The second I step off the plane, Italy’s chilly weather has me grabbing the collar of my coat, bringing it closer to my cheeks.
“You feeling better?” Alexius’ hand touches the small of my back.
“A little.”
During three of the nine hours spent on his private plane, I was stuck in the bathroom, wiping vomit from my mouth and dabbing sweat from my forehead. The moment we took off in Chicago, my stomach started turning, and it didn’t stop until one of the flight attendants started giving me one ginger tea after the other. Apart from nausea and dizziness, the disappointment of not being able to enjoy every second of it made me feel even worse. I was so excited. Maybe too excited. It was the first time I’d ever been on a plane, my first time leaving the States. And when I stepped onto the private jet, taking it all in, I was stunned. The girl who lived in that shitty apartment could never have imagined the kind of luxury some people basked in.
White leather seats, large oval-shaped portholes, and the dark oak woodwork all reminded me that I have no idea how far the Del Rossa wealth stretches. I’ve been with this family for months, and it still blows my mind sometimes.
“It’s your first time on a plane. I should have anticipated that you might get sick,” Alexius says as he guides me toward the SUV, Maximo keeping the door open for us.
I groan. “I think it was more excitement than anything else.”
With the twist of his wrist, he pulls me close, my chest flush with his. The cold breeze weaves through my hair, and he gently tucks the strands behind my ear. “Until now, you’ve merely experienced a morsel of what my world has to offer. There is so much more, Leandra. An abundance of luxuries and wealth you can’t begin to imagine.”
I smile as I search his eyes. “Since the day I walked into your home for the first time, I haven’t gone hungry or spent a single night shivering through the cold because I slept under a broken window. To me, that’s all the luxury I need.”
Something flashes in his eyes. I can’t tell what it is, but his gaze softens and his lips part as if to say something, but he kisses me instead. It’s soft at first, then deepens with a desperate sweep of his tongue, his hands holding me close. The strength of his body, the ripped muscles beneath his suit, I can feel it. Feel the beat of his heart. And the way I melt into him as our first kiss under the Italian sky turns to fire, my chest aches to hope. Since we confessed how we truly felt about each other, I’ve been walking around with much hope and excitement for the future. We bared our souls to one another, and finally, knowing I’m not the only one who wants us to be more than just two individuals who entered a temporary agreement made my heart sing. But there’s still doubt. Isn’t there always? No matter how often you hear someone say they love you, there is always that sliver of doubt that creeps in through the tiniest cracks.
For now, I choose to ignore the subtle warning. There is no place for uncertainty and insecurities under the Italian sun.
Maximo clears his throat behind us, and my cheeks burn as I break our kiss and lower my face into Alexius’ chest. “You had to bring him along?”
“Maximo goes where I go.” He lifts my chin with a gentle hand. “Especially when I have something with me worth protecting.”
“Alexius,” Maximo calls. “Standing here on the open strip makes my eye twitch, man. We need to go.”
Alexius takes my hand, leading me to the car. I glance back at the plane one last time before slipping into the back seat, still unable to comprehend that this is reality. I’m in Rome, wearing a beige designer wool coat, with knee-boots and jeans worth more money than I made in a year as a waitress. And not to mention the man sitting beside me, a gorgeous, attractive, powerful king with eyes that can steal my soul and a toxic touch that chains me up and leaves me breathless.
I have no idea how long we spend in the car. I’m too enthralled by the streets of Rome to keep up with time. There are so many people not even the overcast weather can keep them from experiencing the rich scenery.
“Dolce far niente,” Alexius says, and I glance at him with confusion. He smirks. “Pleasant idleness. The sweetness of doing nothing. That’s the main thing that draws people here.” He looks out his passenger side window. “It’s the only place in the world where you can find entertainment, peace, romance, and freedom by simply doing…nothing.”
“My imagination could never have done it justice,” I say. “It’s like we’ve left one world and entered another.”
“Maximo, have you informed the hotel that we’re on our way?”
“They have the back entrance secured for our arrival.”
“Are they there yet?” Alexius asks.
“Silvestro and his wife arrived yesterday afternoon.”
“Saint?”
“They’re scheduled to arrive later tonight.”
Alexius scoffs. “Bastard loves making people wait.”
I lean closer and whisper, “Are they the business associates we’re here to meet?”
“Yes. We’re all staying at the same hotel, so meeting up is easier and safer.” He glances my way again. “Hotel Hassler is one of the most prestigious hotels in the heart of the city. I suspect you’re going to love it.”
“It can be a trailer park, and I’ll love it,” I reply with an excited grin, and Alexius seems amused as he watches me.
We arrive at the hotel, but we’re escorted through the back so fast it’s impossible to take anything in and appreciate our surroundings. All I get are glimpses of pristine marble floors, dark wood, and shades of umber, timeless elegance gleaming from every corner.
“Penthouse,” Maximo says to the elevator attendant as the steel doors close. The man is as subtle as a heart attack with his hand on the gun at his side, glaring at the attendant as if he was daring him to make one wrong move.
“Is he always like this?” I ask Alexius.
“He takes a piss one-handed, so he has a hand on his gun at all times.”
I inch closer to Alexius, staring at Maximo as if he’s about to go savage in this tiny, enclosed space.
Alexius snickers, finding my apprehension amusing, but takes the opening to snake an arm around my waist, pulling me against him. It’s impossible not to soak in his heat, loving how it feels to have his arm around me—an age-old act of showing ownership and affection with one simple move. I’ve come to appreciate these seemingly insignificant moments with him, moments that aren’t meant to be bricks on a path to happiness but merely junctures to enjoy on your way.
The elevator chimes, and the doors open, revealing the exquisite Botticino marble floors, polished to shiny perfection. As we step into the suite, bouquets of peonies welcome us with their sweet, rosy scent. The flowers aren’t white, but rather a pale blush—delicate and romantic.
Every inch, every corner is pristine, elegant, and open, the air fresh and clean. The walnut wood-paneled walls give the living space a refined look—a fusion of earthy tones and warmth with shades of fawn. Two large traditional columns separate the sitting room from the dining room, the mirrored walls creating the illusion of endless space around the black dining table. There are no words to describe it. It’s like our own little paradise in the most romantic city in the world.
“Better than a trailer park?” Alexius smirks, and I can’t stop myself from smiling.
“This is beautiful.” I twirl in the middle of the foyer, looking up at the high ceilings and then at the ample living space in front of me. “And all this space.”
“It’s a three-thousand five-hundred and fifty-two-square-foot suite.”
I gape at him. “Just for the two of us?”
He nods.
“That’s insane.”
“Come on. I want to show you something.” He slips off his coat and places it over the beige sofa as we pass, walking out the large double glass doors and onto the terrace. I don’t even notice the late afternoon chill caressing my cheeks as I stare out at the outdoor space that’s like something out of a dream. Potted plants are placed on the border walls that surround the terrace, and green vines weave along black steel trellises. It’s a lush vegetation utopia with a beauty not even the overcast skies can touch. I’m mesmerized and can almost feel the magic in the air, like everything is alive and charged with energy.
I’m pulled out of my reverie by Alexius’ voice. “It still amazes me, no matter how often I stare at this view.”
He’s standing at the farthest end of the terrace, hands in his pants pockets, and for me, he completes the breathtaking image of the Rome skyline. Majestic. Marvelous. Magnificent.
“Come on.” He turns and holds out his hand, beckoning me closer, but I’m frozen with slight apprehension.
“I…um. I don’t…”
He narrows his eyes at me. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of heights.”
“Well,” I drag out the word, and my cheeks warm.
“You were just on a plane for nine hours.”
“I know. I’m not afraid of heights.” I pull my lips in a straight line, the heat in my cheeks burning hotter. “It’s, um…”
“Leandra, out with it.”
“It’s an edge thing,” I blurt. “Whenever I stand close to a ledge, I have this bone-numbing fear of falling over.”
He turns toward me, hands tucked back into his suit pants pockets. “Come here,” he orders. The collar of his white dress shirt is unbuttoned, a pair of Ray-Bans hiding those burning sapphire eyes, and like a stupid moth, I’m bewitched by the flame—a flame luring me to the literal ledge.
I step forward, but still again. “You standing there looking like a man who sinks his teeth into women like me daily might not be enough for me to walk all the way over there.”
“What if I tell you I’ll reward your courage?”
“With what?” I ask, the energy around us starting to crackle.
His lips spread into a sexy as fuck grin, and he starts unbuckling his belt just as Maximo walks out on the terrace, stopping in his tracks when he spots us. Alexius doesn’t even look his way when he says, “Get the fuck off the terrace, Maximo. Or better yet. Get the fuck out of the penthouse. Now.”
Without saying a word, Maximo backtracks and slides the glass doors closed.
I purse my lips at Alexius. “That was rude, don’t you think?”
“It was either that or letting him watch.” He pulls the belt from around his waist, the sound sending electricity up my spine.
“Letting him watch what?” I murmur, my breath already becoming labored.
“How I’m going to help you overcome your fear of standing on the edge.” Every word is laced with seduction, and I already know what he plans on doing. There’s no way I’ll be able to stop him. I don’t want to.
He starts walking toward me, the belt in his hand, and I can feel my pussy starting to throb in anticipation. I back up a few steps, and he notices, lifting a brow. “Don’t,” he warns. “Do not walk away from me.”
I freeze and watch him while holding my breath, and when he reaches me, I exhale gently, his closeness wrapping around me like it always does. He reaches out, slips the coat down my arms so it pools around my heeled boots on the ground, and I shudder as he runs the belt along my cheek.
“You’re so fucking beautiful, do you know that?” he murmurs before lowering his head to capture my lips in a searing kiss. My body responds to his touch like it’s been starving for it, my lips burning with the inferno he ignites with a simple sweep of his tongue. I offer no resistance while he captures my hands in his palms, easing them behind my back, looping his belt around my wrists, binding them together, cinching it tight. I arch my back, pressing my breasts into his chest just as he breaks the kiss, trailing his lips down my neck. “You are the only woman I want to fuck for the rest of my goddamn life.” My nipples harden in response, straining against the fabric of my blouse. My moan drifts from a breath, and I close my eyes as he reaches up and cups my breasts, gently squeezing and rolling them, slowly teasing me with waves of pleasure moving through my body. When he cups my sex, his hand brushing against the denim, I know I’m lost.
Slipping his hand out from between my legs, he slides it up my waist and around my middle, his chest now flush against my back. “Open your eyes, stray.”
I open them and gasp, staring out over the Rome skyline, my heart beating in my throat. I didn’t even realize we were moving, that he was slowly guiding me to the half-wall barrier surrounding the terrace. The air smells like looming rain, a storm headed toward us far in the distance. I can hear the bustle of people, the noise of engines, the city of Rome alive below us.
Through the heat in my core and the ache between my legs, fear starts to curl inside my gut. “Alexius—”
He yanks the belt tied around my wrists. “You are a Del Rossa, Leandra. You have the entire world at your feet, and there is nothing you need to fear. Not while I’m the twisted son of a bitch who will cut out the hearts of those who hurt you and lay them at your feet.”
The promise that echoes from his words makes me shiver. It gives me a sense of power, confidence, knowing he’d be a brutal savage if I needed him to.
My pulse races, a cold breeze whips through my hair, and while I stare out in front of me, the view clear and far, I know he’s the cause of my rapidly beating heart. Not fear. Him.
“There are three things I’d like to address right now.” He presses closer to me, his hard chest rippling against my back as his hand slithers up under my blouse, sparks dancing from my skin to his palms, fingers teasing along the waistband of my jeans. I shiver, electric currents surging through my nerves, down my arms, and up my legs to ignite a spark in my stomach where it grows into a flicker…a flame…until I feel like I’m going to explode. That’s what a simple touch from this man can do to me, my sex throbbing with a need to be stroked and teased.
“First. You need to trust me. You need to know that I won’t let any harm come to you no matter what I ask you to do. Understand?”
He pops the top button of my jeans, and I whimper.
“Say you understand, Leandra.”
“I understand.”
“Good.” He exhales into the nape of my neck, and the warmth of his body and the spicy scent of his cologne ward off the Italian cold.
“Second.” His fingers are deft and sure as he undoes every button. “This one goes hand-in-hand with the first.” I lean my head back against his shoulder. “You will do everything I ask, without question. You hesitating just now, not coming to me after I asked, simply because you’re afraid of falling, is un-fucking-acceptable. Do you understand me?”
Authority is locked around every word, his voice low and commanding. It’s the voice of a man used to getting his way, demanding nothing but obedience. No matter how intense my fear of falling is, my instinct to obey him is much stronger.
“Understand,” I whisper, wishing he would slip his hand between my legs. But he doesn’t, leaving me aching for his touch.
“Now, this brings me to the third—and it’s a big one, Leandra. It’s not up for negotiation, and if you disobey this rule, I will leave your pussy empty of me for a long time.”
He has both hands on my waist now, clutching the waistband of my jeans. “This is the last time you ever wear fucking pants. Understand?” With a sharp yank, he tugs my jeans down, taking my panties with it. The fabric is bunched around my knees, and I know he’s staring down at my naked ass. I can feel his gaze burning my flesh. Every inch of my body is electrified and alive under his spell.
My hips move as he works to unzip his own pants, and my pussy clenches as he drags the wet tip of his cock through the slit of my ass. “Dresses, skirts, that’s all you’re allowed to wear.” A hand slips around my waist and dips between my legs, an expert finger finding my clit and making me moan. My nipples harden even more, the silk blouse feeling rough and rugged against them. “I don’t want something as insignificant as goddamn pants in my way when I want to fuck my wife. Understand?”
I’m breathless. So wet. The circles he draws around my clit have every muscle tied to the pleasure pulsing from that one sensitive nub to every bone in my body.
“Do you understand?” Abruptly, his hand is gone, a moan echoing from my throat followed by a gasp as he bends me forward, my chest against the ledge.
“Yes, I understand.” I whimper, and he tugs at the belt wrapped around my wrists before slapping both palms on my ass, spreading me open so he can sink into me with one hard thrust. My cries echo over the city in front of me, reverberating off the buildings around us.
He fills me, every inch of him sinking into my aching pussy. The sensation of him moving inside me is overwhelming like it’s the first time. I can’t move with him; the jeans around my knees and belt tied around my hands make it impossible. I’m completely at his mercy, having to trust him to give my body what it needs. Leather bites into my wrists, and denim chafes against my skin. But the pain only intensifies to anticipation for pleasure.
“Do you think someone is watching us right now, stray?” He stills for a moment, his dick still hard and deep inside me.
“I sure hope so,” I murmur, utterly possessed with a lust that only he can evoke.
A shudder moves up my spine as his palms ease along the flesh of my ass. “You know what I think?”
“That you’d like to make me come?”
He snickers. “In due time. I think…” With his palms, he spreads me wider, and I imagine him watching as he slowly rears back. “I think if I were a religious man, I would have prayed for you my entire life.” He spears back into me, the hard edge of the half-wall scraping against my stomach. “I think God created you just for me even though He knew I’d corrupt you.”
“You’re wrong,” I mutter, trying to move my hips. “I’ve been corrupted all along. You just turned the ugliness of it into something…beautiful.”
Alexius pounds into me with such force my heels lift off the ground, and my heart hiccups as my gaze falls, realizing how high up we are. The ground seems so far away, and if he wanted to, he could easily throw me over. Just one simple nudge, and I’d fall to my end.
As if he could read my mind, he grips the belt with one hand. “I won’t let you fall, stray. Never.”
The smack of his palm against my ass reverberates around us in the open air, and I moan as he sinks into me completely, hitting my core with his swollen cock. Holding me in place, he slams into me so hard that my hip bones hit against the edge of the wall, my breasts now past the edge as I’m halfway over the barrier. It’s both terrifying and thrilling, but the trust is there. It’s keeping the panic at bay, allowing the anticipation to build. With one relentless thrust after the other, each movement harder and faster than the last. My pussy throbs and clenches, my orgasm building, my body tied with the chains of a climax I know will tear through me at any moment.
“You want to come?”
“God, yes.”
All it takes is another single thrust—hard, deep, fucking divine—and my orgasm explodes through me, waves of ecstasy crashing over me as I cry out.
Alexius doesn’t stop, his grunts of pleasure licking against the back of my neck, his cock pulsing inside me as he comes.
He slows, our breathing rapid, chasing for air. Still glancing down at the streets below us, people indulging in the sweetness of doing nothing. “Dolce far niente.”
“You’re going to be the death of me, Alexius,” I whisper as he pulls my pants back up and over my hips.
He brushes my hair over my shoulder, leaving a trail of kisses across my naked neck before his lips touch my ear. “I know.”
