Chapter 6
SIX
Adriano
After I leave Eliza, I head downstairs to my study and pour a measure of Scotch I don't particularly want into a glass.
I cross to the window and look out into the darkness.
Everything is quiet. Three kilometers from the nearest village, it always is.
It's why I chose this place. I like being among people but when I come home at night I want to leave the world behind. Well, most of it anyway.
In the distance I see the outline of the wall that surrounds the property and the silhouette of the cypress trees. Movement in the corner of my eye as my men patrol the perimeter is a reminder that a man like me is never truly alone.
My security team know not to bother me unless it's absolutely necessary.
In the two years I've lived here they've never had occasion to disturb my peace.
It's almost insulting. My cousins have all had intruders on their properties.
I'm also an important member of the Volante family, but nobody has tried to murder me in my bed.
I suppose I should be grateful for that.
As I look out over the vast tract of land I own I can't help comparing it with Gabriele's home. The property around his villa was similarly bleak before Katya worked her magic. She has a real eye for detail. She's brought life to what was once a mausoleum.
My mind drifts to the woman upstairs. What texture might she add to my life if I let her?
I sip my Scotch and think about the meal we shared. That simple spaghetti in tomato sauce might be the best thing I've eaten in a long time. I suspect it's because it came with a generous helping of sass on the side.
Women who talk back have irritated me in the past. I face enough challenges during my day without someone squaring up to me in my downtime as well.
I always preferred women who complied with my demands without question.
With Eliza it's different. I enjoy it when she fights back.
I can't begin to explain why, but I want to earn her submission.
I finish the Scotch and set the glass down on my desk, a whitewashed wooden slab sitting on an asymmetrical metal frame.
Like most things in this house I fucking hate it.
When I hired Lola Vicenze to decorate the place I gave her free rein to create a modern living space with minimal clutter.
She somehow read that as "make my house as uncomfortable as possible. "
Because I was occupied with business and also with chasing Eliza down, I didn't keep a close enough eye on what Lola was doing.
When I returned to Rome for a few days after tracking down a false lead in Madrid, I found the place already finished.
As much as I'd like to blame Eliza for my décor disaster I can't. I'm the one who took my eye off the ball and hasn't done anything to put things right.
While Eliza is definitely not responsible for the state of my home she is the cause of the prickling beneath my skin.
It started when I stood next to her at the stove, not touching, but close enough to feel the heat of her body.
Fuck! That woman makes me want to do things to her I shouldn't even be contemplating.
Not before I get the answers Gabriele needs.
I head back upstairs, fully intending to go to my own bedroom to watch the highlights of the match between AC Milan and Real Madrid.
Instead, I find myself hovering outside Eliza's door.
I listen for a moment but there's no sound from within.
I press my finger to the metal pad on the wall and unlock the door.
When I enter the room a cool breeze hits me. Eliza is on the balcony, looking out over the same part of the garden I was staring at from my office window. A more poetic man might make something of that.
I tread lightly as I cross the room but three years of being hunted have made Eliza aware of her surroundings. She turns to face me, furrowing her brow as she watches me approach.
"Adriano?" She looks up at me questioningly. In her bare feet she's a good ten inches shorter than me. I notice she wearing jeans that have seen better days and a white shirt similar to the one she had on yesterday. Her clothes are abysmal. I'll need to rectify that.
I hold my hand out to her. She stares at it for a second, trying to decide what taking it will mean. After several beats, she places her delicate fingers on the palm of my hand. I pull her back into the bedroom and slide the balcony door shut.
"What is it?" she asks.
I curve a hand around her cheek. Her skin is soft but cold after being outside.
I walk her back until she's trapped between me and the wall.
I could take what I want from her. She wouldn't be able to resist. But that's not the man I am.
Whatever darkness lives in me, forcing a woman is a line I will not cross.
"Do you want this?" My voice is raspy.
"Yes."
"I won't be gentle." Even if I was the type of man to make love, this wouldn't be the time for it.
She blinks and looks up at me. "I don't want you to be."
I'm normally not a kisser but I have to taste her perfect pink lips.
They're cold at first but soon warm up as my mouth brushes over them.
Pushing my body against hers, I deepen the kiss, plunging my tongue into her mouth.
A hint of the wine we had with dinner lingers but the predominantly minty taste tells me she found the toothbrush in her bathroom.
I keep her pinned against the wall with my body and take my time with her mouth. She makes a sound against my lips that goes straight through me. Her hands find my shirt and she grabs fistfuls of it like she needs something to hold onto.
I slide my hand into her silky hair and tilt her head back to get access to her throat. She arches into me, her breath coming faster. Beneath my lips, her pulse races, going as fast as mine.
Breaking the kiss, I start to unbutton her shirt. It's taking too long so I grasp the edge of the hideously functional garment and rip it open. I definitely have to buy her new clothes now.
"Take those off," I tell her, pointing to her black pants.
If I was in any doubt that she wants this, the speed at which she removes her trousers would banish it. She almost falls in her haste to get out of them. I have to steady her with a hand beneath the elbow.
Her cheeks redden slightly as I take in the glorious sight of her in her underwear. The white cotton bra and panties are utilitarian, designed for comfort not seduction. Women spend a fortune on lingerie to impress me but I have never desired any of them as much as I do Eliza.
She gasps as I yank her white cotton bra down and latch onto her plump nipple. Tangling her fingers in my hair, she tries to press my head closer. Like I said last night, she's a greedy little thing.
I wrap my lips around her nipple and pull until it stiffens into a tight peak. Then I give the other one the same attention. Eliza wiggles her hips impatiently. Her responsiveness pleases me.
I slide my hand down her stomach and into her underwear and find her soaking. She gasps and grabs my forearm. She clings onto me as I work her slowly, watching her face the entire time. I make her come before I've even taken my pants off.
She shudders against the wall and bites down on her lip to keep the sound in but she can't hide her reactions from me. I notice every detail.
When her orgasm is over she's flushed and unsteady. She looks at me like she's not sure what just happened to her. I know the feeling.
Reaching down, I unfasten my pants to free my painfully hard cock.
"If I don't get inside you I might die." I didn't mean to say that out loud.
Eliza grins wickedly. "I wouldn't want that."
She drags her panties down and lifts a leg over my hip as I thrust inside her, driving all the way in. Fuck. She's tight, wet and utterly perfect. This feels like it was always meant to happen.
As I thrust into her, she moves with me, matching the frantic pace I set.
"Fuck! Your cunt was made for me."
I brace one hand on the wall beside her head and drive into her until she's crying out against my shoulder. Her nails rake down my back. I feel it through my shirt and I want more of it. I want every mark she's capable of leaving on me.
Encouraging Eliza to wrap her legs around my waist, I carry her to the bed, my cock still inside her. I pull out, drop her onto the bed and flip her onto all fours. Standing behind her, I grab her waist to hold her steady as I plunge back into her welcoming heat.
"Adriano!" she whimpers as I drive into her harder and faster.
I yank her back to meet my thrusts. I'll never get deep enough inside her to satisfy my lust. This woman has done something to me that can never be undone. I get it now, all that romantic shit about knowing when you've found the one because that's what I'm experiencing right now.
I mentally slap that notion from my thoughts. This isn't some spiritual connection we're forging here. It's a quick fuck, pure and simple. Only it isn't pure and I'm kidding myself if I think it's as easy as that. Now I've got Eliza I intend to hold onto her.
I reach around and find her clit, stroking it in time with my thrusts.
She drops her head and the sound she makes is the best thing I've heard in years.
I feel her clenching around me and I slow deliberately, pulling back until she whimpers in frustration.
I want to hear that sound again. I want to make her beg.
Though it kills me to hold back, I grit my teeth and wait her out.
"Please," she says a moment later. That single word nearly finishes me. I give her what she wants, what we both want. I take her swollen clit between my fingers and pinch, making her moan.
My balls tighten and my cock twitches as her pussy clenches around me. Eliza cries out and a moment later I follow her to a climax, spilling my seed deep inside her. It's at that point that a realization smacks me hard in the face. I didn't use a condom.
"Shit." I pull out of her. Eliza rolls onto her back looking dazed. "I didn't use a condom."
"I take the pill," she assures me. "At least I did until this morning. I don't have any with me."
"It'll be okay." I don't actually know how these things work. "We'll take you to a doctor and get something sorted."
"Why?" Eliza bites her bottom lip coyly. "Do you intend to do that again?"
"Yes I do, cara, and I'm not prepared to wait."
Stripping off my clothes, I climb onto the bed and fuck her until we're both thoroughly exhausted. I resist the urge to pull her into my arms. I don't know where we are but it's not the cuddling stage.
I stare up at the ceiling as her breathing slows.
Neither of us speaks. The silence is oddly comfortable.
That in itself is a problem. It feels entirely natural to lie next to this woman.
I should get up and go to my own room but I don't. Instead I do something I've never done with a woman before. I close my eyes and fall asleep.