Chapter 26
KARINA
I just died a little and came back to life, except…changed.
It’s the only way I can describe how I’m feeling.
My body aches with exhaustion in the sweetest way and I’m not myself anymore, not the old me.
I always thought sex would be a purely physical act that would—ideally—have real emotions tied to it, but Marco has shown me something completely different than what I imagined.
A depth of connection, an unbelievably intense bond, the sharing of immense mutual pleasure. A beautiful thing.
And now that I’ve tasted it, I want more.
There are twenty-eight plaster rosettes inlaid in the ceiling above the bed.
One has a chip, and another is missing an entire petal.
Focusing on them helped me come down from the floating sensation that started when Marco made me orgasm, an out-of-body experience that didn’t stop even after he had climaxed, too.
My body is finally grounded to the bed again. To the sensation of this man lying next to me. To the weight of his arm over my torso, comforting and warm.
How could I ever be the same Karina I used to be after an experience like that? It’s not like I never experienced an orgasm before, on my own. But this was so different. So—
“Hey,” Marco murmurs.
Smiling, I turn on my side toward him and prop my chin on my hand.
“Good morning, Mr. Bellanti,” I say, even though it’s late afternoon.
Marco rubs his eyes. “How long was I out?”
“Not long. Maybe twenty minutes? I think my heart rate finally dropped back to normal.”
His brow furrows and he reaches up to tenderly trace the line of my jaw with the back of his knuckles. “Do you…feel okay? Did I hurt you?”
“You were perfect. I feel good,” I tell him honestly. Not really sure that I could walk right now, but I’m not telling him that part.
The stress on his face melts away and he grins. “Me, too. Are you hungry? We can have room service brought up whenever we’re ready; the chef is on call just for us. Say the word and I’ll take care of it.”
I could definitely eat after that workout, but first things first, I need to wash away all the pressure and anxiety of the day—or at least, the day I was having before Marco showed up to help me escape.
Everything that’s happened since we drove away from the old mill has felt like a dream.
Part of me is still afraid that I’m going to wake up any second and find myself in the middle of my arranged wedding, Pietro leering possessively at me as I walk down the aisle.
Leaning closer, I give Marco a long kiss, calmed by the familiar taste of his tongue.
“I think I’ll shower first,” I tell him. “It’s been a long day for me. Plus, I’m pretty sure there are still leaves in my hair.”
“Hold that thought,” he says.
Marco slips out of bed, giving me my first unobstructed view of his entire naked body. My God. He’s magnificent. All that olive skin and muscle definition and dark hair. And that ass!
He disappears into the bathroom, and seconds later, I hear the water running into the tub.
I’d completely forgotten that he’d started filling it earlier.
A subtle floral scent fills the room, more of a fresh green botanical than perfumey or flowery.
Marco returns, still gloriously naked, and scoops me up from the bed into his arms.
“I wanted to do this earlier, but you distracted me,” he mock-scolds me.
“Oh, I distracted you?” I tease back.
“Did you have some devious plan in mind that I thwarted by taking you to bed?”
Mmm, how I like the sound of that. “No. I was actually hoping we’d get straight to the bed part. I think it all turned out exactly right.”
A low sound rumbles in his throat as he kisses me, and then I’m carried into the bathroom and gently lowered into the tub.
The soothingly hot water is milky white with a thin layer of bubbles on top, and the tub is so big that I can stretch my legs out all the way without touching the other end.
Small jets surround me with gentle pulses, massaging my back and arms and legs.
“Oh my God, I might fall asleep in here,” I say drowsily.
Marco just smiles. “Give me a little room and I’ll join you.”
I move forward so he can tuck his sexy body behind me, his legs wrapping around my hips and outer thighs as I lean back against his broad chest. It takes a second to acclimate to the feeling of another person sharing the bath with me, but once I do, I realize how comfortable I am with Marco. We fit together like puzzle pieces.
“Is this okay?” His hands cross beneath my breasts and hold me snug.
“It’s perfect.” I let out a happy sigh. “Can I tell you something?”
“Anything.”
“I’ve never had anyone treat me like this. Not since I was a baby, I mean. I feel so spoiled. Not in a bad way, but…it’s all kind of new to me.”
Marco runs his hands over my hair, smoothing it back with light trickles of water over my hairline. His fingers make little circles as he massages my scalp. Tingles race over my head.
“Karina, bella. That life is over now. Things are going to be different. I promise.”
Smiling, I close my eyes and relish the feeling of being cared for.
Cherished. The way he’s massaging my head is soothing and seductive, the sensations working their way down my body from top to bottom.
I’m both deeply relaxed and turned on, a familiar ache growing sharp and sweet between my legs, my inner thighs still feeling bruised from being wrapped around Marco’s hips earlier.
My lips feel permanently kiss-swollen, my nipples sore in the best way from his mouth.
I never imagined a total body ache could feel so good.
The massage drums up the same need that put my body in this condition to begin with, and I let myself enjoy it.
His cock twitches against my lower back as it begins to harden. At that moment, I realize I’m ready to ride him again. More than ready. I need him inside me now.
Purely on instinct, and hoping the tub is big enough to accommodate what I have in mind, I lean forward and then turn myself around so I’m facing Marco. His brow lifts with curiosity, his hands going to my hips to steady me as I straddle him.
“Karina—”
“Does it work like this?” I feel silly asking, but I really have no idea about all the positions. There are so many things I’m looking forward to learning with this man.
“Lube is usually a good idea when there’s water involved,” he starts to explain.
“Oh. But here, maybe I’m—” I take his hand and draw it between my legs, so he can see for himself how slick I am. I’m not sure we even need lube right now.
“Oh, God, are you wet.” Marco’s lashes actually flutter, his breath catching in his throat. “So fucking wet.”
Leaning in to kiss him, I grab his shoulders to steady myself as his fingers slip deeper inside of me, pumping back and forth, testing me. I’m a little sore, but not enough to stop me from grinding down on him, instantly wanting more, riding the sensations from his touch.
“Mmm,” I moan into his mouth.
The kiss intensifies, his fingers plunging faster into me while his thumb runs lightly over my clit.
My nipples rub against the smooth skin of his chest as he works my body.
Shocks of pleasure dart through me, all my erogenous zones sparking.
It’s overwhelming, yet not enough. Raising myself up, I reach down into the water and take his cock in my hand so I can line us up, then sink onto him.
Our eyes lock, and Marco groans. His cock impales me slowly, deliciously, and as my breathing turns to short gasps, Marco holds himself still so I can ease down onto his length at my own pace.
I can tell it’s difficult for him to hold himself back, his jaw clenching as I seat myself fully.
For a moment I don’t move, almost uncomfortably full of him, unsure what to do next to keep the sensations coming.
But he presses his forehead to mine and starts to move my hips, encouraging me up and down until we’ve found a rhythm.
“That’s it. Fuck, Karina, that’s good. You’re so good.”
The praise fills me with…something. I don’t know.
This feels so wanton and sexy. Water splashes around us and over the sides of the tub, our breathy moans joining together, the sounds only increasing my pleasure.
Marco slides his hands over my ass cheeks, gripping hard, pulling them wide apart as he spears even higher up into me.
I lean my head back and lose myself in the feeling of his cock stretching me, plunging into me, stoking the flames inside.
The pleasure builds unbelievably fast; there’s no holding back. I’m consumed by the need for release.
“Marco,” I gasp. “Yes, yes, yes.”
“Yes, baby. Let it happen. Ride that wave.”
Squeezing his shoulders, I thrust down onto him faster and faster. I swear he’s gotten harder, thicker, longer in the last few seconds.
“Come for me,” Marco commands. The veins in his neck pop, his face hard with tension.
“I—I—” but whatever I was about to say gets washed away as my body erupts with pleasure.
Moans spill from my lips, the orgasm washing over me in hot waves, making my toes curl against the bottom of the tub.
Marco lets out a relieved breath and groans, low and guttural.
His warmth shoots into me, and we hold each other tight, coming down together as the water slowly goes still.
Breathing in time with him, I relish our closeness.
We stay this way for a while until the water begins to cool.
My legs tremble when I finally turn around and settle against him.
Marco runs hot water to refresh the tub and resumes slowly massaging and washing me.
His hands stroke my breasts, my sides, my neck.
My body feels like a feather by the time we get out.
I reach for a towel, but Marco stops me.
“Allow me.”
He takes it and dries my body with the same care he used in the tub. Being tended to this way is so unfamiliar, so new. It’s almost like I’m suddenly living an entirely different life.
After Marco leads me to bed and settles me under the covers, he says, “I’ll be right back. I’m going to get food and champagne and take care of my wife so she has enough strength to get through the rest of our wedding night together.”
He winks and slips into a robe. I watch him leave and settle against the pillows. All the discomfort and aches and uncertainties fade away as I wait for him to come back. This is my new husband, my new life, and it’s already incredible.
Better than I ever could have hoped for.