She really does make a mockery of me every chance she gets. I pull her closer and thread one hand through her hair, the tips of my fingers trailing over her scalp. An image of her on her knees in front of me flashes through my mind, my cock in between those beautiful full lips of hers, my hand in her hair the way I’ve got it now. “Childish,” I tell her as I tighten my grip on her, my touch possessive.
“No more than you are,” she retorts. “You don’t like others playing with your toys, huh?”
I chuckle and lower my face to hers. Even with the heels she’s wearing today, she’s at least a full head shorter than me. “Valentina, if I ever were to play with you, you’d never look at another again. I’d have you so hooked, you’d want no one’s hands on your body but mine.”
Her cheeks flush, and she averts her gaze, her annoyance draining away. “W-what are you even talking about?” she stammers.
The song comes to an end, and I grab her hand. “Follow me,” I murmur as I lead her through the wide doors and onto the candlelit path in the vineyard.
Chapter Seven
Valentina
Luca holds my hand tightly as we deviate from the candlelit path that connects the wedding and reception venues. He seems angry, but I’m uncertain why. Is it because I was distracted for a bit? He brought me here to network and shield him, but instead of that, I’ve been sipping wine and dancing, when I know how he feels about unprofessionalism — no matter how momentarily.
I gasp when my heels sink into the grass, and Luca looks back over his shoulder, his gaze dark as he lets go of my hand. “Struggling?” he asks, his voice soft despite the anger flashing through his eyes.
Before I even have a chance to reply, he leans in, startling me. He wraps one arm behind my back and the other behind my knees as he lifts me into his arms with ease. “Luca,” I murmur, my tone betraying my surprise. “What are you doing?”
He tightens his grip on me until he’s got my head resting against his shoulder, my lips brushing over his neck. Up close, his cologne is even more intoxicating than usual.
Luca’s body feels strong against mine, and it does something to me. I felt the same way when we danced together too. Heaffects me in a way no one else ever has. He makes me feel protected, irritated, and flustered, all at once.
The music fades away with every step he takes, until it’s barely audible in the distance. “Luca,” I whisper. “Where are you taking me?”
He smiles at me as he steps into a wooden gazebo illuminated by the full moon above us. “I saw this on the way here, and I wondered what it’d look like at night.”
He puts me down gently and I take a step back, dazed. It’s beautiful, and it’s almost like I stepped right into a dream. The wooden gazebo is lit with fairy lights, the moon and stars twinkling above us. “What are we doing here?” I ask, my heart racing.
Luca smiles humorlessly and steps closer, making me retreat, until my back hits one of the gazebo’s pillars. He places his arms on either side of me, caging me in. The way he looks at me makes my heart race, and tonight, more than ever, I wish I could read the thoughts he keeps behind lock and key.
“Have you finally lost your mind?” I ask, my voice soft. “Did I drive you insane at last?”
He smiles at me, yet his gaze exudes loneliness. Luca reaches for me, the tips of his fingers brushing over my temple tenderly. I inhale sharply and lean back against the pillar, my eyes on his. He looks dangerous tonight, his usually unreadable mask cracked.
His hand wraps around the back of my neck for a moment, before he pushes it up and into my hair, until he’s holding me the way he did on the dance floor. I inhale sharply when he steps closer to me, his body brushing against mine.
“Yes. I think you have.” He tightens his grip on my hair and tilts my face up toward his as he leans in. “You drive me truly, utterly, entirely,mad,” he whispers, his forehead pressed against mine.
Just a little closer, and his lips would be on mine. I shouldn’t want a taste of him, but I do. Perhaps it’s the wine, or the moonlight. Maybe it’s a little bit of both. All I know is that I want the one thing I should never crave. Him.
“Luca,” I whisper, my tone pleading.
He groans and grips my hair tightly as his lips come crashing down on mine with the same urgency I’m feeling. I moan against his lips and open up for him, needing more. Every thought fades away as my arms wrap around his neck, his body flush against mine.
“Fuck,” he murmurs against my lips, before wrapping his hands around my waist. “You taste as sweet as I always knew you would.” He lifts me up against the gazebo, and my legs wrap around his hips as my dress falls open at the slit by my thigh. “Sweet as sin.”
His touch is restless as his hands roam over my body. The way he moves his hips as he kisses me drives me insane. He’s hard for me, and the way he pushes up against me is positively sinful. It’s too much and not enough all at once.
I pull on his bowtie, and he moves away a little to let me yank it off. “Valentina,” he groans, before taking my lips all over again. I let his bowtie fall to the floor and brush my fingers over the buttons on his shirt, sending a few of them flying in an attempt to get closer to him.
“More,” I plead, my lips never leaving his. I don’t remember the last time I allowed myself to be ruled by desire, but nothing has ever felt more right. Perhaps this has always been inevitable.
His shirt comes undone, and I let it fall open, my hands roaming over his chest and abs. I always knew he was muscular, but seeing isn’t the same as touching. He feels incredible against my fingers, and the way he groans as my fingertips brush over the ridges of his abs makes me smile.
“Valentina,” he warns, his teeth nipping at my bottom lip. I groan and tilt my head in a silent bid for more, and he grants it, kissing me deeply and slowly.
His hand makes its way between us, and I gasp against his mouth when his fingers brush over the silk thong I’m wearing tonight. “Wet,” he groans as he teases me, his fingers stroking me through the fabric. “Your pussy is so fucking wet, baby. You’re soaking my fingers straight through this.” He pushes my panties aside, and a needy moan escapes my lips when he pushes a finger into me.