18. Lucian
18
LUCIAN
“ S o Natasha has me in a headlock. I’m screaming bloody murder. My mom keeps scolding us about how we’re young ladies and need to act like it. And in walks my father,” Tatiana says, the laughter bubbling up between her words. She holds her glass of pinot grigio over the table as if she’s forgotten it’s still cupped in her hand, the stem trapped between her fingers, her posture casual.
I love the sound of her laughter. I hadn’t realized just how much until this trip, but I’m intensely aware of how much more she laughs when she’s at ease and not under the immense pressure from her responsibilities.
I like this side of her, relaxed and carefree. After our first contentious day in Italy, Tatiana has surprised me with her willingness to go with the flow. The weekend I promised I would take her home at the end of has turned into nearly a week, and she still doesn’t sound overly anxious to get home. The romantic atmosphere of the Amalfi Coast seems to have swept us both away. And here, away from all her duties, Tatiana is a completely different person, a wild beauty who’s unleashed her playful side. She has a thirst for adventure and an insatiable sexual appetite that matches mine.
As I sit across the table from her at the romantic dinner I booked in a restaurant at the top of the hill, I can’t stop looking at my wife. It’s hard to reconcile the fact that this is real—Tatiana is mine, and finally, that doesn’t seem to be the worst thing she could possibly imagine. The laughter spilling from her is infectious, the girlish giggles so light and genuine it makes my pulse pound, and I catch myself chuckling as I lean in.
“What did your father do?”
“Nothing! The coward just turned around and left like ‘I am not about to get involved in whatever crazy girl problem this is.’” Tatiana’s high cheekbones stand out above her wide smile that makes her look tantalizingly beautiful, and her blue eyes are soft with affection at the memory of her father.
I think talking about him has helped her wrap her mind around his absence, if only a little. And though she seemed reluctant at first to open up to me about him, she needs to keep him alive in any way she can. All I can do is make space for that.
“Well, clearly you survived the headlock,” I point out, leaning back in my chair to wave at her beautiful figure.
She’s wearing the black, open-back halter top dress she bought in the market earlier this week, and its simplicity is stunning, the way it clings to her curves. Her creamy skin has a soft golden glow after several days in the sun, making the color of her eyes even more electric blue as she meets my gaze.
“Yes, Natasha was always physically more capable, but that was the day I realized I needed to be smart if I wanted to hold my own. My father must have decided the same thing, because the next day, he gave me my first lesson in chess.”
My lips curve softly as I picture her sitting behind a chess board, studying the pieces.
“My father taught me to play chess as well. Maybe we can play a game together sometime,” I suggest.
The heat in Tatiana’s gaze intensifies as her eyebrow quirks. “I thought we already were.”
My cock twitches at her teasing tone. She’s not wrong. I’ve been making moves and counter moves against her father for years. Marrying Tatiana was most definitely achieved through strategy, and even now, I’m utilizing the tactics I know to win her over. But that doesn’t make it any less serious to me.
“Well, for my next move, I thought I might take you back to the villa and see what happens,” I say lowly.
Tatiana’s tongue darts out to lick her lips, and her cheeks turn a soft pink as she gives a subtle nod. Standing, I offer her my hand, and she glances toward the host stand.
“Don’t we need to pay?”
“It’s already taken care of,” I say, leaning in to steal her hand, and I pull her to her feet.
The car is already waiting for us outside, a black Maserati that idles by the curb. When I open the back door for her, Tatiana slips inside, sliding across the bench seat so I can follow her. Dominic sits in the driver’s seat, and he keeps his gaze focused on the road as I direct him to take us back to the villa, then I turn to capture the nape of Tatiana’s neck with my fingers as I pull her in for a kiss.
There’s no resistance anymore. When I take control, her enthusiasm matches mine, the tension quickly increasing the temperature of the confined space as she leans close. Our lips meet with an electric jolt, and I can’t wait to get her back to the room—or better yet, the balcony. I want to bend her over the railing and make love to her beneath the moonlight.
Our tongues tangle, Tatiana’s hand coming up to wrap around my wrist as she holds it in place, and my cock is suddenly rock-hard and pressing at the seam of my slacks. Whenever I’m with Tatiana, I feel this frenzy—a need to consume her, claim her for my own. She’s intoxicating, and when she kisses me in return, it lights my soul on fire.
We don’t even bother with seat belts for the short drive down the hill, and when I pull Tatiana onto my lap, she lifts the skirt of her knitted black dress to straddle me. She gasps quietly as I slide my hands up her thighs beneath the stretchy skirt and brush my fingers across the soft silk of her panties. I can already feel her wetness through the thin fabric, and her hips roll forward against me as I tease her clit.
The car rolls to a stop a moment later, Dominic parking in front of the villa, and it’s a good thing because if the drive had been any longer, I’m not sure Tatiana and I would have waited. Without a word, Tatiana pops the door open and climbs off my lap to get out of the car.
The bulge in my pants is noticeable as I follow her, and she glances down at it, her breath hitching as she flushes, her gaze brightening with anticipation. I love that look in her eye. Knowing that I command her pleasure and that I satisfy her in a way no other man will ever have the privilege to. Wrapping my arm around her waist, I pull her close as I pin her against the rough stucco of our villa.
Tatiana’s lips find mine with eager lust. Her fingers wrap around the collar of my shirt, and she presses her chest against me as she kisses me deeply. We feel like frantic teenagers as I lean into her, trapping her between my arms. The thrill of kissing her out in the open, of showing the world that she belongs to me, never gets old.
My hands roam up the curves of her body, and I palm her breasts, relishing the way her nipples pucker beneath my fingers. Our tongues tangle, and I rock my hips forward, pressing my aching cock against her abdomen to ease the pressure.
Tatiana gasps, the sound breathy and hot with arousal. “Take me to bed,” she murmurs against my lips, making my cock throb.
Nothing could stop me from obeying her command, and I open the door, swinging it wide before scooping her into my arms. Her legs wrap around my waist, the black dress hiking up around her hips as she clings to me. Refusing to break our kiss for more than a second, I kick the door closed behind us and carry her toward the bedroom.
As soon as the door closes behind us, Tatiana goes to work on the buttons of my linen shirt, holding onto me with her legs and trusting that I’ll hold her up. With one arm snug around her hips, I reach up to untie the halter top of her dress with the other. The fabric slips down as soon as the knot comes undone, pooling at the bend of her hips and exposing her full breasts.
I carry Tatiana right past the king-size bed to the sliding door of our balcony, and she pauses in her efforts to remove my shirt.
“What are you doing?” she murmurs, glancing toward the bed.
“I’ve had you on every surface of this place except one,” I say, opening the door.
She gasps, leaning into me to cover her breasts as I step outside with her. Since we’re nearly at the top of the hill, no one will see us, but the chances that anyone will hear us are much more likely, and I smirk, as Tatiana’s eyes widen nervously.
“I guess you’ll just have to be extra quiet, tesoro , if you don’t want all of Positano to know the kind of lover your husband is,” I tease. Then I lower her feet to the ground as I press her hips against the wrought iron railing.
“Lucian, what if someone sees?” she whispers.
I doubt anyone will, but the thrill of it makes my cock throb, and I nip playfully at her lower lip. “Let them,” I rasp, allowing her dress to slip over her hips and pool at her feet.
All Tatiana’s wearing is a white silk thong, and she looks dangerously sexy in just that and her heels, her long legs pressed together as if she’s trying to quench her desire. Reaching up, I remove the clip holding her hair in a loose knot behind her head, and Tatiana’s hair falls, thick and dark and lush around her shoulders.
She shivers, her eyes molten as I comb my fingers into her soft locks, cradling her face as I lean in to steal a soft, lingering kiss. Then I work my way down her body, kissing her chest and sucking her nipples between my teeth as I kneel before her.
It’s reminiscent of my groveling the day we arrived in Italy—out on the balcony, on my knees, Tatiana’s perfect body curvy and lush above me. But this time, there are no tears in her eyes, no pain in her voice, and no clothes to hide her beauty from me. Her smooth, soft stomach blends into her full hips, and the small triangle of fabric hiding her sweet pink folds doesn’t stand a chance.
Her hands fly back to brace against the railing as I drag the slip of lingerie down her legs and make her step out of them. I tuck the panties into my pocket and nudge her legs open with my knee. Then, fingers wrapped around her full hips, I dip low to kiss the sweet heat between her thighs. Tatiana whimpers, her knees quivering as she leans back against the railing.
“You taste irresistible,” I murmur, stroking my tongue out to lap at her slick slit, and Tatiana cries out, a shudder racking her body as her legs give out.