Chapter Forty-Five Ella
Chapter Forty-Five
Ella
We’re sitting in the back of the armored SUV with the privacy screen up, heading back to the mansion Tiero rented for us, and I can’t wipe the smile off my face.
This was the best day ever.
I still can’t believe Carlos Rosales drove me around the Monza Grand Prix track in a Formula One car. Carlos fricking Rosales.
I nearly wet my race suit when I found out. He’s the best driver on the grid right now… and I got to drive with him.
Unbelievable.
And then there was that kiss. Not with Carlos, obviously… Tiero would have killed him.
It was one of those can’t-get-enough-of-you kisses. The kind that leaves you reeling long after it ends.
First, it carried all that pent-up tension and relief. Then it shifted into something deeper that made my entire body light up.
Yeah. Not easily forgotten.
As if reading my mind, Tiero unbuckles my seatbelt and lifts me sideways onto his lap, his arms wrapping around me.
“Hey,” I protest, but there’s no real bite to it.
He smiles down at me and presses a gentle kiss to my nose.
He looks… happy.
I want to see him like this more often.
“You know,” I say, “kissing you earlier doesn’t mean I’m going to fall back into bed with you.”
I have to hold on to that.
He smirks, eyes glinting. “I know. It was hot, though. And you were turned on… even if you’d never admit it.”
“Of course I wouldn’t,” I shoot back, feigning outrage.
“Thought so.”
He’s right. I was turned on. I always am when he’s near.
He lets out an easy laugh. I wish I heard that sound every day.
“You know,” he says softly, “I could smell your arousal. It hung in the air. Best scent I’ve ever come across. I wish I could bottle it.”
A blush creeps into my cheeks. “You couldn’t have. I had a thick racing suit on.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, princess. I can smell you from miles away.”
He nuzzles my neck, and my heartbeat falters.
“I can smell it now,” he whispers against my ear.
I don’t answer. I can’t, because he’s not wrong.
His head dips, our lips hovering a breath apart.
“I love making out with you,” he says, his voice low.
Then he kisses me.
This time there’s nothing restrained about it. It’s deep and consuming, the kind of kiss that makes my toes curl and my stomach flip.
And I don’t resist.
It’s just a kiss. Nothing more.
I can stop anytime.
Right?
It’s dark. Only a sliver of moonlight slips through the curtain when the breeze stirs it.
I have no idea what time it is, only that I’ve been awake for hours, too wired from the day to sleep.
The horror of Monday night feels far away here. Like something that happened to someone else. For now, at least.
After we got back, we had dinner. I was starving and ate more than I thought possible.
I went to bed alone, grateful Gualtiero had calls to make.
After that kiss in the car, I wouldn’t have trusted myself not to climb him. The pull between us is stronger than ever. I don’t know how much longer I can hold out.
When Tiero finally came to bed, I pretended to be asleep. He drew me against him anyway.
And that’s where I still am. My back pressed to his front, his hand resting possessively across my stomach as he breathes evenly behind me.
Truth be told, I love it when he holds me like this. It makes me feel safe and cherished at the same time.
But I don’t think I can lie here much longer. Maybe I’ll sneak out and find the library. Surely a place like this has one.
As gently as I can, I wiggle to free myself of Tiero’s hold. My butt brushes against his length, which hardens instantly.
A smile tugs at my lips. I revel in the effect I have on him, even asleep.
God, I hope he hasn’t woken up.
I go completely still, listening to his breathing in the dark. It’s the same.
Phew, I wouldn’t want him to get any ideas. I haven’t changed my mind.
I haven’t.
I’m going to stay strong.
When I’m sure he’s asleep, I move some more. Just because I can and…
Damn, it feels good.
A slow burn uncoils low in my core as he grows harder, and the urge to really grind my butt against him surges.
An insistent ache builds between my thighs. It’s been too long since I’ve felt him inside me, stretching me the way only he can.
No. Don’t go there.
I shift once more anyway.
Seriously, I need to stop, or I’ll wake him.
But it’s too late.
Tiero’s hand strokes leisurely along my side, and I light up under his touch, a trail of tingles following his fingers, spreading wider with every pass.
I swallow, my breathing quickening.
I stop moving.
Yeah, as if that will fool him. He knows I’m awake; my racing pulse gives me away. I close my eyes, willing myself to calm down.
His hand slides higher, to my shoulder, then back down over my hip, featherlight caresses that wake every nerve ending in its path.
That’s what a simple touch from him does to me. I come alive under his hands, and he hasn’t even really begun.
When he presses himself more firmly against me, my ache for him builds. It’s sharper now, more insistent, spreading until it’s impossible to ignore.
It’s like my body is urging me to just finally give in.
I want to.
I want to so badly it almost hurts. Because I know exactly the ecstasy he can wring from me. And that’s the problem.
Tiero shuffles behind me, and a second later, the room fills with soft, muted light.
His hand goes to my shoulder, gently turning me onto my back until I’m facing him. His hand cradles my cheek, his fingers brushing over my skin.
The air crackles between us. His naked chest rises and falls in a restless rhythm, betraying his calm facade.
His gaze holds mine, intense as always, but there’s also a rare vulnerability. He’s asking without words, imploring me to surrender to what we both so desperately want.
My eyes drop to his mouth, to his oh-so-kissable lips.
My throat tightens. With every breath, my need for him grows.
“Tiero,” I whisper.
I don’t even know what I’m trying to say, or if this was my last attempt to resist what’s happening between us.
He silences me, pressing a finger to the seam of my lips, tracing it tenderly.
I turn into him, our bodies aligning, chest to chest.
I’m waiting for him to make the move, to kiss me, to devour me. He wants to. It’s written all over his face, and yet he holds back.
Why?
…Oh.
He’s waiting.
For me.
Every look, every touch, every quiet pause is asking for the same thing.
Say yes… say yes to us.
My hand lifts on its own, threading through his dark hair. It’s so soft. With our eyes locked, I massage his scalp, and a low groan escapes him. My lips go dry, and my tongue flicks out to wet them.
He watches, looking like he’s barely holding on. I’m right there with him, the desire inside me winding tighter. Too tight. I’ll come apart if I don’t feel his mouth on mine right about now.
I can’t fight this anymore.
I pull him closer, his breath feathering across my cheeks.
“Angel,” he rasps, his eyes on mine.
That name. He only calls me that when his emotions take over. Tonight, it shatters the last remnants of the walls I’ve tried to keep in place around my heart.
I tug him down until, finally, our lips meet.
Soft at first.
Slow.
And then it’s not.
The kiss deepens, turning hungry, urgent, demanding.
He shifts over me, his body settling between my legs. A rush of liquid heat floods through me, and I lift my hips toward him. His hands move over me, his mouth claiming mine.
“Angel,” he whispers. “My beautiful angel… I love you.”
My heart leaps at his words. Because I can feel it. Everywhere.
We kiss for long minutes, his hands roaming over my skin, setting me on fire. My arousal builds, leaving my core slick and aching. I need him.
He lifts his lips from mine and finds the hem of my negligee. In one swift motion, he tears the silky material, exposing me to him. His pupils darken to almost black.
He pushes his boxer briefs down his thighs and kicks them off. His perfect cock stands to full attention, pre-cum already oozing from his tip.
My tongue darts out; I want to taste him, but before I can make a move, Tiero covers me again, and once more, we get lost in a kiss that promises so much more.
Wetness pools between my thighs. When Tiero presses his hard length against my entrance, my slickness coats the tip almost immediately.
His eyes wander to the spot where we’ll be joined, and the way his gaze lingers on it sends a shiver down my spine. When he looks up again, the expression of pure, wanton lust on his face makes my pulse stutter.
The anticipation is almost unbearable, making it hard to think.
I’m so ready for him.
He nuzzles his nose against mine, his warmth closing in around me.
“Tiero, please.” My voice comes out unsteady, almost a plea. I need him to keep going.
Our eyes connect, and I feel that invisible bond between us more than I ever have. But then he shakes his head.
“No, angel,” he says, his voice rough with restraint.
What?
My heart sinks. My brow furrows as I watch him, but a tender smile tugs at his lips.
“You put me inside you,” he says, his tone infused with love and understanding that I melt all over again. “Make us whole.”
I hold his gaze, searching his eyes. He doesn’t usually give up control. But this… he wants this to be my choice.
No hiding behind impulse. No losing myself in the moment and pretending it just… happened.
My hand moves between us, trembling as I find his steel-hard length. The warmth of him settles into my palm. A soft hiss escapes him at the contact, his eyes falling shut for a fleeting second.
I don’t rush.
I let myself feel it. The closeness. The charged stillness. The way I respond, wanting to yield to him.
Slowly, I guide him up and down my slit, coating him with me. It’s a quiet exploration that sends tingles through my entire body.
A low groan breaks from his chest.
“Angel…” His voice falters, strained now. “Don’t tease.” He exhales roughly. “End this torture… please.”
That word.
Please.
It makes all the difference. Have I ever heard him say it before?