27. Victoria
27
VICTORIA
“You just couldn’t wait, could you? You should’ve waited until we got divorced.”
I’ve never seen any man so irritated and turned on at the same time, but I’d be a damn liar if I said I was feeling guilty for doing this to Dante.
Instead, I’m reveling in the fact that he let me touch him, kiss him, and straddle his lap without tossing me on my ass. He doesn’t find me revolting, so that’s a plus. I was beginning to think that I had misunderstood, that he wasn’t attracted to me.
But, bit by bit, Dante’s curtain of mysterious dealings and emotions is starting to become transparent. He might say he’s not my knight in shining armor, acting as though that kind of hero is something I should want.
I don’t.
I yearn for someone who’s going to stick by my side, no matter how crazy or unpredictable life gets.
And Dante just saved my career for no reason except that it’s mine.
When my mother heard I married Dante rather than Liam, she absolutely lost her shit. She probably got a call from someone at the school and, likely in the same conversation, immediately had my funding pulled with zero consideration for the time I’ve spent busting my ass in school.
I outsmarted her.
I did my research, spoke to the lawyer, and I know every little detail of my trust.
It spelled out that I had to marry someone, just like my mother said.
I did that. Dante and I should have the money in the next thirty days.
It said I have to prove a pregnancy in order to touch the next quarter, and I’m working on that.
If I’m unable to bear children, the rest will release upon medical confirmation of my infertility.
And if I do give birth to a child, the rest of my trust will move into my account and I’ll be forever free of my mother’s bullshit.
For some unknown reason, the pregnancy doesn’t scare me anymore—but that might be because I’m high on the feeling of Dante’s cock pulsing inside me, too lost in carnal pleasure to worry about the consequences.
I need to worry about them.
There’s no freaking way I’m having a child right now. I have things to do, like a degree to finish and a bakery to open, and I refuse to become a single mother when Dante decides he wants to leave after we escape this mess. And it doesn’t sound like he wants a kid either.
Dante’s fingers squeeze my thighs and I clench around him. It’s hard to focus on words, but his comment about waiting for our inevitable divorce deserves some kind of response. He’s already tossed our relationship aside, making his priorities more-than clear.
“And do what, exactly, in the meantime?” I ask. I doubt he’s the kind of person who’s willing to share.
But I’m stupid enough to test the theory. Just once.
“Whatever it is that you want to do.” His darkening eyes give him away. I’m not a freaking mind reader, but I know he feels this connection between us. What we have feels too good and sinful to set aside and never explore again.
“I’d never cheat on my husband.” It’s the truth. I might enjoy pushing Dante’s buttons, but I’d never betray him. It doesn’t matter that this marriage isn’t real to us. It’s still sacred and deserves respect, no matter how we got here.
“Stupidly enough,” Dante mutters. “I think I believe you.”
I smirk and roll my eyes—trust takes time, but other than trying to find my own escape plan, I’ve never gone behind his back. “Thanks, husband. That boost of confidence will carry me through next week.”
One of his palms slides off my thigh and the crook of his index finger glides over my soaked clit, sending an involuntary shiver up my spine. “This little fuck session is going to need to be enough to carry me at least that long. I want to memorize every second so I can remember the feel of your cunt when I jack off later.”
Holy shit.
The thought of Dante stroking his dick, imagining me—my body—ramps up my need to come. Him alone, boxers shoved down his hips as he runs his hand down the velvety skin of his cock…well, that sounds like something I would pay to see.
“You should just call me so you can hear my voice,” I reply softly. “I’ll play along.”
“Would you rub yourself for me?” My lips part to reply yes but Dante continues before I can voice the word. “I’d rather you video chat me. I want to watch you sink your fingers inside your dripping pussy.”
I clench around him again, unable to help myself, as Dante rubs a firm circle around my sensitive nub. “With no panties on?”
“It doesn’t matter,” he growls, looking down between us, watching the point where his cock disappears inside me. “Give me more, princess. Your villain wants it hard and rough.”
I can do that— I think.
I’m not used to being on top and taking control. Yet, with Dante, it feels oddly powerful to have this man underneath me while I take what I want and need. Like he’s granting me, his wife, access to a part of him few women have ever seen.
Following his instructions, I take Dante as deeply and quickly as I can. I want this to be good for him. I want to make every moment of this as vivid and powerful as possible so that when he imagines this later, he can’t help but feel pain that he’s not inside me.
I’d love for him to crave me as much as I crave him.
Which is stupid because there is no end game where we get a happily ever after together.
Dante’s hands grip my ass and he spreads my cheeks wide. I gasp in surprise and pained pleasure as he guides me to ride him harder, faster, pushing his cock deeper with every stroke. “Has anyone had this ass before, princess?”
I shake my head back and forth, a panting mess from the effort of fucking him so hard in this position, and something dark casts over his expression. The look in his eye lights an even hotter fire inside me—I want whatever this man is willing to give me.
“I think I should be the first,” he murmurs, not quite meeting my eyes. “You want the real wife experience…it’d only be fair to show you what it’d be like if you were really mine.”
Yes.
I’m definitely intimidated by ass play, but with Dante, I feel safe. I know that he can show me things I’ve only imagined, and I can’t help but want to drown myself in his world.
“You seem to like that idea, princess,” he gloats, a filthy smirk twisting his mouth. “I can feel you getting wetter by the second, and that little hitch in your breathing…Your body is only confirming you wouldn’t do a thing to stop me.”
“I wouldn’t,” I confess. “I want it.”
“Nah, princess…you want the fantasy of me. Someone to protect and love you. I’m not that person. Can’t be.”
I’m tired of him painting me into a box, projecting the stereotype of the rich princess on me like I’m the one who’ll forget this is pretend and get too attached. But I didn’t just pay a giant tuition bill. I’m not the one who keeps saving him.
Sounds like someone doth protest too much . Sounds like that someone is either scared or in denial.
And it’s not my job to correct him, but to show him his error.
“If taking it up the ass means making a lifelong commitment,” I whisper, leaning closer to him and pressing my chest to his, “then I can wait for someone else.”
Dante nips at my lips in mock irritation. If there’s one thing I can’t hide from him, it’s the real meaning of my words. He knows I’m being a brat, working to goad him into action. “Make sure they’re gentle.”
Touche.
But letting him win the point would be too easy. I want Dante to truly want me . I won’t dissect the reasons, although I’m starting to think I may just be desperate for an ego boost. And if he keeps letting me ignore all the lines we keep drawing in the sand, I’m going to become far too dependent on him. If I’m not careful, I’m going to walk out of this marriage with one hell of a chip on my shoulders.
“You say that as if I couldn’t handle it,” I muse with a small smile of my own. “I think I can.”
His grip on me tightens a bit. “Would you scream, princess?”
“I’d definitely want to feel it later.”
A mirthless chuckle rumbles from his throat and it licks up my skin, causing goosebumps to pebble along my heated flesh. “I knew you’d be trouble eventually. You couldn’t wait to get me here, could you? All these little outfits you wear?—”
“You say that like I dress with you in mind.”
“You had me in mind when you strode into my office just now, didn’t you?” he counters. “I know exactly what you’re up to, princess. I’m just not the man that’s going to chase you.”
I frown because that’s not what this is. I might have been lucky enough to be born into a family with more money than they know how to spend, but I like to think I’m not the entitled brat he keeps saying I am. This isn’t about manipulation. It’s not about getting my way at any cost—if it was, there’s no way I’d be married right now.
And I wouldn’t have a mob after me either.
“Don’t pout,” Dante orders, still wearing his smirk. “You get an A for effort. You definitely get an A for this thank you, too.”
His words sting, even when I tell myself they shouldn’t matter. I can’t stop him from thinking I’m like all the other girls at Thronewood who take what they want and damn the consequences because they know their daddies will bail them out.
I know that’s not me.
I may not be the most serious student, or the most perfect person—I’ve certainly made my share of stupid mistakes—but I don’t go through life expecting my parents to clean up after me.
My body shifts without my effort, and before I can blink I’m lifted in the air, Dante’s palms on my ass. Instinctively, I wrap my thighs around his waist as he plops me on top of the desk and leans over, caging me in his arms.
“I want to thank you for helping me get out of this mess, princess. It’s not every day some random woman marries me.”
I roll my eyes, but I can’t help my small grin. “Yeah, yeah. Kinda had no choice.”
“Ouch,” he mutters, as if I truly managed to hurt him. As if he gives a shit about how I feel. “You know I’m not saying any of this to be a dick, right? It’s just reality. This isn’t going to last.”
“I know where we stand,” I reply with a lift of my chin. “You don’t have to coddle me.”
Dante lifts a brow.
This guy…
I’ve gotten into my feelings and I blink quickly to get my game face back in place. This isn’t the time or the place for emotional baggage.
Dante and I are a team, period, end of sentence. Our shared goal is to deliver my trust fund to some sleazy mob boss so neither of us dies.
However, I’m not totally sure that this is going to stop even after we pay the debt. That they’re not going to want more. I’ve never been involved with the mob before, but Angelo doesn’t seem like the type to walk away if he thinks there’s more money to be had.
Dante strokes my cheek, the gentle touch at odds with the harsh demand of his dick buried balls-deep inside me. “I’m serious, princess. I’m going to walk away. From Angelo, from you…”
“Same.” I slightly shake my head. “You think I’m about to cry.” I stick out my tongue playfully to put the lie to that idea.
He smiles at me, but I don’t revel in it. No matter how you look at it, he’s just like any other man with commitment issues. But I’m not going to count on him changing his mind. I know what this is, and I refuse to become collateral damage when we try to put an end to this whole mess.
“You’d be so beautiful if you cried,” Dante mutters, threading his thick fingers through my hair. “And I’m a lucky bastard to be inside you right now.”
I can’t help but lose myself to the intensity in his eyes. This man built a wall around himself, an impenetrable fortress shielding his thoughts and emotions. His life hasn't been an easy one, but he still gave up his chance to save himself in order to make sure he saved me, too. I can't ignore that kind of sacrifice.
I only want to show how appreciative I am.
His gaze falls to my lips when his hips retreat before thrusting forward and filling me again. His cock has been inside me this whole time, but I’ve lost the thread of the moment and am no longer drowning in my own desire. I’ve talked about too much shit, shit that would have been better left unsaid.
“Come here, princess,” he orders, dragging me forward so that I’m almost flush with his chest. “Spread your legs wider for me.”
My obedience is mindless, almost robotic, and I wait to see what he wants from me next. He never takes his eyes off my face, even with my pussy spread wide for his use.
“When this is all over,” he promises softly, “I’m going to take you to Paris and we’re going to get you settled in.”
I start to shake my head back and forth. “You don’t have?—”
“I want to,” he interjects, weaving his fingers into the hair at the back of my skull, cradling my neck as he begins to piston into me harder. “I want to make sure you’re set. Make sure you get to leave this life behind, this speed bump, and live your dreams the way you want.”
“I…might still be in school.”
“You’re smart enough, princess. We might need to move if things don’t work out the way I want them to. We’re not going to dick around if Lombardi decides to change the terms. I have people in Europe that will help us if need be.”
“Let’s just get this over with, Dante,” I reply. “I’m not ready to make a full international move yet.”
He lifts a brow. “Do you trust me?”
Kinda.
Dante hasn’t steered me wrong just yet. But this is my life, and it seems like every few hours it changes and shifts to the point of being unrecognizable. Ellie was supposed to come with me. Paris was supposed to be ours . Now I’m talking about ditching her to chase adventure with my secret husband.
“Alright,” Dante concedes, drawing his hand from the back of my neck and around to the front, placing his palm over my throat. “Let’s try this then.”
His fingers clamp down, restricting my air as he presses forward. My lips part in a shocked gasp, the intensity of his thrusts and my need for breath sending my heart racing. He strokes deeper, and the angle is new, different from when I was on top of him. I can feel myself getting impossibly wet as my clit swells and suddenly I’m back on the edge of the best orgasm of my life.
Dante glances down between us, staring hard at my pussy, and he transforms into a man consumed by the task of fucking me. “Such a good girl, princess. I think I’ve changed my mind…” His intense eyes flick back to mine. “I might be the one who takes your ass after all.”
My cunt seizes, and he groans, his jaw tightening as his free hand moves from the desk to grip my hip, pinning me in place while he snaps his hips furiously.
“You’re going to like it,” he promises me. “And when I take your ass the first time, I might just try it when you’re least expecting it.”
I don’t know why that threat is the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard, or why it’s ratcheted my libido up another notch, but I feel another wave of moisture flood my pussy. The slick sounds of our fucking are a pornographic symphony, one Dante clearly appreciates because his hold on my throat tightens. The additional pressure makes it harder to draw in a deep breath.
However, I’m not scared.
No, I’m more turned on than I’ve ever been. There’s no room for fear or shame, just raw lust.
“Where do you want my come?” he asks roughly, earning himself a little mewl of pleasure.
I let my fingers drift to my swollen clit, unable to speak with his hand gripping my airway, and I shudder in response to Dante’s growl of appreciation.
“I want you to coat my cock, princess. Let me mark you and I’ll wear you on me.”
My body practically melts into a puddle on the desk while Dante continues to fuck me like he’s trying to make sure I never forget the shape of his cock. I’m falling over the edge of control, ready to promise him whatever he wants.
“Harder,” I practically beg, running the tip of my index finger slowly around my clit as I pull one leg up, setting my heel on the edge of the desk. I’m at his mercy and I’ll give him every bit of access I can. “Make this feel real.”
A real marriage.
A real team.
A real promise that you just made about keeping me safe and secure.
All my cards are laid out and all my chips are on Dante. My entire existence, my chance at any happiness, depends on the man I used to admire as one of the greatest violinists alive. A man who hated my guts from the moment he met me. Now I’m his legal spouse.
His responsibility.
Dante’s mouth slams into mine. His teeth bite into my bottom lip next and he soothes the sting with his tongue before thrusting into my mouth to match the rhythm he’s set with his hips.
It feels real.
All of it.
And I lock this moment into my own memories because everything else has been ripped away from me. But I can treasure this.
Dante’s harsh breathing intensifies and I can feel his fingers digging into my hip. I’ll likely carry bruises, and just the thought has my gut filling with giddy butterflies. I circle my clit faster, press harder, imagining his marks on my skin.
I can’t help it, I fall over the cliff’s edge without warning, a light shriek clawing its way free of Dante’s hold on my neck. Shuddering, my muscles pulsing in rolling waves, I bask in the brilliant colors of my orgasm.
He can’t be faking this.
Dante might be an asshole, but I can feel the all-too-real attraction rippling between us.
It doesn’t mean I want this to last forever. I just don’t want him to treat me like shit when this is all over.
“ Fuck ,” Dante snarls into my mouth. “This pussy is mine until we’re done, got it?”
I bob my head, agreeing. I didn’t think I was one for possessive, manly bullshit, but it doesn’t matter. I’m not interested in anyone, anyway.
“Tell me,” he orders. “I want to hear you say it.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
Dante drowns me with a kiss, smacking my hand away from my clit and replacing it with his own. He runs one long finger between my folds, slicking himself with my moisture before circling the sensitive bundle of nerves at my center.
Then he flicks it, pinches it, and works me so quickly that my legs begin to shake.
I’m a moaning mess in seconds, overwhelmed by Dante’s single-minded focus as I crash headfirst into the most intense orgasm of my life. And that includes my last one.
Dante doesn’t let up. He doesn’t even let me breathe as he covers my mouth with his, swallowing my whimpers and squeals while he chases his own release. When he pulls out, he rubs the tip of his cock where his fingers just left me, sending shockwaves through my nervous system, and I feel the warmth of his come smeared over me.
Marking me.
For now.