Chapter 14
FOURTEEN
Damiano
Violetta could teach classes on stalling for time, she's so good at it. She not only fails to answer my question, she also doesn't utter a single word to me throughout dinner.
First she focuses on her pasta like it's the most interesting thing she's ever eaten. Then, when Lina serves lamb with anchovies, she gives that dish the same exaggerated concentration.
It's the same with dessert. The simple lemon tart becomes the most fascinating thing in the room. The only times she talks are when Lina enters the room. She may not want to speak to me, but she remembers her manners around my housekeeper.
It's almost amusing that she's the one who insisted on talking, only to turn around a minute later and take a vow of silence. But I'm not in a laughing mood and I've been patient long enough.
"So," I say when she finally sets her pastry fork down. "Are you ready to answer my question?"
"Huh?"
Is she for real? She's going to pretend she doesn't remember what I asked her.
"Will you accept the marriage, Violetta?"
She glances over her shoulder as if looking for something and my fists clench.
"I must find Lina." She gets to her feet. "I need to compliment her on the meal."
"Violetta." My voice may be controlled, but her antics have me itching to bend her over the table and fuck some sense into her. "Sit down."
She hesitates for a moment and then sinks onto her seat. Though defiant, she isn't stupid. I see the calculation in her eyes as she carefully considers every move she makes.
Going back to the basement is the last thing she wants, but submitting to my will is equally unappealing to her.
She's walking a tightrope, trying to find her balance.
That's good. After she let Gianotti escape, I worried she was driven entirely by emotion.
From what I've seen since she's been in my custody, she's not as impulsive as I first thought.
"What?" she snarks as she looks over to find me studying her closely.
"I've warned you about that tone, Violetta." As much as I enjoy her feistiness, I will not tolerate disrespect. "And I want an answer to my question."
She pushes her full red lips out in a final display of petulance before finally nodding.
"I want to hear it." Nothing less than her full, unambiguous agreement will do.
"Yes, Damiano." Her tone is laden with weariness. "I will marry you."
"Good girl."
The clench of her jaw tells me she’s not in the mood for praise. I reach out to caress her face, trailing my fingers slowly down her cheek. Violetta's shoulders sag as if releasing tension and she leans into my touch.
For a moment, as she lifts her hand, I think she's going to push me away.
She doesn't. Instead, she places her hand over my arm and stares right at me When I search her eyes, I find a woman at war with herself, one who wants to accept and deny me in equal measure.
I need to put an end to her doubts. And my own.
Waving Lina off as she appears in the doorway with our coffee, I rise from my seat.
"Come with me."
I could grab Violetta's arm and drag her to my bedroom, but I want her to follow me willingly. As I leave the dining room and walk along the corridor to the grand staircase, the clicking of her heels on the tiled floor assures me she's close behind.
When we reach the door to my bedroom, I open it and stand back to allow Violetta to enter. Blinking rapidly, she stares at me with the wide, startled eyes of a rabbit cornered by a wolf.
Then she summons her courage and walks into the room. She heads to the window to check the view before turning to scan her surroundings.
"It's very masculine in here," she grumbles.
The room, like the rest of the palazzo, was decorated by a designer I hired. She told me the palette of grays and black suited my aura. I didn't give it much thought at the time, but I guess she had a point.
"Did you expect me to have rainbows on the walls and unicorns on my sheets?"
Violetta arches a thin eyebrow. "No, but would it kill you to add a few splashes of color? This is so…" She waves a hand around as if trying to find the right description.
"Masculine?" I suggest.
"Depressing," she amends.
"If that's how it makes you feel, change it."
"Really?"
"I don't say things I don't mean, Violetta, but I didn't bring you here to discuss the décor."
She puts her hands on her hips, a challenging gesture.
"So, what did you bring me in here for?"
Now she's being deliberately obtuse.
"I think you know the answer to that."
Stepping closer, I cup her face in my hands.
As I bend to kiss her, she sucks in a breath, but she doesn't protest as my lips claim hers.
I take it slow, pushing my tongue past her soft, warm lips to explore her mouth.
Violetta is stiff at first, but when I wrap an arm around her waist and pull her close, she melts against me.
As I up the intensity, ravishing her mouth until she emits desperate little moans, I reach for the tie at her waist. I'm so glad she chose this style of dress tonight.
It's like she gave me a gift to unwrap. I undo the knot, then push the dress from her shoulders.
Wriggling against me, she shimmies out of it.
With reluctance, I break the kiss. I need to look at her. Violetta bites her bottom lip and stares at the floor. I don't know where her sudden shyness has come from. I've seen her naked before.
"You're beautiful."
My words aren't mere flattery. Violetta is truly one of the most stunning women I've ever met.
"So are you."
She lets out a choked sound as if she didn't mean to say that. I find I’m glad she did.
My lips twitch. I've been described in many ways, but I don't recall beautiful being one of them. From her, I'll take the compliment.
Stepping back, I admire her lacy black underwear. It's pretty but right now it's forming a barrier between me and what I want.
"Remove your bra and panties." I narrow my eyes as she opens her mouth to protest. "Or I'll tear them off you."
Her eyes flit nervously to the window. No doubt she's worried about being seen by the men patrolling the groundsShe needn't be. The glass is designed for privacy. Besides, they know better than to look. I would pluck out the eyes of any man who glimpsed my woman naked.
Before I can tell her that, she makes a decision, reaching around to unfasten her bra. Slipping the straps down her shoulders, she lets it drop to the floor. Then she hooks her fingers in the waistband of the minuscule wisp of fabric she calls panties and slowly draws them down her long, lean legs.
Despite her coyness a moment ago, she makes no attempt to cover herself. Instead, she keeps her arms by her sides and tilts her chin up as if daring me to touch her.
Never one to back down from a dare, I grab her shoulders, spin her around and shove her toward the window. She throws her hands out to protect herself from the impact, not knowing me well enough to realize I would never let her get hurt.
Moving behind her, I lower my mouth to the side of her neck and suck gently. I gradually increase the pressure, wanting to leave my mark on her unblemished skin.
My eyes find hers in our reflection and I hold her gaze. I want her to understand what this is between us. She belongs to me now and I will always be watching.
My hands skim down her sides and she wriggles restlessly as I reach her waist. I seem to have found a ticklish spot.
I take my time exploring her body, noting how she reacts to my touch.
She lets out a soft sigh as I cup her breast. When I skim a hand over her abdomen, a muscle twitches beneath my palm.
Never releasing her from my stare, I map out every inch of her. She doesn't look away once as I slide my hand between her legs.
Pressing my chest against her back, I put my lips to her ear.
"Are you enjoying the view?"
Her brow furrows as if she's trying to work out whether I'm referring to what little she can see of the gardens in the darkness or our reflection in the window. Whatever conclusion she comes to, she nods.
"This is mine." I cup her feminine mound as I run my other hand over her ass. "All of it."
She shakes her head in denial. To show her how wrong she is, I shove two fingers into her already drenched pussy, making her cry out.
"This is mine," I repeat, curling my fingers to stroke the sensitive spot inside her. "Say it, Violetta."
"Yes." With me teasing her mercilessly, she's helpless to do anything but agree. It doesn't matter if she means it right now. I'll be reminding her frequently who she belongs to.
Withdrawing my fingers from her, I enjoy her desperate whimper as she feels the loss. I won't make her wait long. Unfastening my pants, I push them down along with my shorts, just enough to free my almost painful erection.
As I grab her hips to hold her in place, she drops her forehead to the glass. Sinking into her delightfully warm, wet heat feels like being welcomed home. No other woman has sparked in me such a need to possess her.
I push all the way into her and hold myself still for a moment, just long enough to regain my composure. Then I withdraw and slam back into her. She cries out with the force of it. Needing to see the desire in her eyes, I twist her hair around my hand and pull her head back.
"Watch every second of this, Violetta.”
I set a slow, unhurried pace that has her whimpering with need. Though it kills me, I want to draw out the pleasure for both of us. Violetta's eyes meet mine in the glass. The exquisite agony in them reveals her desperate need.
I piston my hips, driving my cock deep.
"Damiano!" she gasps, one hand reaching back to curve around my face.
Some other time, I'll welcome the tender way she caresses me, but I don't want it right now. This isn't about forming a bond. It's about me staking a claim.
"Hands on the window," I command.
She slaps her hand on the glass as I fuck her hard and fast. I grab her breast and knead the soft yet firm flesh. When I pinch her taut nipple she yelps. Her pussy clamps down on my hard length. It seems my volpina likes a little pain with her pleasure.
The increasingly breathy pants coming from her tell me she's close.
I find her clit and flick my finger back and forth over the swollen bud.
She clenches rhythmically around me as she comes, her whole body shaking.
The tingle at the base of my spine tells me I'm about to follow.
Slamming deep inside her, I hold still as I spill my seed.
My head drops to her shoulder and I rest there for a moment before straightening and rearranging my clothes. Violetta turns and picks her dress up from the floor. She takes a step toward the door and I put a hand out to stop her.
"What are you doing?" I ask.
"I'm going back to my room."
I shake my head. "Oh, no, sweetheart, from now on you share a bed with me."
Violetta looks past me to the large sleigh bed in the center of the room that she no doubt considers too masculine. She swallows hard.
"Okay, but I'm not ready to sleep yet."
"Well, that's good." I pull her hard against me. "Because I'm far from done with you."