The Marriage Clause

by Alexx Andria

  Katherine looped her arms around me, each part of her body a perfect fit with mine, and I knew she felt the erection in my pants, but she simply laughed—the sound like gasoline on my raging libido. “Is that a banana in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”

  My strained chuckle was my only answer as I ground against her. I wanted to bury myself inside that sweet pussy—that wet haven I wanted all to myself. The restraint it took not to drag her to a darkened corner was almost more than I could bear.

  But when she reached down to cup my shaft through the leather, my knees threatened to collapse. “What are you doing?” I asked, hardening even more, if that was even possible. I feared my skin would split in two at this rate.

  “Probably what I shouldn’t.” She lifted on her tiptoes to kiss me, her tongue darting against my lips, teasing. “But then, you know that.”

  I whirled her around so that her ass was against my cock, holding her in place by a firm hand on her belly. Against the column of her exposed neck, I murmured, “Careful, baby girl. You’re playing with fire.”

  “I know you want to fuck me,” she dared, pushing my buttons. “And I know you think you’re going to seduce me into leaving with you at the end of the week.”

  “And if I did?”

  “Then you’d be wrong,” she said, but when I surged against her, she gasped. Still, she managed with a certain “Even if I slept with you against my better judgment, breaking my own rules...it wouldn’t matter. I’m not going home with you.”

  I growled, tightening my grip on her. “Then why tease me like this?”

  “Because I miss the feel of you inside me,” she admitted breathlessly, and that was all I needed. She thought it would be so easy to fuck me and walk away? She’d obviously forgotten how electric our chemistry was. Well, guess it’s time to remind her.

  Her hand in mine, I pulled her away from the dance floor, up the stairs and down the hall to the private rooms. The doors were coded, and I knew the Buchanan men had a private room that only they were allowed to access.

  I also knew their code.

  Bypassing the dungeons designed for those who enjoyed BDSM, I went straight to the Buchanan suite and punched in the code, knowing ahead of time that the suite would be empty and available.

  We were seconds across the threshold with the door locked behind us when I hoisted her into my arms and her legs wound around my waist as if they belonged there.

  Feverish to taste and touch, we were both out of control. The burgundy walls, black decor and giant bed in the center of the room were a blur as we stumbled out of our clothes. Her soft skin, etched by the boning of the corset, trembled beneath my fingertips as I laid her on the black satin bedding.

  Her hair fanned out, long, wild tendrils that begged to wrap around my hand. I reached for her mask, but she stopped me. “Leave it,” she said, and I nodded. I would eagerly agree to anything she wanted tonight. I was so desperate to taste her again, to feel her close around my cock, to hear her moan my name as she came.

  I slid the thong from her thighs and tossed it away. Her sweet pussy, tantalizingly bare, beckoned with a dewed slit. I licked my bottom lip, nearly insane with need. My heart almost stopped when she slowly opened her legs for me, inviting me in, spreading herself like an offering.

  It was like a fevered fantasy materializing before my eyes. I knew her body so well, from the location of each mole or freckle to the delicate folds that hid her bashful clit.

  “Jesus,” I breathed, taking a moment to simply stare at the woman who’d become everything to me. Fuck everything else in life. I trembled with the urgency to taste her, to know her again. I wanted to sear the unique flavor of her into my brain so that all I had to do was close my eyes and be right back in this moment, my face between her thighs.

  A moan escaped my lips as I nibbled that sweet, swollen nub. Tiny pulses beneath my tongue danced in time with her gasps, drawn breaths and keening cries.

  “Luca!” she groaned as my tongue played and teased, my fingers sliding into her honeyed pussy as she dripped with need. I lapped at her sweetness, the musky feminine scent driving me into a raw, primal state where only one thing mattered—Katherine.

  I wanted to taste every inch of her. I wanted to know how she’d changed, how she’d remained the same.

  I’d introduced her to pleasure, but years had passed since that time in our lives. I was eager to show her the difference between a foolish young man and a man who’d learned the importance of patience and timing.

  I wanted her to moan my name until the ringing echo of the pleasure I could give her obliterated the memory of anyone else.

  Maybe I didn’t have the right to believe she would always be mine—that I’d taken something so precious for granted—but when it came to Katherine, I wasn’t interested in playing fair or following society’s rules.

  Pushing her to the edge of climax, just when I knew she was about to come, I slowed my attention and her tiny groans of desperation made me smile against her damp flesh. “So greedy,” I murmured, relishing the way her body spasmed and her legs quivered. As soon as she caught her breath, I started again, slipping a finger deep inside, strumming her G-spot.

  “Oh, God,” she gasped, arching, her fingers digging into the bedding. “I can’t... I can’t handle it...” she pleaded, sucking air, her beautiful breasts heaving, nipples tightening. “Luca!” And then she gushed in my mouth, shattering completely.

  I lapped at her, in carnal heaven. I could have buried my face between her folds and died a happy man, but I was greedy for so much more.

  I climbed her body, pausing to suck a taut nipple before moving to her mouth. I wanted her to taste herself on my tongue, the unique flavor that drove me insane with need and want.

  She groaned, clutching at me as I plunged my tongue into her mouth. “You taste that, baby?” I grinned against her mouth as she gasped. “That’s all you, and it’s hot as fuck. I love the way you taste, woman.”

  I swallowed the small whimpers coming from her open mouth as she recovered, her thighs splayed open as I maneuvered myself to her opening. I delved into the small bowl of complimentary condoms, sending foil packets bouncing to the floor as I fished for one. I sheathed myself with shaking fingers and then slowly fed my shaft into her slick opening.

  She clasped around me like an oiled glove. My eyes rolled back as a groan escaped my slack mouth. Raw heat enveloped my cock, searing my nerve endings with intense pleasure.

  Katherine clutched at me, her legs locking around my waist, driving me deeper.

  “I’ll never get enough of you, Katherine,” I said, my voice strained as I railed her without control. She drove me insane. The suave lover had left the building and in his place was a rutting beast, but Katherine took each thrust with wild abandon, crying out, urging me on.

  “Yes, Luca!” she moaned, arching against me, squeezing me from the inside, milking my cock for every drop I could possibly give her.

  I couldn’t hold back any longer. I wanted to last, I wanted to wow her with my sexual prowess, but I was simply out of my head with the need to reclaim what had once been mine.

  I came with a shout, my hips thrusting on autopilot as I emptied myself, jet after jet. If only that fucking thin piece of latex weren’t between us. I wanted her dripping with my come. I wanted to watch as it slid from her core and dribbled down her legs, so I could slip my fingers inside her, knowing I’d filled her completely.

  Primal, territorial pride suffused my chest as I continued to thrust against her even as I was beginning to soften. Her tiny whimpers were like embers landing on tinder, igniting fresh sparks.

  I could spend my life buried inside her, fucking her until we were old and gray and prone to breaking a hip if we fucked too hard.

  “Luca.” She breathed my name, soft and fluttery as butterfly wings. My breathing harsh, I held her
tight, afraid to let go. Being inside her again, feeling her clench around me—I knew if I couldn’t make this work between us, I’d never feel this way again.

  There was no one but Katherine for me. I wanted to tell her—to bare my soul in a way I’d never tried—but the words were stuck in my throat.

  Maybe if I told her what a jackass I’d been to dick around the one person who’d known me best, the one person who’d loved me unconditionally, she might see fit to forgive me. No more manipulations or carefully thought-out seductions for the sake of winning. Just me and her, naked, rediscovering one another as lovers should.

  Just do it. Open your mouth and say the words she needs to hear.

  But I couldn’t. I was pussing out.

  Ah, hell. Katherine needed to learn to move on from the past, right? I would give her the world if she’d let me...but I couldn’t fucking apologize for something that had never actually happened.

  Yeah, the thing was, I’d never cheated on her, but I was guilty of something else.

  When that pictured had blown everything up—I’d been relieved.

  We were too young, and everything was happening too fast.

  I knew Katherine had fallen hard for me, and I was getting there, too. But Katherine still had college to get through, and I never wanted her to regret marrying me too young.

  So I’d been fucking relieved when I’d inadvertently blown everything to shit with one stupid decision.

  I thought with time we’d laugh about it, maybe even joke on our wedding night about how young and stupid we’d been.

  I never expected our breakup to be the catalyst that propelled Katherine right into the decision that she was through with everything associated with our lives before that moment.

  Including our engagement.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Katherine

  TINY PULSES ECHOED in my body, every nerve ending alive. The satin beneath my skin, the scent of our lovemaking—everything seemed more intense, more vibrant.

  How could I ever hope to be free of Luca when I knew I would forever be addicted to this feeling? Luca was in my soul, marked from the moment I gave myself to him at eighteen.

  Malvagio was the epitome of sin and ruin wrapped elegantly in luxury, drugging me with its promise of secrets and anonymity. Nobody would know what we’d done here, on this bed, except me and him.

  The freedom to breathe for the first time in months overrode the faint voice of reason, telling me to stop whatever was happening between us before it became a runaway train.

  I pulled off my mask, my heart still fluttering like a butterfly on meth. When I finally could talk without sounding Marilyn Monroe breathless, I asked with a curious yet sated smile, “Why did you bring me here?” I didn’t regret what’d happened, even though I’d sworn on a thousand Bibles it wouldn’t. A part of me had desperately wanted to be in Luca’s arms. No matter what it would cost me. Therein was the crux of the issue. What I was trying to escape wasn’t so much Luca, but myself. How could I respect myself if I sacrificed my will and dignity just because I couldn’t end this ridiculous obsession with Luca Donato? The answer was simple—I couldn’t. “Seems a lot of effort to go to just to have sex.”

  “Sex with you is never too much effort.”

  I shivered at the sensual caress of his answer.

  “What if I told you that I wanted you to experience something dangerous yet safe, something that you would never forget no matter where life took you from this moment? I wanted you to be free to experience something unique, something only I could provide for you.”

  My breath caught as I searched his gaze. As if I could ever forget.

  Who was I kidding? The writing had been on the wall from the moment I agreed to his deal. Maybe a part of me had always known, as well. “You always knew you would get me into bed. Your confidence never wavered. Why does it matter to you so much?”

  “Because you’re mine and you always will be.”

  I think the words came out of his mouth before he realized they were coming. Maybe it was on his mind and he’d just lost the ability to hold them back, but the effect was a punch to the face for both of us.

  “I don’t belong to anyone, least of all you.” I started to leave the bed, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me back, unwilling to let me leave without saying his piece.

  “That’s not what I meant. If you want me to say that I’m unhappy you were chosen as my future wife, I would be lying. You have always and will forever be the one that I want.”

  My breath hitched in my chest as an unwelcome emotion crowded my reason. “Why?” I asked, even though I didn’t want to hear his reasons for fear of falling all over again for the man I needed to run from.

  “Why does there have to be a reason? Why does there have to be a logical explanation? You, of all people, should understand that sometimes emotion and feeling do not correspond with logic and reason. It’s true I could have my pick of any woman in society—there are plenty of well-heeled women who would not only throw their daughters at me but also pin their hopes on landing a Donato in some fashion—but I’m not interested in them.”

  How many times had I hoped and wished to hear those very words from Luca when I was hopelessly in love with him? When I’d been that starry-eyed girl believing everything that came out of his mouth. But he’d shown me that words were easy, actions were hard.

  “Luca, you have always been very eloquent with your words. Doesn’t mean I believe them. Not anymore. Have you forgotten? I know you better than anyone.”

  He surprised me with a firm shake of his head. “No, you knew me. The person you remember was a foolish boy who didn’t understand the value of things or people. I’m not that person anymore, but you’re determined to keep stuffing me into that tiny box for your comfort level. If you gave me the chance, I could show you that I’ve changed.”

  I regarded him intently—questions racing—while digesting his statement. Was I being foolish and narrow-minded by refusing to let Luca in a second time? The stakes were so much higher now. I wasn’t just risking a broken heart; I was risking my future. Once I took those vows, I would never be able to walk away from the Donato family. Ever. They didn’t believe in divorce. It was death do us part.

  “I want to marry you, Katherine,” he said, breaking into my thoughts. “I want to pledge my life to you and give you everything you deserve. All you want to do is run without even giving me a chance.”

  “I did give you a chance—you ruined it.”

  Luca’s grunt of frustration grated on my nerves. I wasn’t the one being difficult.

  “Stop living in the fucking past. I told you, I was a kid. I wasn’t ready to settle down and I hurt you. All I can say is I’m sorry.”

  “So you’re saying now you’re ready to be a faithful partner?” I didn’t buy it. He could talk all he wanted and fill my head with pretty lies, but it wouldn’t change the truth. Donatos followed their own code of conduct, and it was biased toward the family. They did not bend to the will of another person, and they did not take other people’s feelings into consideration. “Luca, there’s a reason the Donato family has managed to carve a permanent place in the top echelon of society. I’m not stupid, and I’m not blind. I know the Donato family is feared and respected. I also know that I don’t want to be part of that anymore.”

  Luca looked as if he wanted to shake my head from my shoulders. I could understand his frustration, as he wasn’t used to being denied, but I would never be the wife he wanted.

  “Jesus, Katherine,” he muttered, shoving his hand through his hair. “Why is it always the same damn argument?”

  “Because you never listen to me,” I returned, folding my arms. “Trust me, I’m doing you a favor.”

  “How so?” he asked, as if humoring me.

  I tried not to bare my teeth at his condescension. “I will
never be the subservient, doting wife who walks two steps behind you and defers to your judgment in any and all things like some modern-day geisha.”

  “I never said I wanted that!”

  I startled at his sudden shout.

  His nostrils flared as he cast me a dark look, but I wasn’t backing down.

  “That’s how your entire family works,” I said. “You’ve been raised to take over the Donato family empire. How can I know for sure you’ll be any different? There’s an expectation, and I have no interest in fulfilling the role of your wife under those conditions.”

  “And what if I said screw the traditions? I just want you. I want you in whatever way that you would be willing to have me.”

  My mouth opened in surprise. Was that a hint of desperation in his voice? Couldn’t be. Luca was always in control, always pulling the strings behind the scenes.

  Luca took my silence as an opportunity to jump in. “Let me show you the man I can be. Let me show you how it can be between us. All I want is you by my side, and if that means bucking tradition and forging a new way for the Donato family, I am willing to do that. But you have to be willing to give me a chance.”

  Everything he said was true. I was afraid of giving him the chance to prove me wrong. If I admitted that he had changed and that there was a possibility that he and I could actually ride off into the sunset, happy, just like I’d always hoped and dreamed, it would mean taking a chance on an unknown future where anything could happen—both good and bad. Luca had the power to destroy me completely. I was afraid of taking a chance, of giving him the keys to my happiness.

  But a part of me desperately wanted to run straight to his arms, close my eyes and allow everything that Luca was envelop me. I knew it was a contradiction, but when I was with Luca, I felt safe. In those moments, I knew that Luca would never let anything happen to me, that he would destroy anyone or anything who threatened me. The irony was that he was the one who had hurt me in the first place.

  I should have stuck to my guns and just kept him at a distance. Sex clouded judgment. My body still echoed with his touch—I could smell him on my skin.