Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
KAI
I wanted her so badly I was losing my fucking mind.
Wanted to taste her. Touch her. Fuck her in so many different positions she'd lose count. Wanted to hear her scream my name until her voice went hoarse. Wanted to mark every inch of her skin so everyone would know exactly who she belonged to.
It had been one week since the kitchen incident, and I couldn't take it anymore.
One week of being careful. Of maintaining distance. Of pretending I didn't want to drag her into the nearest empty room and finish what we'd started.
The sexual tension was killing me. Slowly. Methodically. Like death by a thousand cuts.
Every morning at breakfast, I'd watch her across the table. Watch her lips close around her fork. Watch her tongue dart out to catch a drop of juice. And all I could think about was those lips wrapped around my cock. That tongue doing very different things.
I was a sick bastard. Completely depraved.
And I didn't give a single fuck.
In the garden, she'd read her books while I pretended to review security protocols on my phone.
But really, I was watching her. The way sunlight caught in her dark hair.
The way she'd bite her lip when she was concentrating.
The way she'd shift in her seat, her dress riding up slightly on her thighs.
All I wanted was to cross that space between us. Push her down into the grass. Hike that dress up around her waist and make her forget every word in whatever book she was reading.
But Luca was watching. Always fucking watching.
He reported everything back to my father. Every conversation. Every interaction. Every moment Aria and I spent in the same room.
One wrong move and everything would fall apart.
So I kept my distance. Maintained the careful facade. Pretended I was just the dutiful son following orders.
While internally, I was going insane.
The hallways were the worst. I'd see her walking toward me and every instinct screamed to grab her. Pull her against the wall. Cover her mouth with mine and swallow whatever protest she tried to make.
Instead, I'd nod politely. Say something about the weather or her Italian lessons. Walk past like she didn't affect me at all.
Like I wasn't rock hard just from being near her.
Like I wasn't dying inside from wanting something I couldn't have.
She felt it too. I could see it in the way her breathing would change when I got close. The way her pupils would dilate. The way her hands would tremble slightly when I passed her something.
We were both burning. Both desperate. Both trying so damn hard to be smart about this.
It was torture.
I sat in my office trying to focus on shipment manifests. Numbers that should have been straightforward kept blurring together because all I could think about was Aria.
The way she'd felt pressed against me in the kitchen. The sounds she'd made. How responsive she'd been to every touch.
I shifted in my chair, adjusting myself. This was getting ridiculous. I was twenty-six years old, not some teenager who couldn't control his dick.
Except when it came to her, apparently, I had zero control.
The door to my office opened suddenly. Then locked.
I looked up.
Aria stood there, her back against the door. She was shaking. Literally trembling. Her chest was heaving like she'd been running. It felt like a dream, only that it wasn't, she was really here.
"What's wrong?" I stood immediately, every protective instinct firing. "What happened?"
She tried to speak. Her mouth opened but only stuttered sounds came out.
"Aria. Breathe. What's going on?"
"I—Luca—I saw him—in the stable—and I—"
She wasn't making sense. Her words were tumbling over each other, her hands gesturing frantically.
I moved around the desk, crossed to her in three strides. Gripped her shoulders gently.
"Slow down. What about Luca?"
She was wearing a sundress today. Light blue that made her eyes look enormous. The fabric was thin, clinging to curves I'd memorized with my hands. Her hair was loose, slightly mussed like she'd been running her fingers through it.
She looked terrified. And beautiful. And so fucking tempting I had to physically restrain myself from pulling her against me.
"I saw him in the stable talking to someone on the phone and—and I think he was reporting to your father and I got scared and I didn't know where to go so I—"
"So you came here." Something warm expanded in my chest. When she was scared, she ran to me. "You're safe. He didn't see you?"
"I don't think so. I ran."
Her hands were still shaking. I covered them with mine, trying to ground her.
But then something shifted. The fear in her eyes morphed into something else. Something heated.
"I'm done." Her voice was suddenly stronger. Clearer.
"Done with what?"
"Done waiting. Done being careful. Done pretending I don't want this—want you—every single second of every single day." She moved closer, eliminating what little space remained between us. "It's killing me, Kai. Being this close to you and not being able to touch you. I can't do it anymore."
Fuck. Hearing those words in her voice did something primal to me.
"Aria, you need to think about what you're saying.
We're playing with fire here. One wrong move and we both burn.
" I didn't want her to think, but I needed her to know the weight of her words.
That there was no going back because I was being stirred.
I could already feel my length growing hard at her words.
"Then let us burn." Her hands fisted in my shirt. "I don't care anymore. I just—I need—"
"What do you need?" My voice had gone rough. "Tell me exactly what you need."
"You. I need you."
"Fuck." The word came out half curse, half prayer. "You're going to be the death of me."
I snapped.
My hand tangled in her hair, yanking her head back. My mouth crashed down on hers, swallowing the gasp she made.
This wasn't gentle. Wasn't careful. This was hunger finally unleashed after a week of restraint.
My tongue swept into her mouth, demanding and possessive. She opened for me immediately, her own tongue meeting mine in a battle for dominance neither of us would win.
Her hands went to my belt, fumbling with the buckle. The desperation in her movements made me groan into her mouth.
I grabbed her wrists, pinned them above her head with one hand. Used my other hand to grip her ass, lifting her.
She wrapped her legs around my waist automatically. I turned, carried her the three steps to my desk. Swept everything off—papers, laptop, phone—letting it all crash to the floor.
Set her on the edge. Stepped between her thighs.
Her dress had ridden up. I could see the white lace of her panties. Could see the damp spot forming there.
"Fuck, you're already wet for me."
"I'm always wet for you." The admission came out breathy. "All you have to do is look at me and—"
I cut her off, my mouth finding hers again. One hand tangled in her hair. The other slid up her thigh, pushing her dress higher.
She was pulling at my shirt now, finally getting it free from my pants. Her hands slid underneath, nails dragging across my abs.
The sensation made me hiss. Made my hips jerk forward involuntarily.
I broke away from her mouth long enough to yank my shirt over my head. Then I was on her again, my hands everywhere.
Cupping her breasts through her dress. Thumbs finding her nipples, circling them until they were hard peaks straining against the fabric.
She arched into my touch, her head falling back. Exposing that long, beautiful neck.
I took advantage, my mouth trailing hot, open kisses down her throat. Found her pulse point and sucked hard enough to leave a mark.
"Kai—" My name came out as a moan.
"I know. I've got you."
My hands found the straps of her dress. Pushed them down her shoulders. The fabric fell away, pooling at her waist.
White lace bra that matched her panties. I wanted to rip it off with my teeth.
Instead, I reached around, unclasped it with practiced ease. Let it fall away.
And there she was. Bare from the waist up. Perfect pink nipples already hard and begging for attention.
I lowered my head, took one into my mouth. She cried out, her fingers tangling in my hair, holding me there.
I sucked hard. Flicked my tongue across the peak. Grazed it with my teeth.
Her hips were moving now, grinding against me. Seeking friction. Seeking relief.
My hand slid up her inner thigh. Over smooth skin that trembled under my touch. Higher. Until my fingers reached lace.
I pressed against her through the fabric. Felt how wet she was. How ready.
"Please—" She was begging now. "Please, Kai—"
My hand hooked into the waistband of her panties. Started sliding them down.
A knock on the door made us both freeze.
"Kai? I need to speak with you about the household accounts. It's urgent."
Mrs. Rossi's voice. Calm. Professional as always.
"Fuck." I pulled back, breathing hard. Looked at Aria who was staring at me with wide, panicked eyes. "Bathroom. Now. Fix yourself."
She scrambled off the desk. Grabbed her bra. Her dress was askew, her hair was a mess, her lips were swollen.
She looked thoroughly fucked even though we hadn't finished.
She disappeared into the private bathroom attached to my office.
I took three seconds to breathe. Tucked my shirt back in. Ran my hands through my hair. Tried to get my body under control.
This was going to be obvious. There was no hiding what we'd been doing.
I opened the door anyway.
Mrs. Rossi stood there. One look at my face—at my swollen lips, my mussed hair, the way my chest was still heaving—and she knew.
Her eyes flicked past me to my desk. Papers scattered on the floor. Laptop lying sideways. The lamp knocked over.
Back to my face.
"Luca is looking for you." Her voice was quiet. Urgent. "He's on his way here right now. I saw him in the east hallway. You have maybe two minutes."
Understanding crashed over me. She wasn't here about household accounts. She was warning me. Covering for me.