Chapter 6 #2
I’ve been standing over her for minutes now, watching the peacefulness drip from her body, listening to the steady breaths falling from her lungs. She looks too breathtaking to wake up, and that bikini molded to her tanned curves makes it harder for me to look away.
I saw her with Colleen earlier and loved knowing how uncomfortable she was with that lingerie in her hand. She’ll be using every single damn piece. And when I rip it off of her, I’ll buy her even more.
I stifle a groan from the images in my head of her straddling me with those eyes on mine. My hand is on her arm, my fingers sliding up and down as I savor the softness of her skin, wanting to know how soft she is between those thighs.
“Wake up, sweetheart.” My tone is low, my hand still touching her.
She grumbles, her body moving a little, but her eyes remain closed.
“You have to eat. Janet made lunch for us already.”
“Dante?” She yawns, her eyelids rising and her hand jumping to her face and rubbing away the sleep.
“Yes, wife,” I say, liking how that word rolls off my tongue. “It’s me.”
She smiles, eyes still heavy. Her body stretches deliciously, giving me a chance to let my gaze roam free. I take my time, memorizing the bends and dips of her frame.
“What time is it?” She sits up.
“A little past noon.” I reach a hand for hers, and she takes it, getting to her feet.
“I’m sorry. I hope it’s okay I slept here.”
We walk hand in hand, her feet moving to the beat of mine. “Of course it is. I told you, my house is yours. You never have to ask me for permission.”
“Thank you.” She glances at me, her lips tight in the sweetest smile, making her eyes glisten.
She’s so goddamn breathtaking, especially when she looks at me that way. Like I’m her savior. Someone who brought her out of hell. And maybe I did, in a way.
But I’m about to bring her another. This paradise will fade when she learns all the things I’ve been hiding. I plan to keep my secrets buried until the clock runs out, until I have no choice but to reveal the truth. I’ll delay the pain for as long as possible.
We enter the kitchen, where Janet is setting two plates of handmade sushi and tuna avocado salad out for us.
“Hi there.” Janet looks to Raquel, her shoulder-length strawberry-blonde hair swaying as she moves toward us.
“Nice to meet you,” Raquel says, reaching out a hand for hers as they shake.
“You as well. And what a beauty you are.” Janet peers at me with a knowing smile, like she’s glad I actually brought a woman home. She doesn’t exactly know why.
“Isn’t she though?” I wrap an arm around the small of Raquel’s back, pulling her to my side, while she discreetly tries to push me away.
“Stop fidgeting,” I whisper into the shell of her ear. “She thinks you’re my girlfriend, so you’re supposed to be pretending to be in love with me, and right now, you’re doing a shit job of it, baby.”
She clears her throat, her lips spreading into a smile as fake as she thinks our marriage will be.
“Thank you for the compliment, Janet,” she throws in, her tone sweet as fuck. “I’m so incredibly lucky to have met an amazing man like Dante.” She circles an arm around the middle of my back, squeezing my ribs, almost hurting me. “Isn’t that right, babe?”
She tilts her face to me, the smile still sitting on her face. I suppress a laugh at this entertaining show she’s putting on.
“That’s right, my love. You are incredibly lucky.” My lips fall to her cheek, staying there for far too long, as I groan almost silently while I inhale her scent.
Her chest jumps with tattered breaths, her fingernails biting into my flesh and causing my teeth to grit discreetly.
“Well, I will leave you two lovebirds to your meal. I’ll be back later to make dinner.” Janet is already out of the kitchen.
“Thanks,” I mutter as I pull away.
“I thought I said no kissing.” Raquel goes all whispery and hoarse, her gaze full of desire she’s awful at masking. “Keep those lips to yourself.”
“Actually…” I let my knuckles slowly brush down her cheek, swiping lower and falling in between her tits. “What you said was that you’re not kissing me. No one ever said anything about what I’d do.”
“Dante…” she murmurs. “Don’t.”
Her brows tighten, her lips parted, cheeks flushed.
“Don’t what?” I ask, my voice filled with the same need staring back at me. “Don’t do this?”
I lower my lips down to her jaw, kissing her softly, inhaling the scent of her floral shampoo.
“Oh, shit,” she moans deeply, her ass hitting the island as she moves back a step. “I can’t.”
“You can’t what, sweetheart?”
My mouth moves down her neck; her head falls backward, letting me have all of it.
My tongue circles around that spot below her ear, and she practically jumps with a louder moan, her hand finding my hair and pulling as I nip her lobe.
I drag back with a growl, my lips nearing hers, so close I can taste the rapid waves of her exhales and feel her heart colliding with mine.
I should kiss her. I should show her what I know we could be together, even if that’s the only thing we can ever have.
Her eyes align with mine, our gazes threading tighter and pulling me deeper. Her breaths fall faster now as my pulse wages a battle it can’t win.
But instead of taking what I want, I jerk away, knowing the only way I want those lips on mine is if she puts them there first.
By the time I’m through, Raquel Bianchi will be so turned on, so enslaved to her desire, her lips will be begging me for what her eyes are asking for right now.
“Let’s eat.” I casually pull up a stool behind her, taking a seat.
She continues to appear flustered, finally moving to sit beside me after too many seconds.
“You like sushi?” I ask, popping a piece into my mouth.
But I already know the answer to that, which is why I asked Janet to make some.
“It’s one of my favorites.” Her voice strains as her fingers run up and down her neck, exactly in the spot my lips just were.
“I’m glad.”
She’s quiet for a moment before she speaks again. “Why did you tell Janet I’m your girlfriend?”
“I don’t want people to know my business regarding our deal.” I drag my chair closer to hers. “It was easier to explain your presence that way.”
She nods, her eyes darting from me to the food.
I lift up another piece with the chopsticks Janet left.
“Open your mouth,” I tell her.
She does without hesitation, those hooded eyes on mine as I slip a piece past her lips. And even the way she chews makes me want to throw her on the table and part her thighs for a taste of something else far better.
I continue to feed her, and she doesn’t protest.
I could get used to this.
Could get used to her.
But I shouldn’t.