull him down until he's hovering over me, his weight supported on his forearms. I can feel the heat radiating from his skin, the controlled power in every line of his body.
"I've never been more sure of anything," I tell him, and I mean it.
His lips travel down my neck, tracing a path of fire across my collarbone.
"You're unbelievably beautiful, Lu," he murmurs against my skin.
"Every inch of you." My breath catches as his mouth moves lower, worshipping each curve with reverence.
When his lips close over my nipple, a sharp gasp tears from my throat. Heat pools low in my belly, spreading through my limbs like liquid fire. His tongue circles the peak, teasing it to hardness before giving it a gentle suck. I arch against him, my fingers tangling in his hair.
"Daniel..."
"Easy, baby," he soothes, moving to give the other breast the same attention. "I've got you. Always."
His mouth trails lower, kissing across my trembling stomach. My hips lift instinctively, seeking more of his heat, his mouth. The sharp lines of his face soften when he looks up at me from between my thighs.
Daniel rises above me, capturing my mouth with his. He reaches into the nightstand drawer, retrieving a small foil packet. The crinkle of the wrapper is startlingly loud in the quiet room. I watch as he rolls the condom over his impressive length, his jaw tightening at his own touch.
"Look at me, Lu," he commands, his voice rough.
"I need to be inside you now."
He positions himself at my entrance, the broad head pressing where I'm hot and wet. My nails bite into his shoulders as he pushes forward with infinite patience. "Relax for me, baby. That's it."
The stretch is exquisite, a slow burn that steals my breath.
My body accommodates him inch by inch until he's fully sheathed within me.
We both still joined in a way that feels more profound than anything I've ever known.
Tears prick my eyes, not from pain, but from the overwhelming rightness of it.
"You feel..." He drops his forehead to mine, his breathing ragged. "Christ, Lu. Perfect."
Then he moves. Slow at first, shallow thrusts that make me gasp with every slide. My hips rise to meet his, seeking more. "Deeper," I whisper into his mouth. "Please, Daniel. More."
He groans, a raw, primal sound that vibrates through my entire body. His thrusts deepen, each one striking something inside me that makes stars dance behind my eyes.
The bed creaks beneath us, a steady rhythm that matches the pounding of my heart. His hands grip my hips, holding me firm as he drives harder, faster.
"Come for me, Lu," he growls against my skin. "Let go. Right now."
His command unleashes something inside me.
Pleasure detonates low in my belly, radiating outwards in waves that leave me trembling.
My inner walls clench around him, pulling a groan from his chest. His thrusts become erratic, powerful surges that push me higher.
With one final, deep thrust, he buries himself to the hilt and shouts my name into my neck.
We collapse together, limbs tangled, hearts racing. Daniel rolls us to our sides without breaking our connection, his arms locking around me. His lips brush my temple as our breathing slows. "Okay?" he murmurs.
I nod against his chest, too overwhelmed to speak. His hand strokes my back in slow, soothing circles. For the first time in years, I feel truly safe. Truly whole.