Forever Rome (Forever #1)

by Brittney Sahin

  Oh. I hated how disappointed I felt by his response. “Okay,” I muttered and forced my feet to move.

  I started to sit next to him, but his hands grasped my hips, and he pulled me onto his lap until my legs were straddling him and his hard length pressed beneath me.

  Oh God.

  The pad of his thumb caressed my bottom lip, pulling it down. “Why are you doing this to me?” he asked in a gruff tone.

  Huh?

  His eyes became thin slits as he studied me, our lips only inches apart. I was so close to feeling his tongue in my mouth again, but there was no way I would initiate the kiss for the third time in a row. I had my dignity.

  “Are you with Sophia?” There, I’d said it.

  Marco swept a hand through my hair and cupped the back of my head. “Sophia and I have not been together for months, and we will never get back together.” His face was resolute.

  “But you said it wasn’t the right time with me.”

  “It isn’t.” I could see the pain in his eyes. “But I can’t seem to stop wanting you.”

  My breath increased as I rocked against him slightly, and I found myself wishing once again that I was wearing a dress.

  “Merda,” he cursed, and then added, “Fuck it,” which came out as a low growl from deep in his throat. He pulled me against him, his teeth nipping my bottom lip before sucking it.

  He kissed me hard and groaned before his tongue met mine. My skin tingled and grew sensitive from his touch.

  I gasped when he cupped my ass and pulled me harder against him, and my nipples tightened with the need to be touched.

  His mouth was off mine now, and he was tilting my head back. The palm of his hand ran from my cheek and shifted down to my chin and throat. My body gradually arched back, my breasts pushing forward. His other hand slipped beneath the loose material of my halter before dipping inside my strapless bra, palming my breasts.

  “I’ve been dying to do this since the night we met at the bar. I wanted to strip you of your clothes and just look at you. You’re so beautiful it hurts.”

  He was looking into my eyes now, and my groin throbbed as his eyes grew dark. I moved off his lap and took a step back.

  Marco’s hands shifted casually to his sides, and he rested his head on the back of the couch, observing me.

  I couldn’t believe what I was about to do. It was so unlike me, and yet that was what thrilled me. My adrenaline was pumping, giving me some sort of high, and I didn’t want to come down.

  I turned away and moved to the pole in the center of the room. I allowed my halter to fall into a puddle at my feet and stepped out of it. Then I gripped the pole, swinging my leg around it, acting as if I knew the first thing about the art of seduction.

  I spun around the pole a few times, then came back around in front of it. Marco’s hands turned to fists at his sides as I unhooked my bra, sucked in a breath, and dropped it to the floor. My breasts became heavy beneath his stare.

  The material of his pants shifted, the bulge obvious even in the dimly lit room, and I was dying to touch him.

  I started for my pants, hoping I could maintain my brazen attitude, but Marco was on his feet and moving at me like a tiger. His hands found my bare back and he pulled me against him, bringing his mouth down to cover mine.

  He grabbed my ass and lifted me up, and I wrapped my legs around his hips. I cried into his mouth as a shot of pleasure mixed with the pain of deep want tore at me, threatening to rip me apart.

  Marco whispered Italian in my ear. Then in English: “I want you, Maggie. But you deserve better than a place like this.”

  His words had me kissing him again, unable to stop myself. My body was betraying my mind, and I didn’t want to stop.

  “Come, Maggie. We should go.” He was a little breathless, and I could tell it pained him to hold back. Knowing that he respected me enough not to want a quickie in a stripper room made me ache for him even more.

  “We can go to my hotel,” I said as he picked up my shirt and bra from the floor and offered them to me.

  “What about Will?” He adjusted his pants as if he could hide his rigid length, while I pulled my shirt back on. Then he reached for me again, pulling me close to him. His sudden, tender kiss ignited something low in my belly, and I had to force myself to catch my breath once he let go.

  “Um.” What had we been talking about? Oh yeah. “Maybe Will and Maria are gone.” They were probably heading back to the hotel with much the same intent as Marco and me.

  Oh wow. Was I truly about to have sex with this man? There wasn’t an ounce of conflict inside me, despite the fact that I’d been forcing myself to fight my feelings until now.

  Marco opened the door, and we moved down the stairs and back into the club, which was even more crowded now than before. I scanned the room for Maria and Will, but couldn’t find them. We rushed out to the street.

  “I think we’re safe.” He flashed me a wicked smile as we waited for the valet to get his Lamborghini.

  “I don’t know about that,” I joked before I narrowed my eyes on a woman exiting the club—the woman from earlier. She pulled her phone from her purse and directed it my way again. I was getting a bad feeling about this. If my boss saw any other videos of Marco and me . . .

  “Come on.”

  Marco’s words had my head snapping back toward him. I fought the uneasiness that was building inside me and lowered myself inside his sports car.

  Marco turned on the radio as we drove, and I wondered if he was playing American music for me, or because he genuinely liked it. As the familiar lyrics registered in my ears, all I could focus on was Marco’s hand on the stick shift, and how I wanted his hands all over my body.

  The second the door to my hotel room shut behind us, Marco shoved me against the wall—in a gentle way, of course. He pinned my arms above my head, not so gently, this time, but God it was so damn hot.

  He planted rough kisses on my neck as he held both hands with his one, then his other hand worked at my pants.

  His warm palm touched my wet center, and I bucked forward. “You feel so good,” he said into my ear, the heat of his breath giving me chills.

  “I want you so much.” I moaned or hissed, or hell if I know what sound escaped my mouth. All I knew was he had me weak at the knees.

  “How do you want me, my Maggie?”

  My Maggie? Was I his?

  While in Rome, I could be his all he wanted.

  “How do you want me?” Some strange part of me craved for this sudden wild, alpha being to control me. He removed his hand from my pants and lifted me into his arms.

  He kissed me as he carried me to the bedroom, his mouth lighting a fire inside me in the best possible way. He released me, and my feet found the floor. He took a seat on the bed and popped a few buttons of his shirt, his eyes never leaving mine.

  “I want you to finish what you started at the club. Strip for me,” he commanded in a guttural voice.

  Oh God. Sexy Marco was going to make me lose my mind. I wanted to feel him inside me more than anything. Perhaps I shouldn’t have allowed him the control. I should have told him to bend me over and take me.

  Wow. What was it about this man?

  “Maggie.” He pressed his palms to the bed, his focus trained on my face. There was warmth in his eyes, the color reminding me of expensive gray silk—the kind you want to wrap around your body.

  My hand trembled a little as I went for my top. I peeled it over my head and my bra followed. I took off my heels and pulled down my pants, stepping out of them.

  I was standing only in a thong in front of him. Marco’s eyes shifted from my red toenails up to my blue eyes.

  “Fuck,” he whispered, bringing a hand to his hard jaw. He rubbed his cheek for a second, his head angling as he visually devoured every inch of me.

  “Well? You gonna sit there all night, or come and get me?” I teased.

  He smirked before pushing fast to his feet and pulled me into h
is arms. “Your panties must be soaked.” He fisted the fabric in his hand and tore them off.

  Now I was naked, and he was still fully clothed. Not fair. It was time that I got to lay eyes upon my Roman gladiator. With my head angled up, my eyes remained on his as my fingers worked at his buttons. My hands slid over his smooth, muscled abs and chest, then pushed his shirt back and off of him. He banded an arm around me, holding me just inches from his body.

  His jaw ticked as my fingers trailed along my collarbone, drifting down my chest and to my stomach. I wet my lips, emboldened by my nakedness, and the confidence I felt standing before this beautiful man. The way he looked at me . . . I’d never felt so sexy.

  He dipped his head lower and slanted his lips over mine. My hands went around to his toned back, my fingertips digging into his flesh as I pushed our bodies flush against each other.

  He cradled my face as my tongue danced with his. I’d never tasted anything so good. I couldn’t get enough of him. Judging by how breathless he was whenever he pulled away to explore my body with his mouth, I guessed he wanted me just as much.

  “Maggie.” He lifted me into his arms and rested me on the bed. He stared down at me, his silvery eyes sharp on me, and then he reached for his wallet and pulled out a condom. He set it on the nightstand by the bed and shifted his attention to his pants.

  The plush satin comforter felt good against my naked body, and I propped myself up on my elbows and observed him as he removed his dress pants, socks, and shoes. When he finally freed himself of his boxer briefs, I had to remind myself that this wasn’t one of the fantasies I’d been torturing myself with almost every night since I’d met him.

  No, this was real. Marco Valenti was standing in front of me, at six feet of sexiness, all mine. He leveled me with a dark, heated look, and I braced myself for what was to come.

  “I need you.” The low tone of his voice hardened my nipples even more.

  He gripped his shaft for a second before climbing over me. He braced himself above me, and I stared up into the depths of his eyes, losing myself.

  “I need you, too,” I cried out as he traced my hip bone with his finger. Then he slipped his hand over my wet center.

  “I’ve been dreaming about touching you here again since that day on my balcony.”

  My back arched up off the bed, my head tilting back as he pushed his fingers inside me. I bit my lip, trying to hold back. I didn’t want to lose control so fast, so soon.

  When he shifted lower and planted kisses on my navel, then moved lower and lower, I snapped my eyes shut and gripped the bed. “Yes,” I murmured, afraid it would end too soon. He was driving me wild with his mouth, and I wanted to savor every moment. I wanted it to last forever.

  I was equally anxious for him to fill me, though. “Now. I need you inside me,” I found myself demanding with quick need. I wanted to lose control with our bodies pressed together, with him moving inside me.

  “Please,” I begged when he didn’t stop, and I fought to maintain control of my body.

  His mouth lifted and came down over my hip bone, and he worked his mouth up my core as his fingers blazed trails of fire following his hot lips.

  The second his body was off me—when he left to sheath himself with the condom—I felt so cold. But then his eyes landed on mine and heat pulsed through my body, energizing me to new heights.

  His hand touched the curve of my breast, cupping it before he rejoined me on the bed. He held himself over me with his right hand but kept his gaze firm on mine. His sexy mouth opened, and he whispered something in Italian to me before he parted my thighs and rocked against me until his tip met my center.

  I gasped and jerked my hips as he thrust inside me, and my eyes slammed shut. I dug my fingers into the hard flesh of his ass, needing something to hold onto, something to keep me from losing my mind.

  “Open your eyes. Sei bellissima,” he said as my hands swept up to his chest. He gripped my hips and groaned.

  Such an amazing and strong man was looking back at me, and my heart thundered hard as the blood pounded through my veins. My body trembled as I surrendered to my need.

  I let go, completely losing control for one of the first times in my life. I couldn’t fight the moans that escaped my lips, and my body didn’t care about the thin walls between the rooms. I couldn’t stop myself from jerking hard against him as I came.

  My head fell back as I sank into bliss, and his body thrummed hard against me soon after. He had come in silence, but afterward, he dropped next to me and pulled me into his arms. Our naked bodies melded together as he held me, and I couldn’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be.

  Fourteen

  I had a lot of regrets in my life, and most were related to men. To things I wished I had never done. But with Marco, despite the fact that he had been off limits, I couldn’t find it in me to regret what we had done.

  And done again two more times.

  My body was fatigued, and I was sore, but in a delicious way. Marco laced his fingers with mine as we lay next to each other in bed. His intimate gesture had me wondering if this was more than sex. But no, it couldn’t be. We lived in two different worlds—well, two different countries.

  “Are you okay, my Maggie?”

  There it was again: the word “my”. Maybe I was overthinking things. Maybe he didn’t mean anything by it. I should shut off my brain and enjoy the moment because in a few hours Marco would be a story again and nothing more.

  “I’m great,” I responded, studying his hand, my eyes catching sight of the only thing he was wearing. The black leather band on his wrist.

  I wondered what meaning it had, but I couldn’t ask. I didn’t want to imply that I was looking for a closer connection for anything more than just casual sex.

  Top charting, number one ranking sex.

  “You lie, no? You are thinking about your rules.”

  It didn’t matter that our native languages were different, he could still read me. I tucked the sheet under my chin, cool and aware of my nakedness. Reality was about to settle in, and I needed to protect myself from it. Yeah, sure, a sheet was the best kind of armor.

  “You never told me the whole story about your rules. Did you?” He shifted to his side and our hands unlaced as he propped himself up on his elbow. I wasn’t sure where he was looking because my gaze snapped to his tanned, muscular chest. Unlike me, he was on top of the sheet, his naked, toned body on display for my viewing pleasure.

  Just damn.

  How could I think with a naked Marco Valenti just inches away? I clamped my legs shut, fighting back the desire that shot through me like a flare. My body shivered as the pad of his thumb brushed over my cheek before he dropped his hand down onto the bed between us.

  His gray eyes were on me when I finally found the nerve to look at him. There were so many things I wanted to ask him, but I couldn’t.

  Could I?

  “I have rules, too.”

  His words had me blinking a couple of times.

  “Oh yeah? Care to enlighten me?”

  He wet his lips, and his eyes darkened before looking away from mine. He appeared in a daze as he looked past me and at the wall over my shoulder.

  “No dating. No sex. No anything for a while.”

  No sex? An international sports superstar who had decided to take a break from sex? Was he joking?

  He was pretty bad at sticking to his rules, so it seemed. We had that in common, at least.

  His eyes flickered back to mine, and there was mild amusement lighting his cheek. His delicious dimples flashed my way as he cocked a brow. “You make it hard for me to listen to my brain.”

  I tried not to laugh out loud. “That makes two of us.” I looked away from him and stared at the white popcorn ceiling, wondering if Will would suspect what we had done.

  Marco’s fingers brushed over my shoulder then slipped beneath the sheet and to my stomach. I flinched, but he kept his hand covering my navel.

  �
�I told you it’s not a good time for me to get involved with anyone. And this is true. I have something going on in my life, and I can’t give myself over to anyone. But despite what people—what you—think about football players, I’m not someone who sleeps around.”

  I wasn’t sure if I could believe that. A voice whispered in my ear, insisting that all men sleep around. Even the good ones.

  I swallowed a lump in my throat and moved my hand to meet his, resting it over his large one, needing to touch him without knowing why.

  “You don’t believe me.”

  “I—” I didn’t know what to say.

  “Sophia cheated on me. That’s why we broke up.”

  I tried to remain calm at this revelation, as this mysterious man opened up to me.

  His voice was lower when he said, “We were engaged for over a year. I decided to surprise her one weekend while she was on a photo shoot in the Maldives. I found her in bed with some other model.” He cleared his throat. “She begged for my forgiveness, but I couldn’t possibly . . .”

  He retracted his hand, and I grew icy cold at the loss of his touch. I finally shifted to look at him, and his eyes were on me. I thought I would see pain in his eyes, but I saw indifference. “We were never meant to be. But the timing of it was horrible.”

  Now there was the pain. His eyes were veiled in darkness now. He didn’t look like a broken man, and yet—there was something that was causing his heart to break. But what was it, if it wasn’t her?

  “I’m so sorry,” I managed.

  “Don’t apologize. I wouldn’t be here now with you if that had not happened.”

  And there it was again, more words that sent me reeling into a world of confusion. I was sure to get dizzy if he kept on like this. I took in a lungful of air, capturing his spicy scent and released the breath and parted my lips. My words hung on the edge of my tongue, but could I force them out?

  “I was fifteen when I discovered my father cheated on my mother,” I finally said.

  It was the first time I’d ever spoken those words out loud. I hadn’t breathed a word of it since I’d learned the truth, back in high school. I know plenty of people who have more scandalous pasts, but to me, my world broke and shattered when I’d made the discovery about my dad.