9. Clara
Chapter Nine
CLARA
I sit on the edge of the bed, my stomach churning as I watch Zoe sleep.
It’s almost three in the morning, and Marco still hasn’t come home, and I’m starting to wonder if he ever will.
The house is quiet while everyone sleeps, but my mind is loud, filling the silence with every possible worst-case scenario.
I know I messed up.
I should have told Marco about Ben the moment he pulled me out of that hellhole but instead, I hesitated. I let fear keep my mouth shut, and now I might have lost the only person who’s ever made me feel truly safe.
The look in Marco’s eyes haunts me.
I knew lying about Ben would hurt him, but I didn’t realize it would hurt him this much. I deserve to have him walk away after everything I’ve put him through. Though part of me was hoping that he could look past it, if not for me, then for Zoe.
But as the hours continue to tick by and I watch our daughter sleep, I almost crumble at the realization that I may have ruined her one chance at having a proper family.
Right now, all I care about is making Marco understand that I have zero loyalty to Ben.
My brother is nothing to me, and hasn’t been for years, not since he betrayed my mother.
I just hope it’s not too late, and that Marco hasn’t already made up his mind not to believe me.
A car engine rumbles outside, and I instantly jolt to my feet, my breath catching as I rush over to the window.
A sob builds in my throat as Marco’s headlights cut through the darkness as his sleek black car pulls into the driveway.
He came back.
I rush from the room, my heart pounding in my chest as I take the stairs two at a time.
By the time I reach the foyer, I look out through the window.
The car door opens, and Marco steps out. His broad frame moves like a shadow in the dim porch light, but there’s no denying the tension in his shoulders, in his face.
He’s pissed.
I swallow hard as the front door swings open and Marco walks in.
His dark eyes land on me immediately, but his expression is unreadable.
“Hi.” I wrap my arms around my body.
He exhales roughly as he rakes a hand through his dark hair.
There are dark shadows under his eyes, but the stubble on his face is gone, and I catch a waft of his cologne, as if he just recently showered.
He doesn’t look me in the eye. “It’s three in the morning. Why are you still up?”
“I couldn’t sleep. Not while you’re still so angry at me.”
Marco tucks his hands into his pockets and exhales deeply, some of the tension dissipating out of him as his eyes flick to meet mine.
He tilts his head in the direction of the lounge. “Come on. Let’s talk.”
I should be grateful that he’s even willing to talk, but that doesn’t do much to calm my nerves.
As I follow behind Marco, taking in the sight of his broad shoulders and strong body, I ache with the need to wrap my arms around him. To feel his warmth, to hear the calming sound of his heartbeat as I rest my head against his chest…
Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I take a seat on the couch beside Marco, trying to ignore the distance he places between us.
He leans forward, his elbows resting on his knees and his fingers clasped together as he keeps his eyes forward. He looks completely exhausted and worn down, and it’s all because of me.
I take a shaky breath. “Marco, I?—”
He lifts a hand, silencing me. “I had to get my PI to look into your background. I fucking hate that I couldn’t just take your word for it, Clara, but I needed to know the truth.”
His words are like a slap to the face, but I keep my mouth shut.
It feels like a violation of privacy to have a private investigator look into my past, but I’m in no position to protest, not when I’ve given him every right not to trust me.
“He confirmed with me an hour ago that you have had no connection with your brother, that you haven’t spoken to him in years, and…I believe that.”
I take the first full breath in what feels like days.
He believes me.
Marco turns his head, his dark eyes locking onto mine. “But that doesn’t change the fact that I’m still pissed, Clara.”
I swallow. “I know.”
“You have a habit of keeping me in the dark about things.” His tone is sharp like a knife. “And I promise you, if you ever do it again, I won’t be so forgiving.”
Tears sting my eyes, a mix of shame and relief washing over me.
“I’m so sorry,” I choke before launching myself at him.
I wrap my arms around his neck and press my face against his shoulder.
This is home. I missed him so much.
His distance was all my fault, and I can’t be the reason he pulls away from me or Zoe anymore. Or ever again.
“I swear, I won’t keep anything from you again.”
Marco doesn’t respond right away and for a second, I think he’s going to push me away. But then his arms come around me, strong and sure, pulling me against his chest.
His scent, a mix of cologne and whisky, fills my lungs as I breathe him in.
A sense of calmness settles over me as he holds me close, and my eyes flutter closed as I fully relax against him.
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper again, tightening my arms around him.
“I know.” His hand starts to stroke my hair.
The tension shifts between us and when I pull back and look into Marco’s eyes, I find them even darker than before.
My breath catches as his hands slowly slide down my body to settle on my waist, and then his lips crash against mine.
The kiss is rough and desperate, filled with the kind of frustration that’s been simmering between us since this fight began.
I melt into him, my fingers tangling in his hair as he tugs me onto his lap, his grip possessive and firm.
“You drive me fucking crazy,” he growls against my mouth, his hands roaming over my body as he pulls me onto his lap.
“Marco…” I grind against his hardness.
His fingers dig painfully into my hips, but I don’t care. I’ve been starved of his touch for too long, and I need him, now .
I moan as Marco moves his mouth to my neck, licking at the sensitive spot beneath my ear that has my entire body breaking out in goosebumps.
My hips move of their own accord, the ache between my thighs becoming almost unbearable as I grind against his length.
His hands move up my body to cup my breasts. “Fuck, I’ve missed you.”
I arch into his touch. “Don’t stop.”
Marco grunts as he makes quick work of pulling down the straps of my cami top to reveal my aching breasts.
My nipples are so hard they’re almost painful, and when Marco wraps his lips around one and circles the sensitive bud with his tongue, I can’t help but cry out.
I sink my fingers into his hair to hold him against me. “I need you.”
He flicks his tongue over my nipple.
Without taking his mouth off of me, Marco wraps an arm around my waist and then he flips me onto my back.
I clamp my thighs around him, pulling him close as he continues to worship my breasts.
Only when the ache between my thighs becomes unbearable does he lift his head.
There’s an almost feral look in his eyes as he looks down at me.
“Let me taste you, Clara.”
Just the thought of his tongue between my thighs has my pussy clenching.
All I can do is nod, and Marco grins as he sits up and sinks his fingers into the waistband of my pajama pants.
I hold my breath as he slides them down my thighs and over my ankles, his eyes never leaving mine.
But when he tosses my pants aside, I bite my lower lip as I slowly spread my thighs and expose myself to him.
He reaches down to palm his erection through his pants. “You’re so fucking beautiful.”
“I’m all yours, Marco.”
Something close to agony flashes in his eyes, but then he’s moving to kneel on the floor in front of me.
I shift my body so that he can lift my legs over his shoulders, and then he’s burying his face between my thighs.
At the first lick of his tongue along my core, my entire body trembles. My head falls back against the couch.
“Oh, god.”
Marco has my body memorized, knowing exactly how to drive me crazy with pleasure. He moves between long, slow licks of my pussy before circling his tongue around my clit.
My body writhes beneath his touch, my hips moving without conscious thought against his face to add more pressure.
My fingers move to his hair, and I tug at the strands.
Marco groans before moving his hands to my ass to tilt my hips, and then he’s sinking his tongue inside me.
A cry lodges itself in my throat as he starts to fuck me with his tongue.
I moan as I grind against him.
He pumps his tongue faster, and my eyes roll back as my orgasm starts to build.
I grind against his face. “Please.”
“Look at me, Clara. I want to watch you come.”
Having Marco De Luca look up at me from between my thighs, his dark eyes glazed and my arousal dripping down his chin, is almost enough to send me over the edge.
I keep my eyes on him as his tongue swirls around my clit before wrapping his lips around it and gently sucking the sensitive bud.
I moan as my legs start to tremble. “Oh, fuck, don’t stop.”
Marco strokes my thighs, the calluses on his palms only adding to my pleasure as he continues to suck on my clit until I’m crying out his name as I climax.
He hums as he continues to work my clit, not stopping until I’m dripping wet and practically sobbing with pleasure.
“You did so well, love.” He presses a kiss to my inner thigh, his gaze never once leaving mine.
I can barely catch my breath before Marco slowly slides my legs off his shoulders and gets to his feet.
I hug my knees to my chest as I watch him start to undress.
I must be giving him the best fuck me senseless look as he starts to laugh.
He tosses his shirt aside. “Eager, are we?”
I take in the sight of his muscular torso, of the lines that disappear into the waistband of his pants.
I don’t think I’ve ever needed Marco so badly as I do right now, and not just because the ache is once again building between my thighs. But because I want the weight of his body on top of mine, him moaning my name, his release dripping down my thighs.
“Fuck me, Marco,”