Page 22 of The Forever One
“Yes, Tesoro?”
“You’re on your knees again.” Her words are just a breath spilling between her lips.
“Even when I’m standing, I’m on my knees for you.”
Grabbing either side of my face, she pulls me up until our mouths are locked in a kiss that lets us dream of a time and a place where we don’t have to deal with kidnappings or daily violence. Our lips dance to the rhythm of our heartbeats, our tongues battling for control as we swallow each other’s moans and revel in the perfection of this moment.
“Come, let’s see how awesome this bath feels.” I shed my remaining clothing and step inside, careful not to get lost in the white fuzz trying to swallow me up or slip on the smooth surface of the ceramic tub. We don’t need another concussion, we just need some down time.
River swats at the bubbles as she settles between my legs, her shoulders shaking with the efforts to hold back her laughter.
“You’re killing the mood. You know that right?” I lean back and curse when my nape hits nothing but air. I make another mental note to make sure our bath tubs at the hotel have a raised lip so our guests can rest their heads while in the tub.
“No, the Pillsbury Doughboy here with us is ruining the mood.”
“Har har, you’re just on a roll aren’t ya? Well, I’ll have you know that I’ve never done this before.” I pepper kisses down the side of her neck, grimacing at the taste of lavender on my tongue and lips as I reach her collarbone where the water has settled.
“You’ve never taken a bath?” She looks over her shoulder at me and frowns, her gaze darting from side to side as she tries to read me. She’s like a human lie detector, my talented wife.
“I’m a man’s man. I take showers.” I grin, waiting for her to assault me with her indignation.
“What the fuck does that even mean?”
I chuckle as I take her chin, turning her head at the perfect angle, and attack her mouth once again, my cock stirring behind her. The hunger I feel is reflected in her dilated pupils, heavy with lust, telling me she can feel my arousal at the small of her back.
It’s a living, breathing entity, this lust of ours. It stays hidden behind our respectable personas but in the privacy of our little bubble, it takes up every inch of space.
Straddling my hips, River doesn’t sink onto my cock. Of course not, that would be too easy, too anticlimactic. Instead, she slides her slick pussy up and down my dick, over and over again from tip to root. It’s not the water and it’s not the fucking bubbles, it’s her natural lubrication easing her movements. The need to get fucked, to have me so deep inside her that it erases everything that’s happened to us, is like a living, breathing beast. It replaces the memories that are plaguing her with something pleasurable, even if it’s just for a little while.
My hands at her hips, I guide her pelvis, pushing her harder onto me so that it’s almost painful, pressing my cock down as she uses it against her swollen clit.
“That’s it, Tesoro, use me. Get yourself off for me.” One hand slides up her taut belly to her plump breast, giving her needy nipple a pinch, hard enough to make her cry out. Continuing my path, I reach her neck and place my palms right beneath her chin and squeeze her tight enough to watch her pupils dilate and her nostrils flare.
Her hands are planted on either side of my shoulders, pushing against the lip of the tub as she takes exactly what she needs, circling her hips when she reaches my tip.
“You blame me, don’t you, Tesoro?” I squeeze her tighter and revel in the fire that flashes in her eyes. River may put on a mask to hide her true emotions, but she can’t hide from me. I won’t allow it. Her movements become more erratic, more forceful, as if every inch she loses in control, she gains in her anger. Her well-placed anger. Because she should be furious with me. After all, my selfishness played a leading role in what happened this past week.
Gritting her teeth as she drills holes right through my skull with the force of her stare, I stare right back, unafraid of giving her my underbelly. She’s earned it and much more. She is the only person on this Earth who’s seen and felt and comforted my vulnerabilities but I need to show her she’s got the power to either heal us or destroy us. For the first time since that fateful day in the café, as we ironed out the terms of our agreement, I’m truly giving her the reins.
“You should have told me. You should have trusted me—”
“I did. I do, River. I always have.” I cut her off because she has to know that I’ve never trusted anyone more than her. Not even Enzo.
“You should have trusted me”—she repeats, completely ignoring my pleas, or excuses—“to be strong enough to hear the truth. You should have trusted me to know how powerful this thing is between us.” Lifting one hand from the tub, she taps my chest, right where my heart is, then taps hers. “You should have trusted in us.” There’s a heat in her voice that tells me she’s hurting, and it destroys a piece of my soul knowing that I caused this. Trapping her delicate fingers in my mine, I squeeze just enough to get her attention, to get her eyes on me so she can see my own emotions echoing hers. I bring her hand to my mouth and, without releasing her gaze, kiss two of her knuckles.
“I’ve let you down and I’m sorry.” Then I kiss the pinky, my heart nearly beating out of my chest with the fear that I could ever lose her. “But I swear to you that I will make sure you never doubt my trust again.” My lips land on the knuckle just above the sacred place where her wedding ring encircles her finger. “I swear to you on my vows.”
I’ve seen her break down before because of my choices, but at this point in our story, I should haveknownbetter. I should havedonebetter.
Tears swim in her eyes without falling. Taking a deep breath, she brings her mouth close enough for me to taste her, gently gliding her lips along mine from side to side. Our eyes are closed, our souls never closer than this moment.
“I should have trusted in us.” I repeat her words, making them true in the small space between us. “I won’t make that mistake again.”
With that promise hanging in the air, River lifts her hips and buries my cock inside her hot, wet pussy. My home. My safe space. “We’re not leaving this hotel until every card is on the table. Every truth told, every secret exposed. I won’t live in the dark again, Marco. That life is over.”
My hand releases her throat and latches onto her nape so our mouths clash together in a promise of eternity.
“Te lo prometto.” Even though she can’t speak Italian, her body tells me she understands my promise to her.