by Bethany-Kris
“You need to be eighteen to rent a room,” the guy said.
Lucia’s jaw ticked. “I am.”
“If you are, you are barely eighteen, girl.”
Sucking in a sharp breath, Lucia tried to keep her tone and mood calm enough to get the fuck out of there as she dug in her wallet for her ID. She flashed it to the man, just long enough for him to see her birthdate, before she shoved it back in her wallet. “Is that good enough for you, or …?”
The guy still didn’t look as though he liked this very much, or her, for that matter. He dug for a key under the desk before slapping it to the top, and pushing it across to her. Lucia was quick to snatch it up because she really just wanted to get the hell out of there. “I suppose. Room nine, third from the far left end.”
“Great, I’ll grab the money for the deposit in the morning before we head out.”
Lucia had just reached the door when the man called out behind her to ask, “We—how many is we?”
She didn’t answer.
What did it matter now?
• • •
Lucia leaned over the bed while taking extra care not to wake Diego as she checked to make sure that he was, in fact, still sleeping. She’d asked for two beds, but the guy had given her the key to a room with only a queen bed. Which was fine, really. Like Renzo said when they first came in, Diego was more likely to sleep better in a strange place when he was closer to his big brother, anyway.
The boy’s breaths came out slow, and steady. His eyes moved under closed lids, telling Lucia that Diego must have been dreaming about something good considering he was smiling a little in his sleep, too.
Standing straight, she wrapped her damp hair into a messy bun and glanced around the room. Renzo had stepped out—for what she figured was a smoke—before she headed in to use the shower. That was a half hour ago considering she’d been towel-drying her hair and she got dressed. Or rather, she threw on one of Renzo’s T-shirts and pulled on a pair of tight cotton sleep shorts. But apparently, he hadn’t come back in yet. Knowing Diego was fine for the moment, and the front door to the hotel room was locked so no one was getting in, she decided to go in search of Renzo.
They’d figured out after settling in that the room had a door leading to the back of the hotel, too. Where, apparently, the in-ground pool happened to be surrounded by a high fence. Probably for safety reasons.
Lucia slipped out the back, but found Renzo wasn’t anywhere to be found. He wasn’t sitting under the small enclave where the back door led to, but his pack of cigarettes and lighter rested on the table like he’d just walked away from it. Lucia’s heart picked up its pace a bit as she walked further out into the night, and glanced down the hotel rooms.
Still empty.
Still lonely.
It was a splash behind the tall fence surrounding the pool that drew her in that direction. The locked gate to the pool wasn’t really locked. It was simply a latch that was too high for most kids to open, Lucia found. She pushed it open to find a pile of familiar clothes sitting at the edge of the lit up pool.
Renzo’s clothes.
The smell of chlorine assaulted her senses as she edged closer to the side of the pool. That’s where she found him. Not swimming, no, but rather, resting at the bottom of what she could only assume was very cold water considering the temperature outside. His eyes were closed, and his arms were spread wide as he floated, suspended, at the very bottom of the deep end of the pool in nothing but boxer-briefs.
For a second, Lucia’s heart stopped.
Just the sight of him like that was enough to make her chest hurt, but she didn’t entirely know why. Maybe it was the idea that he wasn’t going to come back up. That he looked like deadweight down there. Maybe it was just that he was too far away from her.
“Ren!”
She highly doubted that he could hear her, but that didn’t stop her from calling out to him a second and third time. The racing of her heart didn’t slow until all at once, Renzo opened his eyes under the water, and righted his body before pushing up from the bottom of the pool. He broke the surface of the water with a deep breath, and one hand sluicing the droplets from his face.
“What are you doing?” she asked, trying not to let the edge in her voice show.
Renzo blinked for a second before his gaze landed on her. “Thinking.”
“At the bottom of a pool?”
He grinned, entirely unbothered and unknowing that she’d pretty much just had a panic attack. Fucking man. She hated that he looked entirely too good skimming the water as he came closer to the edge of the pool where she was waiting for him. His arms rested along the edge to hold him steady as he peered up at her.
“Why not?” he asked. “Looked like a pretty good place to think to me.”
Lucia bent down and pushed the palm of her hand against his forehead, causing him to float backward in the water with a laugh. “Nearly gave me a heart attack, Ren. Isn’t that water freezing?”
“A little. It’s not bad once you’re all in.”
“I’ll just take your word—”
“No, you won’t.” He swam fast to the edge, and before she could properly respond, he’d grabbed her wrist and yanked her into the pool with him. She was right—it was cold as fuck. But there wasn’t anything Lucia could do about it once her entire body was submerged in the water, and she was shivering all over. He stopped the chattering of her teeth with a kiss—a fierce, hungry kiss that lit her body on fire in an instant. Pulling away just enough to speak, though his lips still grazed hers all the while, he murmured, “See, not too bad.”
Well, not when she had other things on her mind.
After all, she didn’t care to think about anything else other than the way Renzo’s hands were skimming her sides. His fingertips edged along the hem of the shirt she’d thrown on, grazing her cooled skin at the same time. Fuck yeah—all she could focus on then was the way heat followed his fingertips. How could she be cold when he made her hot with nothing more than a touch?
“You’re shivering,” Renzo said, his hand dipping under her shirt so his palm could lay flat to her toned stomach. His lips curved in the sexiest way as her tremors kicked up a notch as his hand moved higher, between the valley of her breasts to rest overtop her racing heart. He could feel that beat the same as she could feel her heart kicking in her chest, she bet. Like just his touch alone was enough to make her heart kickstart into overdrive. She loved it. “We can go in, if you’re too cold.”
“No fucking way.”
Renzo’s laughter filled up the cool air. A dark, heady sound that rumbled in the water, and vibrated all the way through Lucia. She thought, like this, his laughter sounded sinful. Way too sexy. If she wasn’t already soaked from being dragged into the pool, she’d be wet from just that sound alone.
He probably knew it, too.
He had to.
His gaze drifted over her face as he edged closer to her in the water. His palm cupped her breast, fingers tightening around the hard peak of her nipple at the same time. The shock of pain from the action quickly melted into a hum of pleasure as it cut right down her middle, and felt like it radiated over her already-clenching pussy.
Dark eyes watched her.
Silent, and glimmering.
Oh, yes.
He most certainly knew.
Lucia sucked in a shaky breath as he kept watching her. Like predator and prey, she thought. The intensity in his russet gaze when it was stuck on her was enough to pin her in place, and make her lungs feel like they couldn’t possibly drag in enough air. It was a strange feeling, really. Something that should probably terrify her. Except his stare only made her want him more. The last thing she ever felt around this man was fear. He made her feel a lot of things—everything, really.
“Lucia,” he murmured.
“Hmm?”
Renzo flashed a grin. “I’ve got a problem.”
She arched a brow. “What’s that?”
“I’d
like nothing more than to bury my dick between your thighs, but I just realized I don’t have any condoms. So, my best bet is to stay right here. If I get any closer—”
They’d slipped up once or twice before and used nothing. She’d never really thought about it—maybe that was because she was young-dumb, or because it was him. Either way, it didn’t matter.
“I’ve had the shot since I was fifteen to help regulate my cycles. Never thought to mention it, I guess.”
Renzo’s tongue peeked out to wet his lips. “Yeah?”
“Yep.”
“All right. Just wanna make sure you’re good before I get you against the edge of this pool, and fuck you. That’s all.”
Well, damn.
How was she supposed to reply to that?
He was too frank for his own good.
“Perfect,” she whispered. “I’m perfect.”
“Fucking right you are.”
Renzo closed what little bit of distance was between them in the pool all at once. His mouth slammed against hers, and she was a fucking goner just like that. All it took was his kiss—hard, demanding and rough. Lips against hers that worked with frenzy and determination to get what he wanted from her. Not that it took long at all for her to respond. She felt the way his tongue struck against the seam of her lips, and already, she was opening up for him.
She liked when he kissed her softly.
Loved when he kissed her deeply.
Lucia craved this, though.
This hungry, brutal kiss that left her without air, made her lips numb, and had her aching between her thighs like nothing else ever had. She didn’t know how it happened, but in a blink, her back hit the edge of the pool in the shallow end. Renzo was already pushing hard against her body, making the water splash over the echoes of their harsh breaths. His hands were all over her. Just when she thought his palms had found one place to focus on driving her insane with their rough touches that she was sure would leave marks, he moved to a new spot altogether.
And then his hands slid down to palm her ass. Firm enough that his fingertips dug into the swell of her backside, and dragged her right up off the soles of her feet. She wrapped her thighs around his waist as he backed her into the edge of the pool again. Pinned like that, the only thing she could think about was how hard this man felt under the water. From the planes of his stomach to the weight of his body pressing against her.
Not to mention, his cock.
God.
The full length of his erection ground against her sex through the sleep shorts she had pulled on earlier. But given they were wet, and all he was wearing were thin boxer-briefs, she swore she could feel every teasing inch of his cock sliding along the seam of her sex with each shift and flex of his hips.
Lucia tipped her head back, staring up at the black, inky sky dotted with stars. She released a hard breath as his teeth skimmed over her jaw, drifted down her throat, and then found her collarbone. His hips punched forward at the same time those teeth of his cut into her collarbone, making her whine.
“Shit,” she mumbled, finding stability by holding onto his shoulders. She’d lost her self-control, really. That, or she just didn’t give a damn when she found herself answering his rolling hips by grinding her own. The rhythm between them was just enough to get her almost to the peak—the orgasm teasing her at the edges of her senses, but not quite crashing down. “Fuck, fuck … fuck.”
“Look at me.”
Instantly, she tipped her head back down, and her gaze locked on his at his dark command. Those lips of his twisted in a smirk as his hands tightened even more on her ass, and he pulled her core even harder against his cock. “You like that, huh? Grinding on my dick like that—could you come, Lucia?”
She sucked in another breath.
Why did it feel like she couldn’t get enough air?
“Probably,” she admitted.
“Too fucking bad for you. I want you on my dick for that, babe.”
That sounded way better.
“Please.”
The groan that fell from his lips would have been enough to take her to the edge of bliss and throw her over it. She was sure of that, more than anything else. Not that Lucia had time to focus on how sexy and dark Renzo looked groaning when she let that pleading whisper escape her mouth. She didn’t.
He moved fast, one of his hands letting go of her backside to fit between them. He had his boxer-briefs tugged down, and his cock freed to his palm. She stared down, watching him fist his length under the water. There was something dangerously sexy about watching a man stroke himself. Something that made her hot in her gut, and aching between her thighs.
“Help me with your shorts,” he grunted.
Like he even needed to ask, frankly.
Lucia didn’t even bother to take the damn things off all the way. He moved back from her and, she shimmied the wet material down her thighs just enough to give him access. The bunched up shorts bit against her thighs once she had them wrapped around his waist again. If she didn’t have bruised along her thighs tomorrow, she’d be lucky.
Not that it mattered.
This was fucking worth it.
So worth it.
The thick head of his cock lined up to the slit of her sex, and Lucia’s thoughts drifted away. She locked gazes with him again, and he grinned in that way of his before dropping another kiss to her mouth. His forehead pressed against hers as his hand came up to circle her throat. He grabbed just tight enough to make her gasp, and then his hips flexed forward.
It took one fucking thrust to stretch her open, and fill her full. She swore he hit every fucking nerve ending she had sliding in until he was balls-deep, and she was shaking.
He dropped another kiss to her lips, then. And then pulled out before slamming right back into her. Her shoulders dragged along the edge of the pool, scratching and stinging. She didn’t even care.
Not when she had his hand on her throat, his mouth working against hers, and his cock driving into her at a pace fast enough to make her want to scream.
Already, she was going to come.
Already, she was losing control.
“Fucking come,” he demanded, his tone husky and rough when he finally pulled away from her kiss. “Let me have it—it’s all mine, Lucia.”
It was.
Only he ever made her feel this way.
The bliss came crashing down only when he leaned in close again, and bit her lip. The shock of pain mixed with her bliss, and she couldn’t even remember her own name for a second. Sparks lit up behind her eyes, and heat shot through her body. He quieted her cries with another bruising kiss.
Two deep thrusts of his cock, and she felt him shudder as he emptied inside her pussy. The thick moan that rumbled from his mouth against her own, and the feeling of his cock jerking inside her was enough to make her peak again; to make her crazed again.
She’d ask for more, but she didn’t think she could talk.
• • •
Lucia tightened the blanket around her shoulders, and leaned forward on the chair to peer out the window again. She left the curtains closed with just a small slate that she could use to see outside. It was enough. She’d tried to sleep … but something just didn’t feel right. She wasn’t sure what it was, but after they got out of the pool and came inside to get dry and warm, the uneasy feeling wouldn’t leave her alone no matter what she did.
Like a heavy weight on her heart, it kept her awake.
And anxious as hell.
Peering out into the darkness, she found the sign for the hotel was still turned off like it had been for hours. The parking lot was still empty, and down the way, she could see just fine that the office was dark. She didn’t have any reason to feel like she did … except it just wouldn’t leave her alone.
Maybe that was the Marcello in her.
When something felt off, it was.
Wasn’t that what her dad always told her?
Lucia blinked as thoughts of her father
filled her mind. It wasn’t lost on her that since taking off from New York, her father had only come to her mind a handful of times, and usually, the only thing she felt when she thought of him was the anger and resentment she still harbored in her heart over the things he had done.
Right then, though, she wasn’t sure what she felt. Something heavy on her shoulders, definitely, but also something thick in her throat, too. She refused to think on it for long—she couldn’t.
Resting back in the chair, Lucia settled on not watching the outside for the moment. If she couldn’t sleep, then she didn’t need to make her paranoia worse by waiting for something that she wasn’t even sure was happening. Instead, she settled on watching the figures sleeping soundly on the bed without her.
Diego had tucked in close to his brother’s back under the blankets. Renzo had been turned toward Lucia, and even after she slipped out of the bed, he still stayed facing her in his sleep.
It didn’t matter what she felt about her father or family, she decided.
She was still right where she wanted to be. And she needed to be here—who else was going to watch Renzo’s back? He only had her to do that, after all.
Lucia was going to keep doing it.
No matter what.
FOUR
Why was the fucking bed shaking?
“Ren, wake up!”
This bed was far more comfortable when he fell asleep in it the night before—he hadn’t heard anything from the time his head hit the pillow. He hadn’t realized how tired he was from driving nonstop with no time for rest until he finally had the chance to sleep.
Fuck.
He slept like the dead.
