Chapter 34 #2
I was limp beneath him, helpless against wave after wave of pleasure as my orgasm went on and on before dying down.
Yet, I never reached the bottom. He continued to feed, continued to pump into me.
My breath hitched. A second orgasm blindsided me.
My nails dug into the skin at his back, leaving scratches everywhere.
This time, the intensity was almost painful.
I cried out, but could do nothing to fight—didn’t want to.
The pleasure-pain was nothing I had ever felt before.
It was almost too much.
As if sensing this, Laurent slowed then fell still. His mouth disappeared and his tongue lapped at me. I lay trembling, still wracked by the aftermath. Everything was so sensitive that each touch made me twitch.
He moved to look at me, and I felt the intensity of his gaze deep inside, my body still pulsing around his cock. I was glad when he didn’t remove himself. Instead, we gazed at each other a long time.
At last, he rested his forehead against mine. “I am ruined,” he whispered against my skin, the confession slipping out as if he hadn’t meant to voice it.
My heart fluttered. As if sensing the effect of his words, he placed a hand between us, just beneath my breast.
“Perhaps you are not ruined, so much as remade,” I said. “Ruin suggests destruction, and there are parts of you I never wish to destroy.”
His eyes widened by a fraction, the motion so small I almost missed it. Then his features hardened into granite. “There is nothing good in me, Lily. Do not fall prey to some romanticized idea of me that does not exist.”
His words were frigid ice water.
“I reserve the right to make my own judgement, Laurent. You cannot take that away from me.”
He shifted, pressing more deeply inside me and I groaned.
“All right,” he conceded. “And what judgement have you passed for the male who abducted you? The male who ripped you from the life you made for yourself? The male who caused you great harm and suffering? The male who selfishly claimed you? The male who will never let you go, so long as you live? The male who wants to possess every inch of you, claim all that you are, and lock you away so that none may partake in the beauty you offer this world, simply because he wishes to keep it all for himself?”
I hummed. “You mean the male who bakes me cinnamon rolls before bed? The male who pulled me from darkness after the witches because he felt guilty and wanted to atone? The male who wants to protect his family at all costs? The male who watches me attentively so he may see to my every need? The male who makes me feel worshiped? Adored? The male who wants to keep me when no one else did? That male?”
His throat bobbed, eyes sparking with something unreadable.
“That male has done monstrous things, yes. At face value, that’s all most people will see.
” I sighed. “But Laurie, you aren’t your father.
” The words were out before I could stop them.
After yesterday, I knew better. A fierce urge to flee rose up in me.
I needed to end this conversation on my terms, not his.
I pushed at his shoulder and nudged him off me. “I need to visit the restroom.”
I didn’t give him the chance to do what I expected. To shut down our conversation. Because I knew he would if I stayed, and I wasn’t ready to face that sort of defeat after what we’d just shared.
In the bathroom, I splashed water on my face and freshened up, cleaning up the evidence of our love making.
When I returned to the bedroom, he was still sitting in the same place, watching me attentively.
My naked body was on full display. For anyone else, I might have been shy, but I found that I liked his eyes on me.
I went to the drapes and slid them back, letting in the light. The sun was already high in the sky. I took a moment to gaze out past the balcony, over the canal. A parade of boats traveled back and forth.
“Remind me again,” I said, whirling toward him. “What was the purpose of last night? I thought we were going to find out who wanted to abduct me?”
Laurent braced his arms behind him, watching me with a lazy expression. “Questioning my decisions, little flower?” His voice was soft, but it was also different. There was no bite to it.
“Just wondering,” I murmured.
“The purpose was to send a message. I needed Drazgus to know I don’t take lightly to his meddling. I’m aware of his intentions. That knowledge is powerful. He would be careless to try again.”
“But whoever he’s working for, they obviously want me. They will try again.”
In a blink, Laurent was off the bed and standing before me. His naked body momentarily wiped every thought from my mind. He tilted my chin up, aligning our gazes. “Everyone wants you.”
A needle of doubt pierced through my post-orgasm high. ‘That’s...’ I shook my head, the insecurity sharp and unwelcome.
“What?” He took my face in both hands. “Tell me. I don’t like when you keep your thoughts from me.
It makes me…” He sighed. “It makes me second guess myself—us. I shouldn’t, but things between us are still new, and I hurt you.
You have every right to refuse me, and I would honor your decision to do so, understand it even. ”
I blinked. “It was nothing. Just my insecurities.”
“Still, I’d like to hear what you were about to say.”
I pressed my lips together, contemplating.
“I was going to ask if everyone wanting me was the reason you wanted me.” The question revealed more vulnerability than I’d intended.
I knew that’s how this had started—I wasn’t naive about that.
But now...had things really changed, or was I still just a valuable asset he needed to protect?
The pull of his brows was slight, his subtle way of frowning.
“At first, yes. I won’t lie and say otherwise.
I wanted you for your blood and nothing more.
You know this. Everyone else wants you for the same reason and I needed to ensure that I maintained the advantage.
But no…” He shook his head. “Not anymore.”
“I know. That’s why I said I was just being insecure. I know this is about more than my blood now. I’m not blind.”
“No, you are certainly not. Nor are you ignorant. You’re rather brilliant, as a matter of fact. Which means you’ve already read the signs. You know you are irresistible in more ways than one.”
I snorted to hide my deeper insecurities. Zola’s warning came back to me. I was doing a poor job of guarding my feelings against this man. His word, irresistible, made no promise of something deeper between us. No promise of love—
“Tell me, last night when I was speaking to Drazgus, something in the crowd caught your attention. Your heartbeat changed and you gasped. What was it?”
I blinked, trying to recover from the sudden topic change. “Oh. I… It was nothing. I thought I saw someone, but I think it was just my imagination.”
“Who?”
I licked my lips, an action Laurent followed. “It would only upset you. I’m certain it was my imagination.”
“Who, Lily?”
“Lio.”
He froze, staring at me. “Lio,” he repeated.
“Like I said…”
He sighed. “Lio is dead, Lily.” His voice carried a finality that brooked no argument, but something flickered in his eyes—too quick to interpret. “Come, let’s shower and dress. You need to eat something and Zola has an appointment with you this afternoon.”
“An appointment?” I frowned.
He was already ushering me into the bathroom.
“With one of her dressmakers. To get you fitted for your gowns—for the start of the season.”
“Oh.” I watched him slip a hand into the shower to get the water running.
He led me through the glass door and I fumbled my way through our first ever shower together.
I was certain he didn’t need one, which meant he was doing this just for me.
My earlier words came back, about his attentiveness and desire to care for me.
I let him wash me, and when he finished, I let him place my hands against the shower tile and pull my hips against him. A gasp left my mouth at the sensation of his hard length as he slid inside me. “I’ve… I’ve never had shower sex,” I blurted between one breath and the next.
“Hmm, good. I like that. And I like that you’re tall.”
I glanced over my shoulder to see his face lit with eager desire. We fit together perfectly. Any shorter and this position would have been slightly awkward for him.
I braced myself as he began to fuck me. This is what I’d expected from him the first time we had sex. Desperate as I was, I would have accepted it.
He thrust in and out of me, letting a small growl free.
I didn’t bother leashing my sounds, giving into the pleasure as pressure built in my core.
My knees weakened, thighs shaking. He held my hips tightly, his fingers bruising.
Bruises that would heal quickly thanks to his blood.
“Fuck. So fucking tight for me, little flower.”
“Yes,” I cried, pressing back into him. Water sluiced off our bodies. The position had him hitting the deepest parts of me, balls slapping against my clit, sending sparks of pleasure everywhere.
“You should see us,” he groaned. “The sight of your tight little cunt wrapped around my cock. Fuck.” A smack sounded followed by a sting. I gasped, tightening. The feel of his palm against my ass—oh my God. My hips jerked, growing uncoordinated as I chased my pleasure.
“That’s it, Lily. That’s it, sweetheart. Take everything I give you.” One of his arms braced on the tile above me while the other crept up my back. He twisted his fingers into my hair, wrapping it around his fist. “This hair of yours... It’s going to be my undoing.”
Then he tugged, pulling my head back. I came apart, the sound of my scream bouncing off the tile around us. Laurent roared. I felt each pulse of his cock as he came inside me, spilling into me.
When his motions slowed, he leaned in and pressed gentle kisses along my spine, then pulled me up to rest in his arms. We were still connected, and I wanted to stay that way. Forever. But reality intruded. We couldn’t hide in this bedroom forever, no matter how much I wanted to.
Laurent dried me quickly before fussing with my hair, pulling a comb through it. “I can see to my own hair, you know.”
“I know,” he murmured. “Let me take care of you.”
“Okay.” Considering he had his own impressive mane, he certainly knew how to care for mine. He fussed over me until my hair was dry and shiny. Then he buried his nose in it and hummed. “Perfect,” he whispered, catching my gaze in the mirror. It was surprisingly erotic.
When we went downstairs, the sitting room was eerily quiet, despite being full of Laurent’s closest family members. I could feel the tension snapping in the air. “What’s wrong,” Laurent asked, looking at Marco.
“Sire, we didn’t want to…disturb you.” Marco glanced at me and my cheeks immediately flamed with embarrassment.
Dear God, he’d heard me. They’d all heard me.
I hadn’t been quiet, and this large house wasn’t that large.
Laurent gave my hand a gentle squeeze, sensing my unease. As if that made anything better.
“We got a report an hour ago,” Marco went on. “A body was found pinned to one of the spires at Viggo’s Cathedral just after dawn. Displayed for all the world to see.”
“What?!” both Laurent and I hissed at the same time. “Who?” Laurent added.
Marco sighed and then said, “Drazgus.” The name landed like a punch to the gut. The demon we’d confronted just hours ago, now displayed like a grotesque trophy for all of Italy to see.