They both laughed. Giacomo sat down next to her and put his arm around her. Norah snuggled into him.
“You know, I know I sometimes get all …guilty about how much money you have and what you spend on me …”
“Our money, our family. I let you get away with not letting me spend anything on you before we were married, but no more. We are rich. Get used to it.”
She rolled her eyes and grinned. “Okay, Moneybags. What I was going to say is …it’s kind of cool sometimes. This, I mean. I’m really looking forward to this vacation. You, me, and privacy …god, I miss that.”
Giacomo laughed. “I hear you, Bella. Listen …there are so many things I want to do to you, my beautiful, sexy wife.”
She turned her head to kiss him. “I can’t wait.”
Giacomo held her hand as she stepped out of the speedboat that had brought them to the island from Zanzibar. The heart-shaped atoll they’d seen from the air was now a reality. Norah slipped out of her deck shoes and let the sand cover her feet. They had been brought to their banda, a private cottage away from everyone, and now the staff of the resort brought their luggage ashore and took it inside before gliding away silently, nodding their thanks for the huge tip Giacomo gave them. Norah looked around the cottage. Huge glass sliding doors led down to the little private beach, completely surrounded by casuarina trees. It was already dusk and as Norah slid the doors open and padded down to the beach, she saw the staff had lit lanterns for them along the path. Giacomo came up behind her and slid his arms around her waist, pulling her back against him. She covered his hands with hers and sighed.
“Look at this place.”
“I know.”
“It’s paradise.” She turned in his arms and kissed him. “You’ve given me paradise, Giacomo Conti.”
“You gave me the world, il mio amore. It’s the least I could do.”
She chuckled. “Cheesy.”
“You bet …but I’ll redeem myself, I promise.”
Norah laughed and took his hand. “Come show me how, baby.”
The bedroom in the cottage had a huge bed that was draped in white mosquito netting and had cool, white Egyptian linen. Giacomo held out his hand to his wife and, smiling, she took it.
“Want to join me in the shower first?” Giacomo murmured, his lips close to her ear. As he kissed her neck, she closed her eyes and nodded.
He led her into the wet room where they stripped naked and stood under the cool shower, kissing, their hands trailing up and down the other’s body. Norah stroked his cock as it stood proudly against his belly, then she dropped gently to her knees and took him into her mouth. Tasting the salty pre-cum, she ran the tip of her tongue up the long, thick shaft, hearing him murmuring her name as she pleasured him.
She felt his orgasm build quickly, but he took her hands and drew her up again, lifting her and sliding gently into her. Norah moaned softly at the sensation of his cock, so huge and thick, plunging deep inside –her. She truly would never get tired of this feeling. She wrapped her legs around him, her mouth seeking his hungrily as they fucked. Giacomo lowered her to the floor and drove himself deeper and deeper into her until she was almost crying with bliss. Bucking and arching underneath him as she came, she cried out his name over and over until he too reached his peak, cumming hard inside her, burying his face in her neck, and nipping her shoulder with his teeth. He felt her tense again with another orgasm as he massaged her uber-sensitive clit.
“Are you mine, Principessa?”
“Yes.”
“Say it.”
“I’m yours, Giacomo. Always yours.”
Giacomo smiled, playing the role of the master to perfection. “Come with me.”
He pulled her to her feet and walked her back into the bedroom. From the case next to the bed, he pulled some silk ribbons—a blindfold. He showed them to her. “Do you trust me, Bella?”
Norah smiled and nodded, her breath coming in short hitches as her excitement grew. Giacomo smiled, taking her hand and wrapping the silk ribbons around her wrists. He tied the other end to a beam that stretched across the roof of their banda and pulled her arms above her head.
“Okay?” She nodded and he held up the blindfold. “This, now.”
Norah grinned at him, a wicked smile. Giacomo gave her a mock-glare. “Did I say you could smile?”
She smothered it as best she could and Giacomo wrapped the gray velvet blindfold around her eyes. He nuzzled her neck and her ear with his lips. “You smile when I say now.”
He drew his fingertips down her body, between her breasts, splaying his fingers onto her belly. He let them drift around her back and up her spine, feeling Norah shiver with pleasure. Giacomo reached into the case and drew out a vial of monoi oil. He pulled out the stopper and let a few drops splash onto her chest. He smoothed the oil over her breasts, her belly, and her thighs, deliberately touching her everywhere except her sex. His thumb brushed over her lips, leaving a slick of oil and he kissed her gently, listening to her moan. He knew she was turned on; her golden skin was flushed with pink and a faint dew of sweat was on her face.
“Norah …” Barely a whisper, but she drew in a shaky breath. “Norah …would you like me to fuck you now?”
“Yes.” It was a long, drawn out sigh of longing. Giacomo grabbed a vibrator from the bag, switched it on, and, watching her face, touched it gently to her clit. She shuddered and gasped, and Giacomo felt his cock swell even harder, longing to plunge into her. Still, he held back, prolonging the sweet torture and anticipation. He wanted to make her come over and over, wanted to show her he was willing to do anything, try anything, to give her the ultimate pleasure. That was what he had planned for this vacation: a sensual, uninhibited reconnection …not that they’d ever been disconnected. But he knew that over the last five years, with the children coming along in such quick succession, Norah had lost a little confidence in herself and in her attractiveness. To Giacomo, she had never looked more beautiful than now, as his wife, his lover, and the mother of his children. A survivor. A heroine.
He dropped to his knees and took her clit into his mouth. Norah started; still blindfolded, she couldn’t tell what he would do to her next and he loved having that advantage, that ability to drive her crazy.
He lashed his tongue around her clit, feeling it harden, his fingers spreading the labia to sweep his tongue along the crevice and plunge deep into her cunt.
Norah moaned, and he could feel her thighs trembling as he pleasured her and drove her towards orgasm. She stiffened and gave a little cry, and Giacomo stood and pushed the blindfold from her face, staring deep into her eyes. He said nothing, but picked her up and thrust his cock into her, never taking his eyes from hers. They fucked slowly at first, then, as the tension between them increased, Giacomo freed her hands and laid her on the bed, thrusting deeper as she clawed his back with her fingernails, kissing him hungrily. He came, hard and fast, pumping thick reams of semen deep inside her, shuddering and calling her name …
,
By day five, they had made love in every single position they could think of, as well as explored their little part of the island, snorkeling and swimming in the crystal-clear waters.
Giacomo told her he had arranged for them to travel by boat over to Stone Town, the old part of Zanzibar City.
They spent the day wandering around the city, visiting the tourist spots—the Old Fort, the House of Wonders, and The Old Dispensary. Norah got very excited when they saw Freddie Mercury’s birthplace, much to Giacomo’s amusement.
Over the past few days, he had realized that he had done something he hadn’t thought possible—he had fallen even more in love with her. He watched her now as she chatted to some of the locals. She was wearing a sundress that left her long, brown legs bare. The white of the dress, which clung to her curves, made her skin glow and her long, dark hair, shiny and lustrous, was pulled over one shoulder. Giacomo had never seen someone as beautiful, and she was his. He still hardly believed it.
At sunset, they walked down to the Forodhani Gardens, where tourists and locals alike gathered to eat, and gorged themselves on the wonderful food there. Giacomo sat with his arm around his wife, wanting to be close to her. He saw other men looking at Norah with obvious admiration. Some of them even nodded to him as if to congratulate him, which amused him. He wanted to tell them he was a lucky man. Instead he just kissed his wife. She beamed at him, her mouth full of food, and he laughed.
It wasn’t until later in the evening that he noticed Norah had gotten quiet. “Are you okay, Principessa?”
She turned to him and bent her mouth to his ear. “There’s a guy across the park. He keeps staring at me. It’s freaking me out a little.”
Giacomo kissed her. “He probably just has excellent taste. Where is he?”
She looked around, then frowned. “He’s gone. That’s weird …he was there for ages.” She pointed to a place near a dark copse of trees. They both studied the area for a few moments, then Norah shrugged. “I guess it’s not a problem anymore.”
Giacomo could feel her relief. “Was it really bothering you, mio caro?”
She nodded. “I know it’s stupid …but it was the way he was looking at me.” She smiled at him. “But forget it, baby. It doesn’t matter. God, it’s beautiful here, isn’t it?”
Giacomo tightened his arms around her. “It is, il mio amore. It is.”
Norah was chatting to another woman in the gardens as Giacomo excused himself to use the bathroom.
She had just said goodbye to the woman when she felt someone sit down on her other side. She looked around, expecting to see Giacomo, but her heart sank when she saw it was the creepy guy who had been staring at her. Had he been waiting for her to be alone? Her skin began to crawl.
“You are exquisite,” he said in a heavily accented voice. She couldn’t place the country he was from; it didn’t sound like the local accent.
She didn’t smile back at him. “Also very married.”
He shrugged. “What do I care? I like what I see, I come to talk to you.”
Ugh. Norah had no time for men like this. She knew the type so well. Young, handsome, arrogant—she had thought Giacomo like that the first time she’d met him. But, god, he was a million miles from this creep. She stood up, but the guy grabbed her arm.
“Let me go,” she growled, in no mood for him.
“Hey, you, leave her alone!” Some of the locals she’d been talking to began to gather. The creep merely laughed and pulled Norah close to him. She pushed him away hard.
“Don’t touch me again, asshole.”
His face creased with anger and he grabbed the back of her head, tangling his hand in her hair and pulling it. “No bitch talks to me like that.”
Suddenly a whirlwind, a speeding train of anger, roared into the melee, and Giacomo dragged the creep away from Norah and threw him to the ground. “You’ll never lay a hand on my wife again, dog.”
The creep spat at him and Giacomo slammed his fist into the guy’s stomach, hard, before smashing his head against the ground.
“Giacomo, stop!” Norah was beside herself, as around her there were horrified gasps. Norah gripped Giacomo’s shoulders and hauled him away from the creep. Giacomo was wild-eyed and raging, but as he noticed the people around them staring in horror at him, he took Norah’s hand and pulled her away from the prying eyes.
As soon as they were back into the little speedboat that would take them back to the island, Norah pulled her hand away and wouldn’t look at him for the rest of the journey.
She didn’t speak until they were back at the banda. “What the fuck was that?”
Giacomo gaped at her. “What the hell are you talking about? That man grabbed you!”
“Yes, he did, and I was handling it …then you beat him half to death, Giacomo!”
Giacomo threw up his hands. “I was taking care of my wife-”
“But he’d already let me go …and you …God …” She put her face in her hands. “You went too far.” Her voice was muffled. “He was grabby, yes, but you …you know how I feel about violence, Giacomo, after everything we’ve been through.”
She was trembling and her voice shook. Giacomo could see how upset she was. He reached for her and she walked away. “Norah, don’t …”
“I need a minute alone …please …”
Giacomo nodded once, shortly, and let her walk out of the cottage. He saw her follow the lighted path down to the beach and sighed. Had he gone too far? When he’d seen the guy grabbing Norah, hurting her, every trigger in his body went off. The same feeling returned that he’d had years before, when she’d been kidnapped and injured; when his ex-girlfriend had tried to shoot him and had gotten Norah instead, albeit with a flesh wound. That fear of losing her he’d always carried with him …
Fuck. He could understand why she was so upset. He wanted to chase after her now and beg her forgiveness, but he knew, right now, the best thing he could do was respect her space.
He owed her that much.
Norah sat on the little beach, trying to calm herself down. It was the first time—well, at least since they were married, that she and Giacomo had argued and she knew, inside, she was being unreasonable. He had just been protecting her, that’s all.
The guy in the restaurant had been a creep, no doubt, and she wondered if he had followed them from the town earlier. That freaked her out a little.
She sighed and rested her forehead on her knees. I thought all the violence in our lives was well and truly over. All the threat was gone. She didn’t want to cry, but she could feel herself welling up. She cleared her throat, trying to stop herself—and then she heard it. Someone behind her. She scrambled to her feet and whirled around.
It was him. The creep. In the fading light, she could see blood on his face, his cheek already bruised and scratched from Giacomo’s fists.
“What do you want?” Norah said, backing away from him. He gave a humorless laugh.
“In my country, when something is taken from a man, we take something back. Your man …he made a fool out of me.”
Norah’s chin lifted and her eyes narrowed. “You made a fool out of yourself. My husband was merely defending me.”
He looked around with obvious sarcasm. “But where is he now, lovely lady, when you will need him the most? As I say, when a man takes something from me …I must take something back.”
And he reached into his pocket and brought out a knife. “I’m sorry that I will have to spill your blood, beautiful one, but my pride—my honor—demands it.”
And he lunged at her.
Giacomo paced around the deck of the banda, listening for her, watching for her. He knew he had overreacted in the park, but seeing that figlio di puttana grab at Norah like that …he saw red. Any man would, he told himself, but he knew why Norah was so upset. It was the violence. After what they had survived, after what she had survived, they’d thought that part of their lives was over.
Shit, he thought now, I’m so sorry, Norah …so …
He heard her scream his name and, in a flash, he was off and running down to the beach. As he burst out of the tree line and onto the sand, his heart nearly stopped. He saw the knife flash and saw her struggling with the asshole from the restaurant. The man had his arm around her neck and was trying to stab her, but she bucked and struggled, kicking and fighting back as hard as she could.
Giacomo launched himself at them, knocking the knife out of the man’s hand and grappling him to the sand, wild with anger. The man, bloodlust in his eyes, didn’t take his eyes from Norah, who staggered away from them for a moment, gasping for air, before darting forward again to help her husband.
Giacomo pounded on the man’s face with his fists as Norah yelled out to the guards who patrolled the outskirts of their property. The man didn’t get up again. As the guards arrived and took him into custody, Giacomo took Norah into his arms. “Are you hurt, Principessa?”
She shook her head. “No, a
re you?”
“No.”
They held each other tightly for a long moment. One of the security guards standing a little way away from them cleared his throat. “I am sorry to interrupt, sir, madam. We will need a statement from you in the morning. Our sergeant will call on you—will eleven a.m. be convenient?’
Giacomo nodded and smiled at him. “Yes, that’s fine. Thanks for your help tonight.”
“We have sent some men to do a sweep of your cottage and I’ll walk you back there personally. Do either of you require a doctor?”
They both shook their heads, and hand-in-hand, escorted by the guard, they walked back to their banda.
The security men nodded to them. “All clear. Goodnight.”
“Thank you.”
Inside, Giacomo finally relaxed. He slid his hands around Norah’s face and studied her. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
She nodded. “I really am. Thank you for coming when I needed you.”
“God, Nora h…I always will. Always, I swear.”
She kissed him. “That’s good new …because these people just keep on trying to kill me.” She laughed, but Giacomo shook his head.
“Mio Dio, Norah, how can you laugh at this? What did he say to you?”
She told him. “Then, when he said that he, quote, ‘had to kill me because of his honor,’” she mocked the man’s voice, “I’m afraid I laughed at him. I told him how unoriginal he was and that if he thought I was going to let him kill me, he was crazy. He got a little crazy, then a little stabby.”
“Jesus, stop joking around.” Giacomo found he was shaking even more than Norah seemed to be. He’d nearly lost her …again.
He sat down on the edge of the bed and Norah joined him, curling herself into his body. He held her close. “Giacomo, baby, it’s okay. It wasn’t a campaign. It wasn’t like before, with Lucian and Tara. It was one guy, one time. It could have been anyone he latched onto. We handled it and it’s done. Unless we keep our family and us in prison, things like this might happen. We’ll handle anything that comes along, baby. Anything.”
He stared at her as she spoke, his eyes softening. “You’re amazing, you know that?”
His Beautiful Revenge: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance Page 21
