Chapter 18 Gabriella #2
I remember Frank’s warnings, how he still seems suspicious of Marco.
But I don’t want to throw him under the bus. “From everyone.”
Marco nods as if he’s accepting what I’m saying, but it feels like he’s patronizing me. “I need to speak with Roman.” It’s a dismissal.
I purse my lips at him. “I’m going to figure out what heinous crime you can do that will make Blackwood salivate to arrest you.”
Roman snorted. “Have fun with that.”
I exit Marco’s office feeling annoyed, but also, a little worried. What if Marco is right?
After all, Frank’s warning has successfully sowed irritation between and Marco.
But no.
Frank has been with my family forever. Everyone is on edge, which makes it easy to see boogeymen where there are none.
I go upstairs and unpack the clothes I just brought and then find my paperwork.
I bring it down to the library, curling up on the leather sofa to craft my approach to Blackwood.
I break for lunch, only to discover Marco is out.
He doesn’t return home until late, and I’m back in the library, this time reviewing business contracts for my father.
“Have you been here all day?” Marco’s voice carries from the library door. He’s in his suit, but his tie is loose.
“Most of the day.”
"It's late," he says. "We should get some rest before tomorrow."
I put away my work and head upstairs with him, expecting him to escort me to my room. Instead, he pauses at his bedroom doorway.
"My room is more comfortable than yours," he says casually. "And the shower's better."
My heart thuds even as I tell myself that Marco’s invitation doesn’t mean anything serious. "Is that so?" I keep my tone light, matching his.
His lips quirk upward. "We don't have much time left in this arrangement. Might as well enjoy the amenities while you can."
Despite his playful tone, I understand what he's really saying. This is temporary. Don't get attached. Don't expect more.
“Are you an amenity?”
His brows waggle. “I could be.”
If I were smart, I’d go to the guest room.
I wouldn’t let my heart get any more tangled up in him than it already is.
But I’m not smart.
I want this man.
Even if it’s just temporary. Even if it means heartache in the end.
We’re barely through the door before his lips and hands are all over me. Our clothes leave a wake behind us as we make our way to the bed.
We fall on it, roll together until I rise over him. “What do you call this amenity?” I wrap my hand around his dick, brushing my thumb over the tip, wet with precum.
“Pleasure.” He moves my hips over him, but I resist.
Reaching to his nightstand, I open the drawer.
“What are you doing?”
I hold up a strip of condoms.
Confusion crosses his features. "I thought you said—"
"I know what I said," I interrupt gently, walking my fingers down his chest. "But it would give you peace of mind, wouldn't it? After how upset you were last time?"
His eyes search mine for a long moment before he nods, taking the strip of condoms.
As he tears open the foil packet, I tell myself I'm not lying, not really.
This is for his comfort, his peace of mind.
The fact that it's necessary for other reasons I'm not ready to share…
Well, that's a conversation for another day, if at all.
It could be that nothing comes of the encounter in the sauna. No reason to upset him for nothing.
He rolls me underneath him, lifting my leg and hooking it over his hip.
I arch beneath him as he enters me, my body welcoming him with a hunger that never seems to fade.
His weight presses me into the mattress, his hands pinning mine above my head.
There's something different tonight, a tenderness beneath his usual intensity. It makes me ache for more.
“You feel so fucking good.” His dark eyes watch me as he rocks in and out.
I've always loved watching Marco when we're together like this. It’s the one time he allows himself to let go. His expression now is almost reverent, his gaze never leaving mine as he sets a rhythm that has me gasping.
"Marco," I moan as he hits that perfect spot inside me. I wrap my legs around his waist, drawing him deeper.
He releases my hands to cradle my face, his thumbs brushing my cheekbones with surprising gentleness. "Tell me what you need.”
What I need is so much more than this physical connection, but I can't tell him that.
“Harder. Faster.”
He levers up on his hands, his hips driving, rocking.
His hand slides between our bodies, his fingers finding my center and circling in time with his thrusts.
The dual sensation sends sparks through my blood, tension building low in my belly.
"That's it," he encourages, his voice rough with desire. "Let go for me. Come on my cock, Gabriella."
I'm close, so close, but something holds me back.
Maybe it's knowing this can't last, that soon, we'll return to our separate worlds.
Maybe it's fear of falling even deeper for a man who's sworn never to love.
Marco seems to sense my hesitation.
He slows his movements, pressing his forehead against mine. "Stay with me.” I know he means in the moment, but my heart, my soul wants it to mean so much more.
He dips his head, his tongue swirling around my nipple as he thrusts in, as his finger brushes over my clit.
My orgasm slams into me, my body clenching around him as I cry out his name.
“Yes, Gabriella… fuck yes…” He follows me over the edge, his rhythm becoming frenetic as he buries his face against my neck.
We lie tangled together afterward, my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat gradually slow.
I savor the moment that ends when he rolls away to deal with the condom.
He returns to bed and surprises me by pulling me close again.
As I lie in his arms, I’m unable to stop the hope that something is growing between us.
That maybe, just maybe, I'm not the only one falling.