CHAPTER TWO
R occo’s firm, warm body pressed hard against my back. His fingertips stroked low on my stomach, sending a flutter through me. “Mmm,” he hummed, burying his mouth in my neck, nuzzling. The stubble on his squared jaw grazed my skin. I inhaled sharply, my lungs filled with the scent of spicy leather, and a shiver went through me in his arms. I snuggled closer, and he held me tighter, his chest expanding. For the first time tonight, I felt like a weight lifted off me. He had a way of making me feel protected, even in the dark. I couldn’t see him, but I had imprinted every part of him to memory. The way his dark, wavy hair fell across his forehead, the startling blue and starburst of gold in his eyes when he looked at me—they bore in and fused. I could never look away for long. I’d felt the muscular curves of his chiseled cheekbones when I held his face and wondered if he’d known how mesmerizing he was to behold. His full, sensual lips would dazzle with a smile but were soft and intoxicating on my body when he’d kiss me all over. At a distance, I could tell myself that he didn’t matter as much to me, but in his arms, I wanted to stay.
“Mmm, you smell so good, you feel so good,” he whispered. His hands moved higher up my nightshirt, teasing my nipples that grew tighter beneath the thin fabric with every touch. I squirmed, making the fabric ride higher, eager to feel his hands all over my bare skin. His touch was intoxicating, and once he started, there was never enough.
Rocco’s hands moved quickly, tugging the shirt over my head and down my arm, stripping me bare. Just the graze of his hands and the coolness of the night raised goosebumps on my skin.
“Ohh,” I moaned, sighing heavily.
“Mmm,” he groaned as he turned me over on my back—his hands eager, clasping my breasts, moving his soft lips over them, and closing his mouth on a nipple to suck. He drew on it hard, and the sensation was sharp and intense. Oh, Rocco . I let out a loud moan, arching my back for more.
“Mmm, you love the way I suck,” he whispered darkly, sucking and kissing over my breasts.
“Ohh…oh yes.” I cradled his head, feeling the soft waves, the heat of his neck, moving my arms down his strong biceps, feeling the muscles grow firmer by my touch. He lifted my arms and pulled them above my head, placing my fingers on the headboard. For a second, I came to my senses. Should we be doing this?
I hesitated. “Rocco? What are you doing?”
“I’m doing you, Bella.” Just hearing him say it sent a jolt straight to my clit, and I grew wetter. I wanted him, but what I needed more was not to feel so emotionally bereft and utterly alone. My body eased into submission, giving him no more protest.
His touch was confident, electric, and possessive as he slid his hand down my legs and spread them wider. The backs of my legs brushed his broad shoulders as he boldly placed himself in the gap. My heart hammered so hard I could feel it in my ears as I held on to the headboard, my body sinking into the mattress and his will.
Rocco’s thumbs hooked the sides of my thong, pulling it down my legs, and I shuddered. My breath staggered and held as his soft lips kissed higher on my thigh. His nose moved up my slit and inhaled me. It was so intimate.
I gaped, my mouth shuddering, “Ohh, Rocco….”
His tongue slid up my slit, and my hand clutched the headboard hard enough to hurt as I shivered. “It…it feels so good, please Rocco….” My hips lifted higher for more, and he groaned, licking my clit with long sensual strokes and flicks of his tongue.
“I can’t get enough of you,” he whispered, his voice a silent plea. A low moan followed as his grip tightened, heating my skin as he lapped my clit harder. My body climbed, and my breath labored. I didn’t know if I could take much more.
But then he plunged his tongue inside of me and swirled, then I cried out. “Oh my God.” My inner walls clenched, and my thighs shook. He let go and pushed his fingers in, curving as his tongue lapped me faster.
“I’m…oh, Rocco. Oh, yes. Fuck,” I rasped between heavy breaths. My body shook hard as the orgasm took hold, with ecstasy flooding my body. My inner walls were still spasming when he flipped me over and pulled my hips closer, to take me on all fours.
His cock was hard and thick, stretching me as he thrust into the hilt, hitting the end of me.
I stifled a moan.
“Let it out. Let me hear you, Bella.” He glided his cock out and grabbed a fist full of my hair. I moaned unrestrained as he pulled it enough to make me cry out as he shoved his cock back in with a powerful thrust.
He became rougher since Cannes. And I hungered for it.
“It feels so good,” I moaned. He knew my body well already, flexing his hips, hitting the erogenous zones inside me that made me explode. My body tightened, my climax close.
“Ohh, ohh yes,” I moaned between fast breaths.
He groaned and reached around to my clit, stroking, lightly squeezing, and I lost control. My body buckled, trembling in ecstasy.
“Fuck, you’re so tight,” he drawled out, rolling his hips, taking me faster. Then, I felt it; his body jerked, and his cock flexed as he came hard inside me.
As my body calmed, a battle with my head began. A part of me wanted to push him away and demand answers, none I was prepared to hear. However, the other part of me had feelings for the strong man who had been good to me.
Rocco and I both groaned as he pulled out, then he turned me over, settling between my legs again. His head lowered to rest on my stomach. “I can’t believe he’s gone,” he whispered hoarsely. “It feels like a part of me has broken off.”
It was then I understood that sex wasn’t the only thing he wanted from me. Since we arrived back in Florence, he had put his family’s feelings ahead of his own. He needed the space to feel, to mourn.
“I’m sorry, Rocco…you meant the world to him,” I murmured, my tone soft, soothing. Luca loved him dearly. I was sure of it.
“Mom, Dad…all my relatives tonight looked at me for all the answers. Fuck, it caught me off guard….” I could hear the uncertainty in his voice, and I knew being pushed suddenly into such an elder position had been hard on him.
“You don’t have to be perfect, Rocco. You just need to be there and listen.” It was what I’d expected.
He sighed. “But it’s the Luca Marini. As you know, he was a great leader of our family and so many other things. Business mogul, award-winning philanthropist….” I could feel Rocco’s admiration infused in his tone as he reminisced on every success.
“Yes, I do,” I said softly.
“Did you know he was sick years ago?”
“No, not really. When?” I asked.
“When I was seventeen he collapsed at work. I thought…I’d have to take his place. I was terrified. But then he recovered.” He exhaled long. “I wasn’t ready.”
I palmed his head. “You were a child, Rocco. It’s okay to be scared of death.”
“It wasn’t death I feared, Adelina. It was people seeing my fear. Something my grandpa taught me never to show. And I failed that test that day. But I worked hard never to do it again.” Rocco was always so expressive of his feelings with me. I never thought he held anything back. And my heart ached hearing he had to be so strong all the time.
“That’s…not fair, Rocco,” I swallowed. “It takes strength to show your feelings.”
“I do with you…I feel like you listen without putting all the other stuff about me….””
“Your celebrity?”
He chuckled despite it all. “Yeah.”
I still thought of Rocco as a celebrity, but he was more than that. He was a good man. “I want to listen and help you. You’ve done so much for me.”
“I appreciate it. And I’m happy you’re here because you knew Luca… you loved him too.”
“Yes, I did. Very much,” I said hoarsely. It was the truth that I spoke straight from my heart.
Rocco kissed my stomach, then placed his head back down on it. Tears dropped on my skin from my eyes and his. He came to me not as the charismatic man the world knew but as the vulnerable man underneath—the one who took a leap of faith and reached for me at night. The more I held him, the heavier the weight he gave on my lap as he gave some of his burden for me to carry, and I cherished it.
Even through my confusion about what happened with our families, I couldn’t hurt him when he was down. Instead, I returned to palming his head to soothe both of us. He was in mourning for his grandfather. And I was in mourning for the man I thought I knew.
Rocco and I were up early, ready to leave. I had my bags in the car, but went back inside to check to see if I missed anything. My eyes landed on the hollowed-out book left for me— Lady Chatterley’s Lover . Was there more to it?
I tucked the book into the bag and walked downstairs.
At the bottom was Magda, one of the housekeepers who had become my friend. She stepped forward with her arms open and I hugged her tight. Despite my uncertainty about Luca and the documents, the people I met at his home in Florence were warm and inviting. “Thank you so much for everything.”
She held me at arm’s length. “I was so happy you came here to this home. When you walked in I couldn’t believe how much you looked like Constance.”
My brows rose in shock. “You knew my grandmother?”
Magda nodded. “Oh yes. I was here from the start. She wanted this home, and Luca was madly in love with her and bought it on the spot.” She let me go, pressing a hand to her lips. “That’s a secret not even Aurora knew.”
My brows rose. “Really? She never mentioned being here.”
Magda’s eyes glassed over. “I suppose she wouldn’t…But it brought luck to him and Aurora. Maybe it did the same for you and Rocco?” She asked with a twinkle in her eye, squeezing my arms.
I dipped my head. “I don’t know….”
“You don’t have to. Let your heart find what you want…I will miss Luca. He was so good to my family. He helped put my kids through college, and helped them get great jobs.” Her voice cracked, and she let go of me, covering her mouth.
I took her free hand and held it comfortingly. That was the Luca I knew, too—a kind and caring man. Was that the real him? Or was someone trying to destroy his legacy? I rubbed the space between my brows.
“You look troubled.” Magda frowned. “But I suppose you’re sad like all of us. Did you know he came by and left you something?”
I was about to mention the book I found in the bedroom when Magda picked up a package on the foyer table and handed it to me. Its shape resembled a hard-covered book like most packages Luca sent me over the years.
Her eyes watered. “He brought this over yesterday for you to have as a personal wedding gift, but I feel you should have it now.”
I shook my head and held it out for her to take back. “Uhm, I shouldn’t since we didn’t get married.” That was what I told her, but the real reason was I didn’t want more bad news like the package I found in my room.
Magda inhaled sharply and tucked it in my bag. “I know. But you can open it later when you feel more at peace.” My heart ached, and I had no idea if I’d ever feel that way again if the documents were true.
Still, I hugged her and offered another goodbye before walking out the door.
I shielded my eyes against the bright sun of summer and the humid heat made me feel instantly too hot. I rushed forward to Rick holding the passenger door of the Mercedes and thanked him as I climbed in back. To my surprise, Rocco was already inside on a call.
“Yes, Mom. I’m heading to the airport now. We’ll be there soon. Okay. Yes. Okay.…”
A minute later, Rick was behind the wheel, and we were driving off the estate to the airport. I was grateful that I didn’t have to answer any questions. It also gave me time to mask my suspicions. Did his family know the whole time? His father behaved shady when I found him in the bedroom. He was searching for something. What could it have been? Or was he trying to hide the papers I found?
“Adelina?” Rocco said my name as if he repeated it more than once.
I blinked rapidly. “Yes?”
“Are you okay? You look pale.” My heart panged seeing his eyes still rimmed red. He hadn’t made a sound, but I felt his tears on my thigh last night.
“I…I have a headache,” I murmured.
He took my hand. “I’ll make sure you get some rest on the plane.”
I nodded.
“Thank you for last night.”
“Why are you thanking me?”
“Because you were there for me.”
I shook my head. “You don’t need to thank me for that.”
He exhaled deeply. “I believe I do. I left you in the house alone—”
“You went to help your family—”
“It still wasn’t right, and I’m sorry I did. I came as quick as I could,” he said, turning the engagement ring on my finger before gently squeezing my hand.
A lump lodged in my throat. He’d been considerate, though his family needed him just as much.
“You were there for me without question. It…meant a lot to me, Bella.” He leaned over, clasped the side of my face, and kissed me tenderly on the lips. They were so soft, and warm, I pressed in to linger. Rocco broke away first, with a soft smile that made my chest flutter, which I quickly admonished.
How could he behave as if nothing happened, knowing what Luca did to my family? No. That’s unfair . I don’t know anything yet, and now’s not the time or the place for questions. He was still my fiancé and in mourning . I need to act as if everything’s fine.
“Be careful pretending.” Luca’s warnings echoed in my head. I forced the thought away and leaned back against the cushions, closing my eyes.
Rocco kept my hand, rubbing the back of it soothingly, and I drifted….
“Adelina?” Rocco’s voice rose through my haze, and I blinked my eyes rapidly. His hands were on my shoulder, gently shaking me.
“What…what’s going on?” I mumbled.
He shot me a pointed look, frowning. “We’re at the airport.”
I wiped my eyes and sat up fully, turning my head towards the window. What seemed like only moments had been a jump in time. We had already parked on the airport tarmac beside his plane, which was open for us to board.
Without a moment to lose, Rocco took my hand to leave the car and we were instantly greeted by flashes of cameras from the press already on the tarmac. I quickly dug inside my bag and put on my sunglasses, while Rocco’s arm came around my waist, protectively tucking me into his side. A warmth spread inside of me at how he never failed to show me affection. Our steps quickened as reporters called out questions to our backs.
“Will you take over Marini Holdings?”
“Does this mean an end to your film production work?”
“Is the wedding off?”
Rocco didn’t answer any of the questions. However, the last one had my stomach taking a dive. What if the wedding’s off? If those documents are true, why wouldn’t I hope for it to end?
A surge of anger swelled inside me, fueled by all the trust I’d given Rocco. It would be cruel for him to cast me aside. But that wasn’t what was shown when I walked inside the plane. I had assumed my blank mask. And I was once again Adelina—ever present, ever resilient.
The woman I had to be.