Her slender fingers grip the nape of my neck tighter, digging into the muscle and bone there. I hope she leaves her marks behind as proof to the world that I will never belong to any other after this day. My free hand trails down her soft thigh, sliding around the curve of her perfect ass and squeezing. She doesn’t break the kiss, both her hands splayed on either side of the columns of my neck, touching me in the most possessive way I’ve ever been touched. I’ve had plenty of women try to lay their claim over me before, but none I’ve ever given a second thought to until this moment. Vanessa is territorial in a way I’ve never felt before. She shifts, straddling my hips, and deepens this kiss more and more. I’m going to fuck her if she keeps this up, and I won’t have our first time be in this reclining seat on a plane. Mile high club sounds nice in theory, but not in reality.
“Bambina, wait.” I pull away, instantly missing the feeling of her lips against mine. A whimper escapes her lips, and I swallow it down. Gently, I lift her off my lap and set her down in her own seat, not bothering to hide the way my cock strains against my pants. Leaning down, I trap her in her seat between my arms. She has a dazed look on her face, as if she’s barely coming down from a high she doesn’t want to lose.
“Look at me, Vanessa. We’ll be taking off soon, and you need to buckle up. When I slide deep inside your sweet pussy, it won’t be with an audience a few feet away listening in on us. It will be in my home, where no one can hear you screaming for your life.”
fifteen
We spendthe next nine hours completely avoiding eye contact. I’m so on edge, so utterly alive with tension from kissing Sebastian I could explode at any moment. I hadn’t expected him to treat me so kindly when I was feeling so overwhelmed. I have moments of overload where my mind completely goes off the rails and there’s no slowing the rapid deterioration of thoughts as they take over. Somehow, Sebastian was able to do what no one else has ever done before. Not my sister, not my friends, not a single therapist I’ve paid hundreds to help me find coping mechanisms for this problem. He pulled me against his solid chest, and every thought went silent. I couldn’t help but curl into him, enjoying the sound of silence.
At some point during the flight, he started working on his computer. The steady drone of his fingers typing away against the keys lulls me into a dreamless sleep for the first time in weeks. I don’t see my masked ghost, I don’t see visions of anything at all. I simply enjoy the blissful nothingness until I’m enveloped again by powerful arms and that familiar clean leather and rain scent. I didn’t think it was quite possible forsomeone to smell thisexpensive, yet earthy at the same time. Like luxury grounded by the rawness of the elements. Warm, smooth, and clean.
“Did we land?” I ask, my voice weak with sleep.
“I’ve got you, Bambina. Sleep. I’ll wake you when we get to Villa di Arsenio.” He kisses my hair softly, shifting my body in his arms as he carries me to a waiting car. He settles me in a soft leather seat, shutting the door without getting inside.
After a few quiet moments alone with my thoughts in the car, my mind finally wakes up to its surroundings. I’m in Italy. In the backseat of a very lavish car. Is this a fucking Rolls Royce? What kind of alternate reality have I fallen into? A man sits in the driver’s seat looking straight ahead, totally motionless. If not for the faint lift in his shoulders, I could swear he was a robot. Despite that, I somehow feel so safe here.
It’s a strange feeling, being cared for like I’m something precious. I’ve never been treated as such before. I’ve never been at the top of anyone’s priority list but my own. But something in Sebastian’s touch, in the way he looks at me, tells me that might not be true anymore. There are still so many unknowns between us. But of two things I am certain.
First, Sebastian is carrying a secret too heavy to be harmless. He’s told me it’s safer not to ask questions, but I’ve heard that a hundred times before in my life. Usually from drug dealers and suppliers, the people who kept my parents in business for most of my life. The truth he’s hiding could destroy whatever this is before we’ve even had a chance to define it.
Second, and most unfortunately, I don’t fucking care. That kiss, the feeling of pure, unadulterated relief I felt as soon as he held me in his arms, it was worth whatever hell could possibly rain down on me because of who he is.
When we were younger, Aria and I used to talk about the kind of people we wanted to end up with. She would alwaysdescribe someone sassy and fun who loved adventure as much as she did. My list of wants always consisted of someone who satiated my starving soul. Someone who could quiet the constant cacophony of worries all speaking at once. I’ve lived as long as I can remember with a thousand half-formed thoughts rattling like loose change inside my skull. Even my calmest moments radiate uneasiness, as if something is always about to go wrong. The only thing I ever longed for in a partner was someone who could make all the noise disappear. What I never imagined was finding it in a man like Sebastian.
He’s nearly old enough to be my father, but I don’t even consider that minor detail. That’s at the very bottom of the list of reasons why I shouldn’t want him. He’s arrogant, overbearing as hell, and I can’t imagine what it would be like if he thought he had some type of control over me.
Am I really that delusional? He already does.
The passenger door swings open, Sebastian’s large frame crowding me as he slides into the seat next to me. I move back, giving him his space, but I don’t make it far before his hand clamps down on my thigh and he drags me back across the smooth leather seat until my body is flush against his.
“Puoi andare, Enzo. Vai direttamente a casa, senza fermarti.” He speaks rapid Italian to the man in the front seat, who replies with only a sharp nod.
“The creepy robot has a name?” I whisper to Seb, his face so close to mine I can see every muscle in his jaw flex when he laughs.
“Robot? Who? Enzo?” His brows pinch together as if I’ve just told the funniest joke he’s ever heard.
“Yes, he was so still and quiet. Freaked me out,” I shrug, and he leans forward, slapping the younger man on the shoulder as we pull off of the tarmac.
“Lei pensa che tu sia un robot. Il tipo sbagliato di rigido, amico.” He jokes, his smooth Italian accent even more intoxicating than I was prepared for.
“I know you’re making some kind of joke at my expense, but I don’t care. You can keep speaking Italian all night long, though. Shit, you can read the fucking dictionary for all I care as long as you do it low and slow in that beautiful voice.” I lean back, scooting slightly away from him and sliding my phone out of my bag.
My sister texted me six times. With the time difference, she’s about six hours behind us. It’s only nine in the evening in Miami, and she’s probably getting ready to finish the dinner service at her restaurant. I don’t want to interrupt her. I send her a quick message letting her know I’m safe, I’m taking a little time away, and I’ll call her soon.
Scrolling through several other notifications, I open the thread between Rory and I, wondering how much I should really disclose to her about what I’m feeling for Sebastian. Glancing over at him as the car eases through the quiet cobblestone streets, he seems to be doing the same thing I am. Only he looks far more concerned with whatever he sees on his screen than I do. His expression is suddenly cut from stone, his jaw locked, mouth drawn into a hard, unforgiving line. His eyes are sharp and unblinking, stripped of the warmth they possessed only a moment ago. His brows are drawn low and tense, carving shadows that make his face feel colder and heavier. Instantly, I want to fold myself into his side, to smooth the hard lines etched across his face and bring his joyful expression back, but I don’t interrupt his thoughts. Instead, I focus on what Rory said over the past several hours while we were traveling.
“Don’t worry about your furry child. He’s blissfully happy lying out by the pool right now!”
“Are you in the air? On an actual plane? Don’t throw up...”
“Seb told Break you guys were going to be gone for two weeks!? Bitch TAKE ME WITH YOU!”
“When you become the next queen of Italy (does Italy have queens? Idk. But if anyone can make it happen, it’s Seb) don’t forget who kept your doors open, okay? Bring me excellent wine for future use!”
“Things are running just fine here, and we’ll be totally okay. So don’t worry. You need to take care of your mental health. And maybe also clear the cobwebs from your lady bits.”
She sends a last message with three shrug emojis, and I snort out a laugh. She’s fucking outrageous, but I couldn’t love her more. The family I’ve created in Grovewood has brought me more joy and comfort than most of my blood relatives ever have.