Very slowly, he pulled out, seeing the evidence of her innocence staining the condom. He knotted it and set it aside to take away. He didn’t believe in ever leaving indication of his passing out in the swamp. Stretching out next to her, he wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her. God, he loved kissing her.
“You all right, princess?” He lifted his head to look at her.
She bit her lip and nodded, but her gaze slipped away from his. He didn’t like that, but he didn’t call her on it.
“I had no idea it would feel like that. That was more than amazing, it was beautiful. Once I got used to your size, it didn’t hurt at all. I had no idea what I was missing.”
She sat up slowly, and he let her. Let her scoot a little distance from him. She was still within arm’s length so he wasn’t concerned; he knew he could get to her if she tried to escape. He just waited until she let him know what was bothering her, and something clearly was.
“You’re very good at this, aren’t you?” she finally ventured.
He knew immediately he had to be careful. He promised himself he would always give her honesty, even if it meant they’d have to work through scary issues. He didn’t make the mistake of giving her a smug grin or one hint of cockiness. To her, this wasn’t humorous. “What are you getting at, baby?”
“That you’ve had a lot of experience.”
“I’m not going to lie to you, Zara, I’ve certainly had my share of women. For one thing, I’ve got money. Women like money, and the thought of marrying it spread a lot of legs.”
She winced and drew her knees up tight to her chest. “That doesn’t sound very nice.”
“I told you, I’m not a nice man. Yeah, I definitely went through a lot of women. It was easy. Eventually, it got old, so there weren’t so many lately, just enough to give me relief when I needed it.” He cupped the side of her face, his thumb sliding over her lower lip. “I don’t cheat. I’m not a cheater, and I wouldn’t do that to you. There’s no divorce unless I’m physically or mentally abusive, in which case you take your ass straight to the men in my unit and let them know what’s going on. Or if I cheat. I do that baby, and you’re welcome to take me to the cleaners.”
“I don’t know what that means.”
“It means you’ll be set for life. I may have had a lot of experience, Zara, but there aren’t going to be other women for me. I swear that to you. I don’t need variety, that was never the reason I screwed around a lot.”
She moistened her lips. “I don’t have any experience. You’re really good at this, Gino, but you have to tell me what to do half the time. You’re the first man I ever kissed.”
Gino leaned closer, this time brushing his mouth gently over hers. He told her the strict truth and hoped she could hear the honesty in his voice. “No other man ever gets your taste in his mouth. He never gets your kisses. He doesn’t get any part of your body. I fucking love that, baby. Never thought in those terms before, but realize that you’re only mine. No one else came before me and no one is coming after me. You’re a gift, Zara, an unexpected treasure. A man like me likes to give instructions to his woman. I like to tell you what to do and watch you do it. It’s hotter than hell.”
“It is?”
If his woman needed reassurance then he was giving it to her. “Absolutely. I know that makes me kind of a prick, when I’ve had other women, but I love that you’re mine alone. I love that I have something that is all mine. Just mine. I get off on telling you what to do in the bedroom, princess. It makes me hard as a rock. Just thinking about telling you what to do, teaching you things that will blow your mind makes me harder than I’ve ever been. You’re perfect for me.”
She gave him a tentative smile. “I think you’re perfect for me.” She looked up at him, suddenly shy. “When I’m with you, Gino, I feel so much more than I ever have been or thought I could be.”
He caught her face in his hands. Looked into her eyes. Wanting her to see him. To know he spoke the absolute truth. “When I’m with you, Zara, I’m so much better. I’ve got things inside me, dark places, cold places, demons screaming to be let loose, but when I’m close to you, they’re asleep. You have magic and you give it all to me. Thank you for that. Thank you for giving yourself to me. I know it has to be scary, so just know I appreciate it.”
He took her mouth. That sweet curve that left him needing to kiss her every time he saw it. Or needing to feel her lips wrapped around his cock whenever he thought of them.
They spent the next few hours making out, talking, laughing, eating, cooling off in the pool and using the last condom in his wallet. He was even more careful, not wanting her to get sore. By the time the sun had set, he was ready to get her home and into a bathtub. He wasn’t in the least bit sated. The more he took her, the more he knew he had to have her. Loving her and obsessing over her were intertwined until he wasn’t certain where one started and the other left off. He only knew he was a lucky man and he didn’t intend to blow it.
13
“Y
ou know, princess, we’re building something here together, right?” Gino regarded Zara from over the top of his coffee mug. He found waking up to her was something he’d grown addicted to and he wanted confirmation from her that she knew this was going to be a long-lasting thing between them. He thought he’d made himself clear, but he wasn’t taking chances. “I know this relationship is new and you don’t have a lot of experience, but I’m talking permanent. I would definitely have a difficult time if you suddenly decided to play the field.”
She put her teacup on the small table beside the bed and frowned at him. “Play the field?” she echoed. “As in another man? I don’t want another man.” That shocked her.
“That’s just as well. I can be a complete bastard when I’m jealous. You might want to keep that in mind.”
“I can’t imagine you being a complete bastard about anything.” She wiggled her toes and smiled up at him. “I can wiggle them without pain, which feels like a miracle. Nonny’s poultices really are helping.”
Gino put down his coffee and went to the floor to lift her feet up, so he could inspect them for healing. “I want Joe to take a look at your feet,” he said, frowning. He slid his thumb over the top of her foot in a little caress. The bruises were gone and the lacerations had closed so there were only thin red lines to remind him that a monster had hurt his woman.
He dreamt about it sometimes, while he lay next to her. He dreamt he caught up with Bolan Zhu and had him alone in a place where no one could get to them before he had time to show him what it was like to hurt like that.
“Joe’s a psychic healer. I’m not certain how he does it, but he heals from the inside out.”
“Do you think he can help?”
“We can ask.” He wanted her feet healed. Resting the tendons was helping, but she could mess up all their work by doing one wrong thing. She was becoming restless, having difficulty remembering not to put her weight on her feet. He couldn’t blame her. It had been weeks and she was still having to be carried everywhere. She detested that.
Zara looked down at Gino where he crouched near her feet and met his eyes. The impact was like a punch to her heart. She had never really had the slightest interest in a man, and now she was completely enamored with Gino. Sleeping in the same bed with him had taken on an entirely new meaning now that he no longer considered her fragile. He’d taken her twice in the night and once in the morning.
She was becoming addicted to him and to the sex, because just looking at him turned her inside out. But she didn’t like keeping anything from him. She didn’t even know why. The smallest thing made her want to blurt out a confession. That didn’t make sense when she was used to only sharing with Bellisia and Shylah.
“Baby, talk to me. I hate that look on your face.”