Chapter 20

Bathing Nova was like bathing a feral cat. She fought me on everything. She didn't want to get in the tub. She didn't want to stay in the fucking tub. Then she didn't want me to touch her, or wash her hair, or any other fucking thing that people did when they bathed. She just wanted to be a pain in the ass.

There were shampoo suds running down her face and Nova still kept her eyes open just so she could glare at me. Stubborn didn't even begin to explain her attitude.

"Lay back."

"Fuck you."

"We already played that game." A smirk lifted the corner of my mouth. "I won."

Her hazel eyes lit up with hate as her arm swung through the air, smacking me across the face.

Alright, that's it.

I grabbed her neck and slammed her down on the bottom of the tub. Nova kicked and flailed, causing water to slosh off the sides of the tub. Pretty sure there was more water on the floor and in my clothes than there was in the tub, anyway.

I ignored the nails clawing at my forearm and quickly scrubbed the shampoo out of her hair before letting her resurface.

Nova shot up, coughing and sputtering air back into her lungs. And through it all, she held onto that glare.

"You almost killed me!" She shrieked while slamming her arms down and splashing more liquid on the tiled floor.

"If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead. Trust me."

For once in my life, I was trying to be nice. It might be for entirely selfish reasons. Like not wanting to hear her bitch about pain when we went to sleep, but that was beside the point. Plus, allowing her pussy to relax in warm water might make it easier to fuck her again.

Compared to me, Nova was tiny. I liked our size difference. It took nothing to toss her around and hold her down, but I couldn't slam into her. It didn't work, I tried. I had to coax her pussy open, inch by agonizing inch. It was incredibly frustrating.

"Get away from me." A wet washcloth slapped on the side of my face. "I don't need you to wash me."

I smacked my lips together and pushed the cloth off my skin, letting it flop on the floor. "You needed me to take your clothes off."

"That's because you threw me in here."

That I did. But that was her fault. She wouldn't get in when I told her to. So I picked her up and chucked her in, clothes and all. It was fucking hilarious. She looked like an angry, drowned rat. It was cute, though I gotta say I preferred this view.

"Are you done drowning me now?"

I raked my eyes over the swell of her breasts to a pert pink nipple. "Not yet."

I kind of wanted to jerk off in the water so she had to bathe in my come. Then again, I hadn't felt her mouth in a while.

"Well, I'm done."

When Nova moved to stand up, I pushed down on her shoulder, slamming her ass back in the tub with a thunk.

"Sit the fuck down."

"I am not going to sit here so you can gawk at me."

"You'll do what I tell you to."

Nova huffed and crossed her arms, pushing up her breasts.

I don't know what she was complaining about. She was making absolutely no effort to cover herself up. It was a far cry from the modest girl I first told strip.

I wasn't sure if that meant she'd given up, or if she was too angry to care. Either way, my eyes were free to roam where ever they wanted. Like the red cuts in her hip spelling my name.

Gio.

Something so small shouldn't make me this hard, but I fucking loved seeing my brand on her. I might have to add a few more to her slender body. Take my time to taste and mark every inch, starting with those pert little tits.

Lifting my hand, I gazed my finger up the side of her breast.

She jerked back, but not before I saw a trail of goosebumps prick over her skin.

"What bothers you more Gattina? That I fucked you, or that you liked it?"

A hand cracked off my cheek. "Go fuck yourself."

"I'd much rather fuck you, but if you insist…"

I stood up and began to unbuckle my belt.

Nova eyes widened as she jerked to the side and lifted her leg over the edge.

"If you so much as step out of that tub, I'll bend you over it and fuck your ass." I growled, stopping her before her foot could touch the ground.

I pulled my cock out and locked eyes with her as I stroked my shaft. It wouldn't take long, for some fucked up reason fighting with her riled me up.

A pink tint flowed across Nova's cheeks and down her neck into her chest as I picked up speed. I jerked myself in hard, firm strokes while she watched. She wanted to look away, but she couldn't.

I could see the guilt and fascination glimmering in her eyes. This was wrong in her eyes, but a part of her liked it. her chest began to heave, lifting her nipples like tantalizing nubs that made my mouth water.

Two strokes later my knees damn near buckled. My balls pulled up as I shot my load in her bath water. The sick and twisted part was how I felt knowing that she was now soaking in my come. Some dark thing inside me growled mine. I was filled with the urge to claim her in every way I could.

I wanted to fuck her in front of this whole town, then rub my seed into her skin. I wanted to smell like me and taste like me and scream my name while she bounced on my cock. Hell, I even wanted to piss on her and mark my territory like a motherfucking animal.

Tucking my dick back in my soaked jeans, I pushed back those dark urges and bent down to swirl my hand in the bath, mixing my seed with the water.

"Can I get out now?"

"No." She hadn't been in there long enough to soak up my scent.

"Gio, this is ridicules."

I was well aware of how ridicules the situation was, but I couldn't help myself.

"Use this." I passed her a bottle of bodywash.

"Why?"

"Because it's mine." And so was she.

Nova rolled her eyes and huffed, "Fine."

I watched while she gave herself a quick scrub down. It wasn't quite what I wanted, but it was enough to calm the need boiling through my veins.

Letting out a breath, I stood up and peeled my wet shirt off.

"What are you doing?"

My brow arched at Nova as I twisted the fabric and squeezed the water out. One would think that I was the one who was thrown in the tub.

My jeans were soaked and sticking to my legs like a second skin, while my damp hair flopped down over my forehead. I was dryer in the shower.

Nova snorted out a giggle. "You look like a wet dog."

I was awe struck by the way the gold and silver flecks in her eyes lit up. She looked absolutely beautiful when she smiled.

"You can get out now." She'd been in there long enough. Besides there was something else I wanted to do.

I walked over to grab a couple of towels off the shelf in the corner. One I laid out on the marble counter between the sinks, then I looked over at Nova as she carefully stepped out of the tub.

Her slender leg reached out, daintily stepping her tiny foot on the black tile below. Her movements were smooth, beautiful, and enticing. Until she slipped and fell on her ass.

I shook my head. "Can you do anything right?"

"Hey." Her glare snapped my way. "The floor is slippery."

Gee, I wonder why.

"Do you think you can walk over here without breaking your leg?"

Her eyes narrowed on the counter as I gave the towel a pat.

My eyes rolled. "I need to clean your cuts."

"Oh. Okay."

She still seemed skeptical, but she made her way over. And not very gracefully. She slid across the floor, slipped twice, unwillingly did the splits, and fell on her ass. The part that blew my mind was that she only had to walk five feet.

The instant she was within reach, I lifted her off the ground and sat her down before she fell and cracked her skull on the counter.

"How you're still alive amazes me."

Nova lifted her chin. "I'm resilient."

"You're a brat."

"Aww." She popped her bottom lip out in a frown. "Is Daddy gonna spank me again?"

"Don't tempt me."

I flattened my palms on either side of her ass and leaned in. Her new position brought her almost up to my height.

"You gonna give me any problems?"

She shrugged. "Probably."

At least she was honest.

Sighing, I draped the other towel over her shoulders and wrapped the cloth around her chest.

"Oh you're so chivalrous." She sang in a mocking tone.

My brow arched. "I could go back to drowning you, if you prefer?"

"I think I prefer you that way."

Yeah, me too.

Nova shuttered and wrapped her fingers around the towel to pull it in tighter. "Can we get this over with? I'd like to go back to hating you."

"I don't think there is any going back."

Her eyes fluttered up to mine. "Nothing's changed."

That where she was wrong, everything had changed. I didn't know when or why, but it had. And she knew it. She could feel it too. That was why she was staring at me like that.

"Okay, lay back." I reached out and gently pushed her back against the mirror behind her.

Nova didn't fight me. She didn't say a word as I swept the towel out of the way and brushed my finger over the Gio carved into her skin. It had only been a day, but she was healing nicely.

I set about disinfecting the wound. Nova squirmed a bit while worked, but didn't get in my way. I could feel her watching me as I smoothed a fresh bandage over her skin. She was nervous.

Her body was tense and slight little shivers shook her legs. When I was done I couldn't help but bend down to press my lips on the cuts.

Nova let out the tiniest gasp that had my cock aching for more.

My eyes shifted over to the sweet spot between her thighs that was hidden by the towel. I'd never hatted a piece of cloth more in my life.

"Gio?"

"What?" I smoothed my palms up her thighs and kissed kissed the spot above her bandage. This time my tongue darted out to taste her skin. She smelled like me, but tasted like sweetness and sin.

"Why do you call me Gattina?"

I paused to peek up at her. Nova was trying to change the subject. Clever girl. Too bad I wasn't easily distracted.

"It's Italian for kitten, and you have sharp claws."

I brushed her towel out of my way and grazed my mouth over her soft skin, reveling in the way her belly quivered.

Nova sucked back a gasp and tried to shut her legs, but my hands on her thighs prevented that. When that didn't work she went back to questioning me.

"You speak Italian?"

"Si Bella. Ora metti i piedi sul bancone cosi posso leccare la tua fica."

"Huh?"

I snickered and moved my mouth over to the spot just below her bellybutton.

"Yes," I slid my hands down to grab her claves. "I speak fluent Italian." I lifted her legs and propped her feet up on the counter. "Do you have any more questions…" I tipped my head to look up at her. "Or can I lick your pussy now?"

She answered me with round eyes and a heavy swallow that I decided to take as a signal to go ahead.

I pushed her knees apart, buried my face between her thighs, and greedily dragged my tongue up her slit. Nova jerked back while I growled as the sweet flavor of her arousal exploded in my mouth. I'd never get enough of this taste. It was divinely sinful.

I grabbed her ass and pulled her in to continue my feast.

Nova fought me at first. Tried to yank on my hair and pull me away. But the second her fingers needily pulled at my scalp, I knew I won.

Nothing tasted as sweet as victory. Except for Novalee's cunt. I soaked it all up. Every grunt and whimper that escaped her mouth while I sucked on her clit and stuck my tongue in her opening.

When she let out a long deep moan and her body trembled with an orgasm, I was a bit disappointed. I wanted Nova to come so hard that she gushed all over my face, then again on my cock, and when I was taking her ass. Which I would, just not today. Anal wasn't something one just did. It had to be worked up to. But I had things for that.

I stood up and licked my lips while Nova flopped back against the mirror and panted. Pride filled my chest when her eyes began to droop shut.

I did that. It was my mouth that sapped the energy out of the little ball of spitfire that was Novalee Ford. Not some other guy's mouth, but mine.

"Come on," I scooped her up in my arms. "You need sleep."

And I needed a shower.

I carried Nova out and tucked her into bed, where she happily curled up and closed her eyes. Just as I was headed back to the bathroom a knock on the door made me stop.

"I got something you might want to see, Little Brother."

Fucking Romeo.

He wouldn't go away until I talked to him, but I wasn't going to let him in here either. Not while Nova was naked on my bed. I didn't care if she was covered up by the blanket.

Begrudgingly, I walked over and quietly slipped out into the hall.

Romeo's brow rose as his eyes dipped down to my wet jeans. "You install a pool."

"Nova had a bath."

"You know the water is supposed to go in the tub, right?"

Ha, ha very funny."What do you want, Romeo?"

"Figured you'd want this." He held out Nova's phone. "It was going off in her truck."

Oh.

I took it from him. "Thanks."

He didn't leave after that. He just stood there, eyeing me.

"Is there something else?"

He leaned back against the wall. "Your girl stirred up some shit today."

"Fat Ricky will get over it." That probably wasn't the first time a chick threw something at him.

"Is she going to be a problem?"

Novalee and the word problem went hand in hand. "I've got it under control."

"You sure about that?"

Why was he suddenly concerned? I was pretty sure he was all for the marriage part of the agreement. "Is this coming from you or him?"

The him being my father. He didn't handle messy well.

"That girl's got a big mouth, Little Brother. You might want to teach her to keep it shut before she pisses the wrong person off."

A big mouth was an odd thing for Romeo to say. Yes, Nova didn't know when to shut up, but she hadn't seen or heard anything that she shouldn't have. It all just sarcastic bullshit. That's when it hit me.

"When's he coming?"

"Next week."

So, I had a week to teach Nova how to be polite. Fantastic.