18. Chapter 17 Ginevra
Isit, shell shocked and naked, on the couch. I just received the most mind-blowing orgasm from Soren Moretti. He got me to a point where I would have told him anything he wanted as long as he didn’t stop what he was doing. I can’t believe Soren has had his head between my legs. I lean back onto the couch in disbelief. I loved it. My once-hot skin cools and the room feels cold and icy, unlike before. It would have been nice if Soren had stayed instead of walking away. Does this mean he regrets it? Do I? I bite at my thumbnail, not knowing what to do now.
I’m slipping back into Soren’s clothes when I hear a phone ringing from Soren’s gray sweats. I bend over, grabbing his pants, and take the phone out. My brother’s name flashes on his phone. I’ve been trying to get a hold of him for weeks now. Without thinking, I answer Soren’s phone.
“Where the hell have you been, Jude? I’ve been out of my mind!” I can’t keep my voice down as I yell at my brother. “Why are you calling Soren when I’ve called you fifty times?” My anger morphs my words into blades. “Mom’s dying and you ditch out. We’re supposed to be a family, but you never give a damn! You are a selfish piece of shit.” The muscles in my jaw flex, tightening into stone as I get more worked up.
I hear rustling from the phone, and I assume it’s him double checking who he called. “Why are you answering Soren’s phone?” Jude’s voice has a harsh edge to it.
“Out of all that, that’s what you want to know?” I’m so livid with Jude and his inability to take responsibility that it takes everything I have to resist throwing the phone through a window.
Soren walks out in pajama pants and nothing else. Water is still dripping off his shoulders and the tips of his hair.
“Don’t worry, Jude, Soren has been doing your big brother duty. He’s been taking care of me really nice.”
The easy-going smirk falls from Soren’s face, replaced with a glare.
“Let me talk to him now,” Jude demands. I smile and lift the phone to Soren.
“Jude,” he greets, his tone far from friendly. “Your mom is in the hospital. I’m simply making sure she stays safe.”
I snort. Safe my ass.
“By licking my pussy?”
Soren turns. “She said nothing.” He walks back to his room with his phone before closing the door, making it impossible to hear any more of their conversation.
Tip toeing on my bare feet, I walk to his room and place my ear on the wooden door. My lips purse as I listen harder.
“Jude, we have a problem.”
Silence. Jude must be talking.
“Apologies mean nothing if you’re not here.”
He’s silent on the other end for a while. “Jude, we don’t associate with those types of people. They have no loyalty. You have to cut ties with them or I can’t stand behind you anymore. I already dealt with the issue.”
What in the world is he talking about?
Soren’s voice is quiet. Is he listening to Jude or did they hang up? I press my ear harder against the door until it swings open and my feet trip over themselves and I fall, straight for the floor. Soren is a few feet away and could have stopped my bruising fall but he simply stands there watching.
“Eavesdropping, Gin?”
My forearm aches, but I stand to my full height without letting on. “What have you dragged my brother into?” I cross my arms over my chest and narrow my eyes at him.
“Trust me, I haven’t dragged him into anything,” he huffs.
“I need to go home,” I state. “And I have to call the hospital to make sure my mother is okay.”
I can’t stand the way he’s looking at me, like once again, it’s my family’s fault. Like the way they think my father dying was all his own fault, and whatever Jude is involved in is Jude’s fault but Soren is perfectly innocent. Which is bullshit! Soren and Jude do everything together.
“I’m not letting you be by yourself tonight. You’re staying here.”
My eyes fall to his bed and I realize this is the only bed in the house. I should fight him on this, but I’m tired, and the idea of going to an empty house has my pulse speeding up. I’m not ready to be by myself after what happened today.
“Where are your extra sheets? I’ll sleep on the couch.”
The right side of his lips tuck up. “I don’t have extra sheets. You’re going to have to sleep in the bed.” My eyes dart to his bed. It looks warm and cozy.
“Won’t you be cold on the couch?”
He cocks his brow and gives me a sexy grin. “Oh, I’m not sleeping on the couch. We will be sharing the bed. It’s the only way I can protect you if an intruder comes in.”
I want to roll my eyes at his overdramatic comment, but he’s completely serious. There’s not a hint of teasing. My chest warms at his protectiveness. I can’t help but like the way he fusses over me. I’m the one normally doing the fussing. Is it so bad if I spend one night and get some good sleep?
“What are you involved in that you’re expecting someone to break into your house?” I wrap my arms around my torso. “I want to go home. I’ll be safer there.” There’s no fight in my tone and Soren knows it. I might as well give in.
“Go to bed, Gin. I’m going to watch some TV.”
My spine straightens. I’m not going to let him tell me what to do though.
“I know that look,” he says. “You are more than welcome to hang out with me and watch TV. I just thought you might be tired.” There’s a genuine softness to his tone and it has the fight draining from my body like a sieve, until he continues talking. “After that mind blowing orgasm. You’re welcome, by the way,” he adds.
I grit my teeth, not wanting to spend another moment near him. I need to break this off before I catch feelings, but I have to play the game. My mom needs help and I can’t be everywhere. As much as I hate depending on anyone, I need Soren. At least, that’s my excuse for why I’m not fighting him on this.
“Good night.” I march to the bed and slip in. He walks out without giving me a second look.
The room smells like him and all I can think about is that Soren Moretti licked my pussy. How did I even let that happen? I would have let him fuck me, too. I shake my head, frustrated with myself. My fingers wrap around the sheets and bring them up to my chin, and heat rushes up my neck to my cheeks at everything that’s replaying in my mind.
I drift off to sleep and wake when the bed dips toward the middle. Soren’s scent wafts over me, and I can sense him hovering over me. I keep still, refusing to open my eyes.
“You’re in my head Ginevra, and I don’t know what to do about that,” he murmurs softly, and I feel his lips press down onto my forehead before he lies down on his back.
Istand in the doorway of my mother’s hospital room. It smells of disinfectant and is way too bright.
I’ve been forced to stay at Soren’s for the last five days. I suppose I could leave anytime I wanted, but I know he would make sure I’m not alone, no matter what. I have no doubt he would park in my driveway and sleep in his car if he had to. If I’m being honest, I like being around him. Any hesitation I have about him is because I’ve built up my walls so high, become so used to not relying on anyone but myself, that I don’t know how to let anyone in anymore.
Seeing my mother this weak has me feeling helpless. The feeling consumes me. I’d do anything to stop this fear gripping me by my throat, to change this reality that says my mom won’t be here forever. I walk in and she moans in her sleep.
Guilt wraps itself around my heart. I’ve been enjoying perfect sleep while my mother is in a strange place in pain. I should have been here sleeping in a chair each night. I’m the only person my mother can rely on and I haven’t been here like I should. I’m no better than Jude. He always disappears when the going gets tough.
My most vivid memory of my father is his funeral. I only know his face from pictures and my mother has ruined most of them because it hurts too much for her to see them. I remember holding my mother while she wept. Her telling me that love will destroy your heart when it goes wrong. When you find the one love of your life, when it’s over, nothing else matters. It destroys you on the inside and spreads like a cancer until there is nothing left.
Is that going to be my future if I let Soren in?
My mother moans again, her body twisting in her sleep.
“Has she been given anything for the pain?” I snap at the nurse who’s checking her over.
Her head lifts at my sudden outburst. “Her fever went down an hour ago,” I’m told.
I move my mother’s blanket to fully cover her up to her chin, not wanting her to get a chill. The nurse ignores me while I shuffle around the room, trying to make myself busy. I can’t stand this helplessness that consumes me and my anger is getting the best of me.
I stare at my fragile mother for an hour, until my phone rings. Placing it to my ear, I answer, “Hi Soren.”
“Come on, it’s time to go. The doctor let me know that he doesn’t expect her to wake up until the morning.”
Each day, he drives me here and patiently waits for as long as I need to stay. He tells me not to worry about it when I fret about him missing work, that his place is with me. My fingers skim over my lips and neck as I remember his soft, caring touches. How is he so sweet, when I can be such an asshole to him?
I walk out of the building toward Soren’s Porsche. The same one I scraped all to Hell, but he’s changed the color.
He’s leaning against the car, and the moment he sees me, he’s moving to open the door for me. He insists on opening the car door every time, but I know he’s never done it for anyone else. Not even his mother.
“I’m sorry I ruined your car.”
He shrugs. “I shouldn’t have boxed you in.”
“I shouldn’t have sprayed you with bear spray, either. It was a little extreme.”
He grins at my apology. “Want to know what I like best about you?”
I lift a brow, not knowing if I want to hear his answer.
“There’s never a dull moment when I’m with you. I like that.”
My throat grows thick. Soren is far from the person I pegged him to be. How did I get it so wrong? He closes the door and I fasten my seatbelt, scared I might pull him in for a kiss if he comes near me. My eyes prickle with tears and emotion squeezes my heart, but I can’t pinpoint what, exactly, is making me want to cry.
“Sorry you didn’t get a chance to talk to her,” he says, not looking at me, keeping his eyes on the road.
“I thought you’d be happy about not staying here any longer.” I can’t hold my tongue. Lashing out at Soren feels freeing and better than any self-pity party.
He ignores me. That’s what he does when he doesn’t want to deal with my drama.
We get to his house and I step out, slamming the door, my purse swinging with the motion and hitting the fresh paint of his car.
His steps are on the heels of mine. My thumb opens the door and I try to slam that too, but Soren’s hand catches it. “If you didn’t want to wait for me, I’m happy to drive myself, Soren!” My voice rises as I get more worked up. “Do you give them a heads up before I come to make sure they have her drugged so I can’t talk to her?”
His eyes darken as he stalks toward me. His jaw ticks, and he takes a second to undo his cuffs so he can roll up each of his dress shirt sleeves to just below his elbow.
“I bet you’re paying them to keep her alive in an induced coma until the wedding, then out comes the plug, right?” I can’t stop my verbal diarrhea. I don’t want to end up like my mom and he’s making it too easy to fall for him.
He crosses his arms over his broad chest, refusing to argue with me, and it infuriates me further.
I drop my purse before I step toward him and push at his shoulders. “At least be a man and be honest.”
“Ginevra.” The way he says my name has an edge, and I want to push him over the cliff. I push at him again, wanting him to get fired up.
“That’s right, you hide behind that mask of yours and show the world your pretty cars and toss money at all your problems because if people knew the real you they would all walk away, unimpressed.” This is not the Soren I’ve come to love. Love? Where the hell did that come from? I can’t love him. His love will destroy me.
I push him again. He needs to stop being so damn nice, and sweet, and handsome.
His eyes blaze with an emotion I can’t pinpoint, but it has me stepping back. He grabs my wrist and pulls me in to him. He cups the back of my neck with one hand while the other holds me against him. Soren’s breathing is no longer controlled, but choppy, matching mine. All I want to do is hold on to this hatred that’s been growing inside of me. I can control this. I can’t control love.
“All you have to do is ask and I’ll make your pain go away, Ginevra.”
My pulse speeds up as I glare up at him, but he’s looking down at me with amusement.
“You wouldn’t even know where to start,” I argue. My mouth dries at the provocative gaze he gives me. His hold tightens on me, becoming more possessive, and that irrational anger begins to simmer and turn into desire.
He leans in and whispers into my ear, “Do you want me to prove you wrong?” His cologne wraps around us and I hate that it’s familiar and comforting.
“I’m not fucking you, Soren.”
He chuckles, and the hand cupping the back of my neck moves toward my jaw and he tips my head up to meet his eyes.
“No, we will be saving that for the wedding night.” He refuses to allow me to respond before his lips crash upon mine. We mold perfectly together and his tongue probes, coaxing me to open. When I refuse, his teeth bite down on my lower lip, pulling it out with a sharp nip. I gasp and his tongue enters my mouth, massaging mine.
My arms wrap around his neck, pulling him impossibly close. “I hate you,” I gasp, wanting to believe it, but neither my heart nor my mind allow me to. A moan follows when his hand sneaks up my shirt and brushes over my breast.
“I bet I can make you come on my fingers.” He pinches my nipple through my bra. “But the question is, would you be mad that I didn’t use my tongue?”
His stubble brushes against my cheek as he kisses my neck, his tongue circling the area below my jaw.
“Don’t you dare,” I try to say, mustering every stern bone in my body, but it comes across as breathless.
“Are you scared someone might know if you came for me?” Jealousy vibrates throughout his tone, warming my heart.
I can’t respond. I’m too caught up in how he’s making my body feel.
He tsks, and sucks on the sensitive skin, before kissing it again. “I’m not letting you go, Ginevra.” Possessiveness radiates through him and his lips hover above mine. “You are mine.”
His hand slips under the back of my shirt and his fingers easily flick my bra open. Ridding me of my shirt and bra, he takes my heavy breast into his palm, and I arch my back, pushing against his hold.
“I’m not yours until we say ‘I do’.”
Our feet shuffle until my back hits a wall, and my hands slip from around his neck, grasping on to his shirt. I yank it open, wanting to feel his warm skin against mine.
He turns me and yanks my pants down, leaving my panties on. “You arguing with me only gets me hard.”
My hands flatten on the cold wall in front of me. The sound of his belt coming undone fights for dominance over our breaths in the room. The crash and clang of his pants and buckle falling to the ground startles me a moment before his cock is between my legs. It rubs against my pussy, over my panties, his piercing teasing me. I push back against him and trap it between my legs.
“Looks like you’re second guessing the talent of your fingers.”
His choppy hot breaths fan across my neck, and a husky moan rumbles in his throat. His fingers move a stray hair behind my ear, the movement tender, before his fingers feather over my neck. My throat ripples with a swallow.
“Don’t ever underestimate me, Ginevra.” Him saying my name has a shiver dancing down my spine.
His hand slips into my panties, and I widen my stance slightly. Then he’s delving into my folds. “This is quite the way to show me you hate me.” Two of his fingers slowly push inside me and I moan with pleasure.
“I could never hate you.”
Heat and desire coat every part of me as he has me forgetting who we are. Everything fades away. Soren is no longer the man I hate. His family doesn’t matter. He’s not my brother’s best friend. All of that is gone. Poof. Vanished.
His hand grabs my hair, curling it around his fist, and moves my head so I’m forced to look back at him over my shoulder. He removes his fingers from inside me to reposition his cock between my legs.
His eyes hold lust and a longing I’ve never witnessed on him before. It has me pushing back against him and squeezing my thighs tighter, knowing I’m the one who holds the power in this situation.
His cock brushes back and forth against me, that damn Prince Albert piercing cold on my clit, even through my panties. I’m blanketed in the sensations of warmth and safety all mixed in with heated hunger. I’m not thinking of anything else but the way my body feels so damn good. My inner voice, which is normally telling me everything is going wrong, has shut up and allowed me to be in the moment and be happy. Happy. It’s been a long time since I’ve experienced the sensation.
He moves my panties to the side and I tense. “Relax. I’m not fucking you yet.”
His fingers slip back and forth over my clit and his cock continues to pump between my thighs as I hump his dick while his other hand pinches my nipple. My panties now cover his dick, which is teasing the hell out of me; the act itself turning me on further. His hard-yet-soft skin on mine is divine. The act feels naughtier than it really is.
My legs shake as I climb higher until I’m screaming out his name as I come on his dick that’s not even inside of me. Wave upon wave of pleasure plows through me as I greedily grind against him.
He steals my lips with his, kissing me with a dominance I can’t get enough of. His cock slips from my panties and he’s growling my name, his come releasing in thick, long streams onto the strip of fabric covering my pussy.
My thighs are wet and slick as he slows his pace, his breath as heavy as mine. His hand reaches back down, spreading his come all over the barrier between us. “One day, I’ll be pushing it all back into you, making sure you don’t waste a single drop.”
My head is spinning, still unable to come down from the high he gave me.
“Open.”
I do as he commands. He slides two of the fingers he used to spread his come into my mouth.
“Suck.”
I wrap my lips around his digits and suck, twirling my tongue around and pretending it’s his cock.
“Good girl.”
My legs shake with exertion and my body feels limp. Soren picks me up and takes me to his bathroom. He places me on the toilet and begins filling the bathtub. I watch in fascination as he adds bubble bath to the water.
“Stand.” I do as I’m told, and he pulls my panties down my leg before picking me up again. He places me in the warm bathtub. “Relax. I know it was a hard day seeing your mother like that.”
He places a kiss on my forehead and leaves the room. A moment later, soft classical music floats through the air. I can’t hate this man, but loving him scares the shit out of me.
He comes back a few minutes later with an Italian soda and hands it to me. I take a sip and its bubbles dance on my tongue, its taste refreshing. Soren is kneeling on the ground beside me, watching me as I take a drink.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet.” He smirks and his hands touch my shoulders as they begin to knead my sore and tired muscles.
This man is trouble for my heart.