AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We need to talk, Rosa,” he says softly, his blue eyes intent, serious.
I shiver at the weight of his gaze on me.
“Do we really?” I ask nervously, because there’s only one thing he could possibly want to talk about right now. “It’s late and I’m tired.”
Enzo’s lips curl in amusement. “I’m sure you’ll survive a few minutes of conversation.”
“Will it really be a few minutes, though?” I toss back, my tone daring.
He shrugs. “That depends on you, sweetheart.”
I sigh, opening my door. “Fine, let’s talk.”
He follows me into the room, shutting the door behind him. I immediately head for my bed, kicking off my heels as I do so. Enzo leans against the wall, putting some distance between us. He ditched his black suit jacket and tie before we started driving home, and he looks annoyingly good with his shirt sleeves rolled up and the first two buttons of his shirt undone.
“Well?” I ask when the silence starts to grow uncomfortable. “You had something to say?”
Enzo nods slowly, his eyes fixed on mine. “I’m just trying to work something out in my head.”
“Which is?” I question.
“Okay, so, when we first met officially, after you found out about the contract, you said something. You said you wanted better for yourself. At the time, I didn’t really care about what you said. But I do now.” His eyes are filled with heat as he asks. “What did you mean by that?”
I’m caught off guard by the question. I wasn’t expecting it, and I’m not even sure why he’s asking when I know for a fact that he knows the answer.
Regardless, I take a deep breath before replying. “I guess I always wanted something different. My parents were in an arranged marriage. And while they eventually grew to love each other, that love was punctuated more by duty. Men in our family,men in the outfit, they tend to view their women as their own personal possessions, theirs to protect?—”
“As they should,” Enzo murmurs.
I glare at him to keep quiet. “Anyway, that’s how my parents’ relationship felt sometimes. Like duty, responsibility. And I didn’t want that. A part of me has always known I might not have a choice in my marriage, but I dared to hope. I’ve always wanted a love that was pure, not motivated by duty or responsibility. I wanted someone that cared for me because of me. Not because he was honor-bound to do so. Not because he bought me in a contract,” I say softly.
Enzo flinches. It’s almost imperceptible, but I notice. A muscle ticks in his jaw as he looks away from me.
“I guess we’ve been doomed from the start,” he mutters.
“No. That’s not what I’m trying to say,” I say, getting to my feet. My heart pounds with each step I take toward him. “I did want better for myself, and I still do. We’re not there yet, but despite the start to my parents’ relationship, they still loved each other. It might have been muted, but it was still love. And I want love, too. Maybe not like theirs, but a love that I can call my own.”
Pain flashes in Enzo’s expression. “Rosa, I don’t know how to give you what you want.”
My chest rises and falls with each passing second. “You can try. No, scratch that, you’re going to fucking try. Because I might not have had much of a choice in choosing you, but I choose you now and you’re going to work hard to be better. Got it?”
He smiles. “I have to say, not a lot of people give me orders with the words ‘got it’ attached at the end.”
“Get used to it,” I say with a smile of my own. I even stick my tongue out at him playfully.
Enzo’s eyes darken. “Don’t stick your tongue out at me,principessa. It makes me want to suck it into my mouth.”
My breath hitches. As soon as he says it, the temperature in the room goes up a couple degrees. I can tell he realizes it was the wrong thing to say. Or maybe the right thing because I’m made increasingly aware of the lust simmering within me. My carefully controlled feelings for him.
“What’s stopping you?” I ask breathlessly.
Our eyes lock, spreading sparks across my skin. My chest grows heavy as my heart starts to race. We both move at the same time. His lips meet mine and almost immediately, my pulse thrums between my legs. His teeth drag across my bottom lip in a way that drives me wild. One of his hands wraps around the back of my neck, trapping me against him as he kisses me. My body shudders from his touch.
I shut my eyes, relishing the sensation of his lips against mine. His hand trails down to my ass and I gasp when he squeezes.
“Fuck, so soft,” he says against my lips.
The desire inside me grows to new heights. He continues to explore my lips like a man on a mission, making good on his word and sucking my tongue hard. My hand trails up to his hair and I tug at the roots, drawing a groan from him. The feel of his tongue against mine is devastating. When Enzo shifts, his cock presses against my stomach. I’m all too aware of it.
