Chapter 108

ROSALIND

Cesare's fingertips drift lower, tracing the waistband of my pajama bottoms with a tantalizing lightness that makes me squirm.

He circles the outline of my nipple with his thumb, making me arch into this touch. "Who do you belong to?"

"Myself," I say.

His dark chuckle sends shivers skittering across my skin, and he pulls his hand back toward my belly button. He lowers his head, grazing my other nipple with his lips. "Wrong answer. Let's try again."

"Rosalind."

He bites my nipple between his teeth, sending out a burst of shock that makes me jolt within my restraints. Before the pain can fully register, he soothes it with his tongue.

"Who. Do. You. Belong. To?"

"Cesare," I say through gasping breaths.

"Good girl," he croons, his fingers making their slow descent toward my pajama bottoms. "And who owns this pretty little cunt?"

"You," I say through clenched teeth, knowing good and well that he won't let me climax until I give him everything he wants.

His tongue traces a slow, tortuous path across my breast, over my ribcage, and down to my belly, punctuated by little nips and kisses that make me wriggle and writhe.

Anticipation makes every inch of my body thrum. I resist the urge to break free of the tangled pajama jacket, grab his messy hair and stick his head between my legs… at least until after my orgasm.

"Say it," he rasps, his fingers sliding beneath the waistband and pulling the silk fabric down my hips.

"My cunt belongs to Cesare," I say, my breath quickening.

"And don't you forget it."

Instead of pulling off the pajama pants, he twists the fabric around my ankles and ties several knots, leaving my legs bound. Eyes never leaving mine, he spreads my thighs wide and gazes down at my pussy.

"You're so wet for me, pet," he says, his voice thick with arousal. "And that cunt looks good enough to eat."

"Oh, fuck."

He trails his knuckles up my inner thighs, making my entire body shudder with anticipation. Then his gaze turns predatory.

"Lift your hips, pet. Show me how much you want my tongue."

His command goes straight to my libido, and I find myself obeying.

"What a good girl," he says with that same wicked smile.

"This good girl wants to come," I say.

He traces his fingers over my wet folds, his breath quickening as I shiver under his touch. "You said it yourself, pet. You belong to me, and I'll take what's mine however and whenever I want."

His fingers ghost over my aching clit, making my thighs tremble. I bite down on my bottom lip, trying to stifle a moan. He arranges his body between my spread legs, with my bound ankles resting between his shoulder blades, and his forearms hooked beneath my thighs,

When his hot breath fans over my pussy, I make a strangled gasp.

"What do you love about me?" he asks.

"I love the way you eat my pussy," I say.

His tongue flickers over my clit. "Like this?"

"Aaah… Yes. Just like that."

"What else do you love about me?"

"I love the way you lick me until I come."

He chuckles, the sound so giddy and rich I find myself laughing along. Another thing I love about Cesare is that we have so much fun.

"Pick something else," he says with another sharp lick.

"Okay, okay. I love the way your fingers stroke my g-spot."

He slips one finger into my pussy, the movement deliberate and slow. He explores my insides before stroking the spot that sends a jolt of pleasure that makes my breath hitch and my body jerk.

"Like this?"

"I said fingers, not finger," I cry out, my voice raising several octaves.

He sucks on my clit, shutting off my complaint.

Pleasure coils deep in my core as he teases that sensitive spot while lavishing my clit with gentle licks and sucks and nips. I lose track of the game we're playing and convulse, my legs shaking as he continues his sweet torture. I buck and gasp against his ministrations as my body teeters on the precipice of ecstasy.

"Greedy little pet" he murmurs against my sensitive flesh. "You can't get enough."

"Fuck, Cesare," I say between ragged breaths. "I love this so much."

His cruel chuckle makes every fine hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

My body shivers. If he stops, I'm going to die. Just to urge him along, I blurt, "I love the way you make me come."

Growling into my pussy, he adds another finger. "What else?"

"I love… Oh, God… I love the way you make me feel, I love the way you can turn me on with just your presence. I love how you've become the most important man in my life."

The truth in the words escaping my lips hits like a wrecking ball, making the room echo with a gasp. I never thought I'd hear myself baring my heart so openly to a man.

His eyes widen, and he quickens his strokes. "Tell me more."

"Cesare, I love… I love…" My breath hitches. I've only said those words to one man, who I thought I loved with all my heart. It's only fitting to say them to the man who filled his chest with bullets. "I love you."

He pauses, his eyes widening.

"Say it again."

"Please. Don't stop."

His fingers continue teasing my g-spot, sending shockwaves of pleasure through my core. It's so intense that the reverberations ripple through my body like a tsunami, making me writhe and shudder at his touch.

Waves of awareness crash over my senses as it sinks in that I just confessed my love. Before I can react, he presses harder, driving me further into oblivion.

I gasp through a whirlwind of raw emotions and sensations, my thoughts scattering across an imaginary current. Pleasure swims across every nerve ending, and my eyes roll to the back of my head, making me see a sea of sparkling stars.

"Say it again." His voice slices through my haze.

"I love you."

His fingers slide out of my pussy, and I cry out at the loss. Heartbeats later, he moves further up my body, so we're lying chest to chest with my ankles now resting on his hamstrings.

"I love the way your cock fills my pussy?" I say, my voice breathy yet still filled with hope.

"Fuck, Rosalind. Do you know how sexy it is to know the woman begging for my cock can kill me in a dozen painful ways?" he says with a groan.

"Fuck me now or I'll choke you with this pajama top."

He enters me with a hard thrust that jerks my entire body against the headboard. Intense pleasure ignites in my pleasure centers as his thick cock stretches my inner walls.

"You're perfect. Don't ever change," he says.

His bulbous crown brushes over that spot again, detonating explosions of ecstasy. Squeezing my eyes shut, I tighten the muscles of my pussy around his shaft, making us both groan.

"Open your eyes, pet, or I'll stop," he growls.

"Wait." My body still trembles through the shocks of my last orgasm. "Give me a minute."

He remains deep inside my pussy, his lips crashing down on mine. Our tongues intertwine, communicating the depth of our shared feelings with a kiss. I want this man to consume what's left of my heart and make it his own. To claim every inch of my mind, body, and soul.

Cesare has a fiery passion that's melted through my icy barriers. He burns the pain of my past and turns my doubts into dust. Like the phoenix, he's rebuilt me from the ashes into a woman ready to embrace romantic love.

"Move," I murmur against his lips. "Please."

Pulling back, he grasps my hips and pounds into me, driving that thick cock inside me again and again with forceful thrusts. The room fills with our combined moans and the sound of flesh slapping on flesh as he fucks me with no mercy or restraint. It's as though he's releasing an entire torrent of passion.

I buck against him, my pussy clamping and spasming around his thick shaft. Ecstasy radiates through my entire being as he continues his brutal assault, each delicious stroke leaving me breathless and craving more.

The bed creaks against our movements, and the room fills with the heady scent of lust. I curl my fingers into fists, resisting the urge to break through my restraints.

"Harder," I manage to choke out. "Please, don't stop."

"What else do you love about me?" he says, his voice breathy with exertion.

My mind short-circuits for a heartbeat before everything spills out. "You're complicated, strong, edgy, unpredictable, kind. I love the way you can touch me without even laying a finger. Most of all… I love the multiple orgasms."

"Then I'd better not disappoint."

He tilts my hips, changing the angle of his thrusts so each stroke hits that sweet spot over and over. The round ball of his piercing drags over my sensitive flesh, each slide inciting fresh waves of pleasure.

Cesare grabs my throat and squeezes. "Come for me, Pet. I want to hear you scream how much you love me while you come apart around my cock."

My muscles tense as he cuts off my breath, pounding into me harder and harder as the pleasure mounts. Dark spots dance in the corners of my vision, threatening to engulf my entire being. I fight through the haze, wanting to hold on to this sensation.

HIs grip tightens around my throat, making blood rush through my ears. His deep voice cuts through the sound with a growl. "Say it."

My vision turns black for a few frantic heartbeats, then light pours in from a constellation of stars.

"Rosalind," he says, his voice ragged with desire. "Tell me you love me while you come."

My lungs fight for air as he buries himself deeper, my ears filling with his guttural groan. Every vein flushes with heat, while my belly dips with a delicious blend of exhalation and terror.

The sensation is all-consuming, saturating every nerve and thought. Pressure coils like a spring, tightening with anticipation of release.

"Now," he roars.

"I love you. Fuck, Cesare. I love you so much." The words release with a violent burst, sending out an orgasm more powerful than the last. My pussy convulses around his shaft, which pulses once, twice, three times before he fills me with hot cum.

Cesare releases his grip around my neck, allowing me to suck in a noisy breath. My lungs fill with precious oxygen, and I blink away the stars to stare into his handsome face.

"I love you, Rosalind," he says, his voice hoarse. "And I will never let you go." He collapses on top of me, his head resting against my cheek.

"Thank you," I whisper into his hair. "Thank you for loving me. Loving us. Thank you for setting us free."

We lie together for several moments, his cock still hard even after his climax. I wait for him to change position for another round, but he draws back and cups my cheek.

There's a warmth in his eyes I never saw before through the icy blue. It's like my declaration of love has also shattered through a barrier he held around his heart.

"Tommy's still alive," he says.

My jaw clenches. "We'll find him."

"That's not my point, love," he replies, his eyes shadowing with regret. "I transferred two million into your account, and I have a man at the ready if you want two sets of ID. Just say the word."

My heart splinters, and I look him full in the face. His features are a mask of forced calm, but there's no mistaking the emotions behind his darting eyes. I see fear, uncertainty, and loss. He isn't asking me to go, merely opening the door to my cage. He doesn't know if I'll stay or flee.

"Do you think I would ever leave after opening my heart?" I ask.

He pulls back, but I slip my wrists out of the silk bindings and hold him in place.

"Cesare."

"You never told me you wanted to stay, love," he says, his gaze wandering toward the headboard.

He's right. That entire time we were holed up in the hotel, watching over the hospital, I refused to talk about what would happen after our bargain was complete. Even while we were fucking, I didn't mention a future that included him.

Cupping his cheek, I turn his face to meet mine. The vulnerability in his features reminds me so much of the boy in the photo album.

"I finally have somewhere I belong," I murmur, looking deep into his pale eyes. "Even if I'm halfway across the world, the only man I'll truly feel connected to is you."

"Because I broke your spirit?" he asks, the words halting.

My chest fills with so much warmth that the corners of my lips lift into a smile. "You broke something, alright, but it wasn't my spirt. You broke every expectation I had of men. I never pictured a future for myself, let alone a family, but you've given me both."

Eyes softening, he asks, "Do you really hate it when I call you pet?"

"Do you think I'm a replacement for your dead bunny?"

His eyes widen a fraction, but he hides the surprise with a shake of his head. "You're my lioness. Strong, fierce, and protective of her cub."

I laugh, feeling so giddy that I cup both his cheeks and arch up to capture his lips. "Fine, I don't mind being a lioness. I love being thought of as fierce."

"What else do you love?" he murmurs into the kiss.

"This again?"

"I never get tired of hearing it."

"I love everything about you, Cesare Montesano. The way you fight, the way you fuck, the way you love."

"So, you love me, then?"

"Don't push your luck."

He hauls me up, so I'm sitting on his lap. "You love me. Admit it."

"Fine." I give him a peck on the lips. "I love you and I'll never leave."

His breath catches and he wraps his arms so tightly around my back that it feels like he's trying to meld us into a single being. I rest my head against his, basking in our closeness.

Life couldn't be any better. I spent years being the victim, followed by the villain. Now, I'm the victor. From this point on, I'll be the heroine of my own happy ending.