Page 83 of Secret Seduction

“In my purse,” she rasps. “In … the … employee … changing room.”

“Okay, take deep breaths. You’re okay.” I lift her into my arms. “We’re going to get your purse and pills and then get you out of here.”

“Matteo’s on his way,” Sal says. “He said he’ll take care of it.”

I take Vanessa out the back way, grabbing her purse and a bottle of water, and then to my car, where I set her in the passenger seat, needing to get her as far away from here as possible.

She tries to open the bottled water, but her hands are shaking, so I gently take it from her, open it with one hand, and then return it to her.

Once she takes the pills, I give them a few minutes to set in before I try to talk to her about what happened.

When she seems to have settled and her breathing has slowed, I take her hand in mine.

“Did he hurt you?” I ask. “Do you need me to take you to the hospital?”

“No,” she whispers. “He was drunk, which made him sloppy, and you got to me before he could do anything.”

I call Matteo on the way home, and he assures me that he’s going to make sure this doesn’t come back on me.

“Where’s Leo?” Vanessa asks when we walk inside, it now hitting her that he’s not here.

“I had a late meeting, so he’s spending the night at my sister’s. I went to the casino to take you home instead of Sal.”

“I need a shower. I need to get him off me.”

I nod and follow her into her room, unsure if she wants to be alone. When I stop in the doorway, she looks back at me.

“Join me?”

We wordlessly get undressed and then step into the shower while, I’m sure, a million thoughts run through our heads. She was almost raped by her stepdad tonight, and in turn, I shot and killed him.

And I don’t regret it.

“Lorenzo,” she says after a few minutes of standing under the hot water. “I … I need you.”

“Baby,” I coo, pulling her into my arms, “I’m right here.”

“No.” She shakes her head. “I need you inside me. I know it sounds crazy since I was just almost raped, but I can’t get him out of my head. His grimy hands on me.” She visibly shivers. “I need to replace what he almost did to me with something good … with you. Please.”

Her violet eyes plead for me to understand, to go along with what she wants, what she needs, and I know in this moment, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t give this woman.

“You never have to beg for me to be with you,” I say, having a seat on the bench. “I’m yours … whenever, wherever, always.”

She releases a sigh of relief and then walks over to me, stepping between my legs. Her fingers delve into my hair, and she tugs on the ends, tilting my head back. And then her mouth comes down on mine, her lips gently caressing my own, like she needs to take this slowly to burn every detail of us together into her brain to replace the memories of earlier. And since I have all night, I let her take control.

We kiss like that for several minutes, the hot water fogging up the area, our mouths tangling, our tongues stroking one another. And then Vanessa reaches between us and takes my cock in her delicate hand, wraps her fingers around it, and begins to gently tug on it.

It’s already half-mast, but with her touching it, within minutes, it’s a steel rod. Without breaking our kiss, she climbs onto my lap and slowly—so fucking slowly—eases herself down.

I didn’t do anything to prep her since I’m leaving it up to her, so she’s tight, and as I stretch her little by little, she moans into my mouth, not stopping until the head of my cock is deep inside her.

“Lorenzo,” she breathes, her lips brushing mine, “I … I never want this feeling to go away. The way I feel when you’re inside me … I feel safe and”—she breaks our kiss, and her violet eyes, filled with tears, meet mine—“cherished. I feel so damn cherished.”

I frame her face with my hands. “That’s because you are, Wild Card. You are so fucking cherished and loved,” I add, needing her to know. “And no matter what happens, I don’t want you to ever forget that.”

She nods in understanding and then shifts on my lap. She’s never been on top before, so I let her do her thing, exploring what feels good. When she hits a certain spot, her eyes roll upward before she looks back down at me.

“Does that feel good for you?” she asks, always so damn selfless.