Chapter Four
GIANNI
“ Y ou followed me.”
“Of course, I followed you. Any logical person would. As you like to point out, this is your world,” Becca says, swinging the bottle out in a wide, sweeping gesture. “I’m just an unwelcome intruder relying on whispers and instinct to keep myself alive while in it.”
“I didn’t invite her here, if that’s what you’re insinuating.”
“I’m not insinuating anything.” Rising to her feet, she crosses the room, the bottle dangling at her side by her fingertips. “You’re digging that hole all by yourself.”
“That’s it?” I clip. “No demand for an explanation?”
“You told me she meant nothing to you.”
“She doesn’t.”
Becca spins around, her fist clenched tightly by her side. “She showed up at your house minutes after our wedding, Gianni. You left me standing on a fucking staircase to cater to the whims of another woman. Can’t you see how messed up that is?”
“That’s not fair. Cathalina heard what happened and came here looking for answers.”
“No, what’s not fair is you choosing the woman your father tried to force you to marry over the one you actually did,” she counters, slamming the bottle onto a side table.
“Then again, you are your father’s son.” The moment the words leave her mouth, her eyes widen, her lips freezing in a perfect, round “o” as she exhales a slow, labored breath. “Shit. Gianni, I didn’t mean?—”
But it’s too late. The fire inside me turns to ice, those words needling under my skin until my blood runs black with their poison.
Grabbing her arms, I pull her to me. “It’s been a long night, and I have very little patience left, so I suggest you think carefully before testing it.”
“Don’t patronize me, Marchesi,” she challenges, tipping her head back. “Your big, bad wolf act doesn’t work on me anymore. I know you too well. You can’t stand that I can see behind the curtain, so you retaliate by tossing out empty threats.”
“Oh, cara mia …” My laugh is low and dark as I force her backward until she has nowhere left to go.
“My threats are never empty.” I drag my hands down her arms, my cock hardening at her sharp inhale as I pin them against the wall.
“I warned you I had every intention of taking my wife on our wedding night, and I’m a man of my word. ”
Becca meets my stare, a defiant glint in her eye. “You wanted to own me, and now you do. Actions speak louder than words. So command me, Gianni Marchesi. I dare you.”
It’s the dare that sends me over the edge.
“I assumed you’d learned to be more careful of what you asked for.” Stepping back, I reach under my jacket and unclip my holster. “Especially after what happened earlier.” I pull my Glock as she watches, then place it on a side table in direct view like a total asshole.
I prepare for a fight. Instead, she strikes a match and lets it drop.
“Maybe I like to play with fire, too.”
Two steps and the distance I created is gone.
I say nothing, soaking in the frantic sound of her quickening heartbeat.
I brush the back of my fingers down her cheeks and over her jaw, before trailing them down her neck.
Becca doesn’t flinch. It’s only when I drag my palms down the bodice of her dress that her facade crumbles.
A lusty whimper escapes her throat, testing my control.
“Bold words, Mrs. Marchesi. How long can you play?”
“Until it burns out.”
Fucking deadlier than any flame…
I grab her by the back of the neck, our mouths meeting in a frantic battle only one of us will win. “Good,” I murmur. Brushing my thumb across her bottom lip, I take a step back and nod at the floor. “On your knees, wife .”
She sinks to the ground without a word. I stand silently, waiting to see if she’ll cut those tightly wound cords or stay bound by pride.
When she holds my steady gaze and undoes my belt and then my pants, my chest heaves with relief.
But it’s her maddeningly slow pull on my zipper that nearly snaps the wires of my self-control.
“There’s a fine line between anticipation and frustration, beloved.”
“Patience, husband ,” she croons, her fingers causing my jaw to clench as they slip inside my boxers and pull out my aching cock. It bobs heavily in front of her lips, pleading for her mouth. “Good things come to those who wait.”
“I don’t wait for anything.”
“Maybe you’ve just never had something worth the wait.”
At her slow smirk, I grab a handful of her hair, forcing her head back and destroying what’s left of her fancy updo. “Take my cock so deep you have to choose me over air.”
The moment I feel her silky, hot tongue swirl across my shaft, I draw a sharp breath and slam my hand against the wall.
Goddamn, this woman could suck the fucking soul out of a man.
The expert way she pushes her boundaries has me gripping tighter and taking more until I’m pumping ruthlessly into her mouth. “It makes me feel like a god to see you like this.”
Becca makes a gurgling sound in the back of her throat, setting off a vibration that hurls me dangerously close to a violent free-fall. A litany of curses fall from my lips as I pull away, frustration rushing through my veins as my hard cock throbs for release.
Christ, I want to spill down her throat. I want tears streaming down her cheeks as she tries to swallow. I want her to choke on my cum, then watch it drip down her chin.
But my first time coming inside my wife won’t be in her mouth.
Hooking my hands under her arms, I haul her to her feet and crush my lips against hers.
There’s nothing tender about the way I sweep her into my arms and carry her to the side table.
My body is in overdrive as I lay her on it long ways, sending the whiskey bottle clattering to the floor.
Drunk with desire, I drag her hips toward me, glaring at all the silk and lace bunched around her legs.
I’ve had enough cockblocking tonight.
Pulling my switchblade from my pocket, I press a single button and a four-inch blade snaps to attention. One flick of the wrist and it sears through the fabric like butter. Two more horizontal slices filet the bottom half of her dress, presenting her to me like a prize.
My mouth waters.
Bare. Just like I left her.
Digging my fingers into her hips, I lift her ass off the table and bring her glistening pussy to my mouth and dive into every fucking crevice.
“Gianni!” Becca grips the sides of the table, her back arching. “It’s too much.”
It’s never too much, not with her. I want to feel her break apart and taste her surrender, so I wrap my lips around her clit and suck like it’s my fucking job. Becca’s pleas splinter into sobs, her body bucking as her orgasm slams into her full force.
Once her breathing levels out, I lift my head and arch an eyebrow. “Still like playing with fire, Mrs. Marchesi?”
She melts into the table, her arm flung across her eyes. “You don’t play fair.”
“Never said I did.” My eyes follow my finger as I drag it down her dripping slit.
“I promised myself the first time I fucked my wife it’d be in our bed.
But you make it very hard to keep that vow.
” Shifting forward, I slide my throbbing cock through her wetness, eliciting a soft moan.
“So fucking hard.” Just as I start to push inside, her hand slams against my chest. I glance up to find her pushed up on the table, arm behind her and eyebrows drawn tight.
“Swear everything you told me about Cathalina was true, and her coming here had nothing to do with you and me.”
“I swear on my mother’s grave.”
Nodding, she curls her arm around my neck and draws me close. “Don’t make me regret this, Gianni. Trust can only stretch so far before it breaks.”
If she only knew, I’d cut out my heart before hurting hers.
Instead, I hold her tight and drive into her like a man possessed. I fuck her hard. I fuck her rough. I fuck her like I want to own and consume her.
But it’s not enough. I need to be her entire center of gravity.
Sliding my hands under her ass, I lift her off the table and slam her against the wall. Filthy words spill from my mouth as my pace turns maniacal, my vicious grunts entwining with her high-pitched moans.
“Gianni,” she gasps, her heels digging into my back as I bottom out. “What’s gotten into you?”
“You, beloved ,” I force out between clenched teeth. “You wanted to see the man behind the mask. Well, here he is. Still want to save him?”
“I let the Devil inside to love him, not save him.”
I freeze, searching her face for a smirk or any hint of sarcasm. But I find neither, only honesty and raw vulnerability.
Fuck. She loves me.
This beautiful, intelligent, trusting, reckless woman loves me.
God help us both.
I thrust into her, barely giving her a chance to breathe before falling into a ruthless rhythm that has Becca sinking her nails into my shoulder with an ear-piercing shriek.
Her walls clamp hard around my cock, and she shatters around me, detonating a bomb.
Throwing my head back, I let out a guttural roar and come hard inside her.
Silence descends, invaded only by our ragged breathing. Instead of setting her on her feet, I step away from the wall while still inside her and head toward the open door.
Becca swivels her head over her shoulder, then back around. “Where are we going?”
“To our bedroom. I’m spending the night taking my wife until she can’t remember her name.”
“Gianni, you could fuck me into the next lifetime, and I wouldn’t forget.”
I pause in the hallway, not giving a shit we’re both half naked. “Then say it.”
She gives me that tight-lipped, narrowed-eyed stare that drove me crazy for eight weeks. “Becca Brennan … Marchesi.”
“Say it again.”
A small smile curves her lips. “Make me.”
“Mrs. Marchesi,” I tsk , “haven’t you burned those pretty little fingers enough for one night?”
“Haven’t you heard?” she says, licking her lips. “Phoenixes love to burn.”
“Devil woman,” I groan, kicking the door open to our room and tossing her on the bed.
The look she gives me could melt steel. “Devil wife .”
Removing what remains of our clothing, I enter her slowly, taking my time and savoring every inch. This marriage may have started out contractual, but now that we’ve consummated it, Becca is mine for better or worse, and only death can separate us.
I promised in that hospital room I’d burn the world to protect her.
And like Johnny Malone … I always keep my promises.