by Vivian Wood
I squirm a little, although I know that what is coming will be incredibly hot. Still, I’m distantly uncomfortable in my own skin, worrying again that I can’t live up to his fantasy.
He uses two fingers to find my seam, tracing it lazily up and down, up and down. His fingers get a bit of my juices on them; he stops and pops his fingers in his mouth, making a contented sound as if that’s normal.
I blush and lock up, my knees pulling together a little. But then he parts my lower lips with those same two fingers and leans in close, kissing my clit.
“Oh god!” I say, panicked. It feels so good, so wet and so hot, I don’t know if I can take much of his teasing. When he kisses my clit again, swirling his tongue around it this time, making loud sucking noises, I bury my fingers in his hair.
He does figure eights with his devilish tongue for a minute, while I moan and try not to buck my hips against his face. After he closes his lips around my clit and sucks, though, I can’t help it.
“Oh god, oh god,” I repeat over and over again. “I… I’m close, Luca.”
He shifts a little, teasing the entrance to my core with one single finger. I shiver with excitement and buck against his mouth when he introduces a second thick digit.
And with the third, I think I’m about to boil over. He’s sucking on my clit and gently moving his fingers in and out of my pussy, and it’s all too much.
I make a throaty sound, almost there…
He slows down, though, and withdraws his fingers. I crack open my eyes, glaring at him.
“What are you doing?” I ask, uncertain.
“You can come from penetration, can’t you?” he asks, licking his fingers idly.
“I… I think so…” I say. I flush, tripping over myself to explain. “I mean, I have before. With you.”
“Good. Then I think we should both come together,” he says, rising to his knees.
I go red at his words, even though he just got done doing that very thing. I bite my lip and beckon him. He backs off the bed, stripping of his boxer briefs, laying himself bare. His cock juts proudly out, long and thick and quite beautiful.
He crawls on top of my body, until our hips press together. He’s heavy, almost too heavy for me, but his big frame makes up for it. He balances himself on his elbows, taking some of the weight off.
My lips find his, and my hand finds his cock, stroking it gently. He breaks the kiss with a low, needy groan. That sound breaks any plans I had to draw this out.
I position his cock at my entrance, moving my hips a little to encourage him. He doesn’t thrust right away, though. He takes a second to look down at me, brushing some of my still damp hair from my face.
“You’re beautiful,” he tells me. The earnestness in his gaze shines through.
“You’re gorgeous too,” I say.
He kisses me again, his lips warm and wonderful. Then he slowly sinks in, inch by inch.
“Ahhhh,” I say, feeling the stretch deep inside to accommodate his size.
He looks at me, sweat beading on his brow. “Do you want me to stop?”
I shake my head. “No. Go faster.”
Luca withdraws, then thrusts, withdraws, then thrusts. A little deeper, a little faster every time. He sets a rhythm, slow at first. I meet him thrust for thrust, feeling my body warming up, remembering the pleasure that it felt just a few minutes ago.
I wrap my legs around him as he increases the pace. There’s a smooth kind of friction happening; it feels amazing, like there is something deep inside me that is on fire, and only he can put it out.
With each thrust I am getting a little closer to ecstasy. I feel a spring winding a little tighter and a little tighter. I just need something a little… more… to be set off.
“Luca,” I say, breathless. “I am going to need you to fuck me harder. Don’t hold back.”
He smirks for a second, then he gives me exactly what I want. He leans over me, fucking me like a jackhammer, sweat beginning to drip from his face and chest. All I can do is hold on, that inner spring growing tighter by the second.
“Fuck,” he whispers, his tone reverent. His voice is nearly lost in the melee between us.
“Yes,” I urge him, my hips clashing with his over and over again. “Yes! Don’t stop. Don’t you dare…”
I’m wound so tight that when I start to come, I grip Luca’s back with my nails, leaving a set of nail marks. Then it’s like I see fireworks, everything in my world going black except for a few bright splashes of color.
I topple over a cliff I didn’t see coming, and plummet down into the abyss of my own pleasure. A second after I come, I feel Luca start to come. I hear his rugged shout, I feel the hot pulse of his seed deep within me. I feel him slow down, and then stop.
He rests his forehead against the pillow to my left, breathing openmouthed for a long second. My racing heart begins to slow.
Luca kisses me then, long and languorous. He tastes like his sweat, but I don’t mind it one bit. I sigh into the kiss, bringing my hands up to cup his face.
We rest like that for a long time, until I slip off to sleep.
30
I lie on my side watching Cate sleeping beside me. Her lower body is burrowed against mine but her spine is twisted so that her face is angled away. It looks uncomfortable to me but she seems to be sleeping peacefully.
The early morning light streams across her still figure, throwing shadows across half of her body. I look at her delicate dark eyebrows, the sweep of her black lashes against her cheeks, her sweetly bow-shaped mouth. Her face is in profile, the light making it seem more angular than it actually is.
She stirs for a moment, pulling the blankets up and murmuring something softly. She turns away from me and I sigh.
Tomorrow is Madisyn’s wedding. Not that I give two fucks about Syn getting married, but that’s the entire structure of my marriage to Cate at this point.
What happens after the wedding? The future slips through my fingers like sand through an hourglass. Everything is tentative. Our entire relationship seems to be held together by half-spoken promises.
I woke up in a mood about it and it isn’t going away. I know myself. I need a distraction or I’m going to brood about this for the next twelve hours. So I get up and get dressed, texting Owen as I go.
Drinks?
He responds in a couple of minutes. I mean, it’s the daytime… but sure.
I think for a moment, trying to choose a place that’s equal distances from his house and mine.
Whiskey Soda Lounge, twenty minutes.
I grab my leather coat, leaving Cate a scrawled message. Back soon.
Leaving the piece of paper on my pillow, I head out to the bar. When I pull my bike into the parking lot, Owen is already waiting for me.
“Hey,” he says, scanning my face.
“Hey.”
I push past him, heading in the front door of the bar. There are a couple of people drinking at the far end of the counter. The bartender gives us a nod, motioning for us to seat ourselves.
As we slide into a booth, I pluck a menu from the bracket on the wall. Owen does the same, watching me carefully. The bartender comes over and takes our order.
After I don’t say anything for a minute, Owen sighs. “What’s up, man?”
I favor him with a frown. “What, I can’t just want a drink?”
Owen narrows his eyes at me. “You seem to forget that I’ve known you for too long. I can tell something is going on with you.”
He’s right, of course. But it still irritates me. “Mmm,” I grunt.
The bartender brings our drinks. I don’t taste mine, I just roll the amber liquid around in the glass.
“Things with Cate aren’t going well, then?”
I exhale a long breath. “I don’t know. She took me to see the house she wants to buy and live in once the annulment goes through.” I take a sip of whiskey, making a face when it burns a little going down.
Owen shifts in his seat.
“And that’s bad?”
I glance at him, shaking my head. “I don’t know. I mean… I offered her ten thousand dollars, contingent on her faking this marriage until Madisyn’s wedding. But now the wedding is here, and I just…”
“Wait, you offered her ten grand?” he asks.
I nod. “Yep. I said we would sign the paperwork on the annulment after this wedding, and then I would pay her.”
Owen purses his lips. “But you don’t want things to change, I am guessing?”
“Yeah.” I scrunch up my face. “Actually, I don’t know. I just feel like Cate moving out isn’t going to help clear things up.”
He takes a sip of his drink and swishes it around his mouth. “Have you talked to Cate about any of this?”
I look at the ceiling, sighing. “Sort of.”
“What does that mean?”
“We talked about it a little when she showed me the house. And then she kissed me.” I bite my lip with a frown. “Actually, it’s been like that for the last two days. I try to bring up the annulment and she kisses me.”
A note of humor ripples across his face. “You’re telling me that you can’t resist her advances, or what?”
I shrug. “I guess I haven’t wanted to. Not yet. What if I ask her to stay and she says no?”
Owen looks down at his drink. “Is it better to just keep doing what you’re doing? Neither of you ever says anything real to the other because you are both emotionally stunted people?”
I shoot him a glare. “I didn’t say that.”
“Hm.” He takes another sip of his whiskey. “Just tell her that you don’t want her to move out. It’s really simple.”
I wrinkle my brow. “Just like that?”
Owen shrugs. “I think so. I mean, I don’t know her, but that’s what I would like.”
I look at my watch. “It seems like a good idea, but…”
Owen makes a face. “It’s between that and letting her leave, which you don’t want. Just go. Go right now and tell her to stay. That way you can go to Madisyn’s wedding and just… you know, be real.”
I smile, imagining Cate and I hugging while we talk to Madisyn. “There is a first time for everything, isn’t there?”
Owen rolls his eyes as he pulls a twenty dollar bill out of his wallet. “I will buy your drink if you’ll just go talk to Cate, man. Seriously.”
I squint at him. “Yeah, alright.” I start sliding out of the booth then pause. “Thanks, man.”
Owen just shrugs again. “Anytime.”
With a determined frown on my face, I ride my motorcycle home. As soon as I get home, I call out to Cate.
“I’m back!” I announce. I head over to the fridge for a bottle of water.
Cate comes downstairs from her room, drying her hair with a towel. She’s wrapped in maybe the ugliest old-lady bathrobe I’ve ever seen. Her lips are turned down at the corners.
“Hey. Where did you go?”
“Just went for an early drink with Owen.” I open the bottle of water and chug it halfway down. “You looked like you needed rest.”
Her eyes narrow. “Huh.”
I set the water bottle on the counter, steeling myself for what I want to say. I don’t know why I’m nervous, but I am. Heading into the living room, I snag one of her hands and lead her toward the sofa.
“Come here for a minute.”
“Luca,” she protests. “I have to get ready for work. I don’t have time to hang out on the couch for a minute, no matter what you say.”
I sit down on the couch, towing her in my wake. She sits down beside me with a huff. “We have to be really, really fast this time.”
My lips quirk at that. “I like your thinking. But actually, I just want to talk.”
Her eyebrows rise. “Oh, I don’t think this is really the time—”
“I don’t want you to buy that house,” I say, cutting her off. “I don’t want us to get an annulment right away and I don’t want you to buy that house.”
The only thing I read on her face is puzzlement. “Why not?”
I think for a second before I answer. “I think there is something between us and I want to find out. Which I don’t feel like we can with our current arrangement. I need more time than that.”
“It sounds like you just don’t approve of me buying my childhood home,” she says, tugging her hand from my grip. She crosses her arms.
“I don’t, but that’s not the point.”
She gives me a disapproving look. “I think it very much is. How I spend my money is not ready for you to say, Luca.”
A sigh bursts from my lips. I can feel myself getting hot under the collar. “Cate, it’s literally falling apart. I bet you if you paid for an inspection, the inspector would laugh instead of giving you an estimate for repair.”
She stands up. “I don’t really need a lecture. I have work.”
“Wait a second,” I demand, my expression turning stormy. “I just asked you to stay with me here.”
“But you demanded that I don’t spend my money on something I want at the same time.” She grits her teeth. “That isn’t fair at all, Luca.”
Sucking in a breath, I stand up. “Fine, use your money how you want. Buy that house. Buy into a pyramid scheme. Do whatever.”
“I will.” She scowls.
“You know what? That sounds great. Why don’t I just go get my checkbook right now? God, you and Madisyn really aren’t that different, are you?”
Cate stills. “I’m sorry, what did you just say?”
I fold my arms across my chest. “Madisyn liked to invest too, did you know that? She bought fifteen thousand dollars worth of natural beauty supplies on my credit card. Apparently someone told her that she could sell it without a problem. Five months later, when she dumped me, I had to clean fifteen thousand dollars worth of Beyoutiful shit out of my garage.”
“And?” Cate snaps. “How is that the same as me buying a house I’ve wanted for years?”
“You won’t take money advice!” I shout, throwing my hands up in the air.
“But it’s my money!” she cries. “Why do you even care about how I spend it?”
My eyes become slits. “It’s not about the money. It wasn’t about the money with Madisyn either. It was a symptom of larger problems within the relationship.”
“What relationship?” She shakes her head. “You’ve told me you care about me, whatever that means. But you’ve never asked me to be your girlfriend.”
“That isn’t fair and you know it. We’re already married for god’s sake!”
Cate looks so mad, as if she would burn down everything I’ve ever loved if given the chance.
“I don’t know anything, apparently. Maybe the reason that Madisyn dumped you was that you were a tight-fisted jerk.”
Startled, I take a step back. “I can’t believe you just said that.”
Cate glares at me. “I could say the same thing of you, Luca. Maybe you would be better off with someone like Madisyn. She seems shallow, but maybe that’s what you need. That way you don’t have to guess at her objectives.”
“At least her objectives aren’t secretive and weird.”
“Is that what you call dating men exclusively for their money?”
I glare at her. “You know, you may be better off becoming a nun. The only marriage you should be in is to God. Leave the rest of us mortals alone.”
Cate sucks in a breath. “Are you saying that you don’t want to be married anymore? Because that can be arranged very easily.”
I lash out. “Maybe I am, Cate!”
The wounded look in her eyes is unmistakable. “Fine. I’ll start moving out tonight.”
“Oh no,” I say, shaking my head. “You’re going to that fucking wedding with me tomorrow. You’re going to dress up and look hot and smile. Then and only then are you released from this marriage.”
She leans in close to me, lowering her voice. “Fine. I hope you enjoy having a wife for the next twenty-fo
ur hours, because after that I’m done.”
My fists bunch. I squint down at her. If I don’t get out of here and blow off some steam, I am going to lose it. “You should go to work.”
Brushing by her, I head for the front door.
“Where are you going?” she calls.
“Out!” I shout back. “Before I put my fist through the wall.”
I don’t hear a response so I go outside, slamming the door as I go.
31
Luca
I shoot a sideways glance at Cate as we exit the limo outside the Foundry, the fancy as fuck place that Madisyn has chosen for her wedding. She looks unbelievably gorgeous in her wedding finery; I know for a fact underneath that heavy black coat she’s wearing a barely-there pink velvet dress. When I first saw her in it, I swear to god my mouth started to water.
Yeah, I’m definitely going to have to rip that off her later when we fuck. But at the moment, she looks frosty and remote.
I offer her my arm as we climb the steps to the rustic wood building. She gives me a deadpan look and then huffs a little as she accepts.
“Still mad, then?” I ask.
Cate narrows her eyes on my face. “Yeah, I’m still mad.”
I shrug. “All right. Later, then.”
We both said some pretty bad things to each other yesterday. Words spoken out of anger and frustration more than anything. I know I need to apologize, but I also want her to act like she’s even a little bit sorry.
Is that too much to ask?
She just rolls her eyes at me. Normally I would try to talk to her, but now is neither the time nor the place for apologies or explanations.
It’ll just have to wait.
As we step into the converted barn, I look around. Plants and string lights hang from the ceiling beams. There is a bar set up with people in tuxes and elegant dresses milling around to my left. Straight ahead are two aisles of neatly arranged chairs and an elaborate cupola set up at the very opposite end from where we are standing.
“Hello,” a well-dressed man greets us. “Welcome to the Hartwell-Rivers wedding. Here’s a program. May I take your coats?”
