Chapter 18

ALESSIO

W e went to bed and held each other.

I rocked her in my arms, heated by her limbs sprawled over mine.

Warmed by the thought that she’d shed her ice and shown me her true heart.

Which only stirred an unholy ire and a fierce, protective urge within me, a primal instinct to shield her from harm.

This, in addition to the fact that I was so drawn to her, so charged every time I saw her, it bordered on exploding for her.

I had to tread with care.

Cleo was an independent woman with layers and trauma.

Protecting her from danger didn’t warrant me caging her like her cult had tried to do.

My work was to give her the security she deserved without suffocating her.

I sensed she was done with aggressive assholes.

She needed tenderness, respect, and attention from someone who could offer love and intimacy with no restraints.

Whether I was that man remained to be seen.

At the thought, my cock twitched, thinking of all the things I wanted to do to her.

I blazed with a primal urge, my skin tingling with electricity as my thoughts raced with the possibilities of passion and pleasure with her.

Every inch of me was hit with a visceral wave of yearning, longing to explore and claim her in all ways imaginable, to make her moan.

My breath caught in my throat, a growl escaping my lips.

She shifted, still awake, and tilted her head up.

I tagged her dark-haired pixie tresses, framing those jade eyes brimming with desire.

Shit, she was feeling this too.

The scent of arousal and passion wafted through the air, heavy and intoxicating.

I canted a brow, and she followed its arch.

‘Mia sola,’ I rasped. ‘Sono pazzo di te. I’m wild for you.’

‘Even after what I shared?’ Her ask was tentative, vulnerable.

I growled. ‘I want you even more after it. Not to save you or get off on your pain, but because I admire you, carissima. Now, you’re a goddess to me.’

To my surprise, she reached a hand and touched the back of my head, tugging me closer.

‘Kiss me, Alessio, make me forget.’

I huffed in a timbered growl against her lips, then let my mouth skate over hers.

My hands found her waist, pulling her close as I deepened the kiss, losing myself in savoring her.

Cleo responded with a soft moan that sent a shock of electricity straight to my cock, her fingers tangling in my hair as she pressed herself to me.

The world around us faded away, leaving only the heat of our bodies and the intensity of our desire. Every nerve ending was alive and buzzing with need, aching for more of her touch.

When we finally broke apart, breathless and flushed, I rested my forehead against hers, trying to catch my breath. Cleo glanced up at me with eyes darkened with longing, a small smile on her lips.

‘I want you,’ she whispered, her voice husky with longing. ‘Like really freakin’ want you.’

I raised an eyebrow and quirked my mouth. ‘Woman, two days ago, you couldn’t stand the sight of me.’

She stuck her tongue in her cheek. ‘Do you always have to ruin the moment?’

When I blanched, she laughed.

‘I sometimes don’t do myself a service, do I?’ I growled.

She arched her brow this time.

‘Don’t get me fucking wrong. I’ve never wanted anything, anyone more. You’re fast becoming my life obsession.’

‘Then show me,’ she whispered, her eyes dilating with need. ‘Fuck me, baby. It’s been so long.’

I bit my lip, caught up in all of her, welcoming how she spoke out her need.

I stroked her cheek. ‘Woman, I want this too -.’

‘But -?’

I huffed. ‘Do you know of the phrase l’uomo e cacciatore ?’

She shook her pretty head. ‘No, I do not.’

‘It means the man is the hunter. Italian men are expected to pursue a woman over an extended period, months, even during which time women are obliged to rebuff their advances.’

Her brows canted in disbelief. ‘Is this why you’re taking us slow?’

My mouth curled.

‘What a fuckin’ sexist, self-defeating practice.’

‘But mia sola, it’s molto romantico,’ I growled, leaning in. ‘I happen to like delayed gratification because the payoff is always mind-blowing.’

‘Then you’re a sucker for punishment,’ she teased, her lips wandering in the soft light of dawn, seeking my neck and nape in a leisurely and sensual dance.

I growled at her wanton seduction. ‘I want you too, mia sola, so bad. Mi ecciti, you’re turning me on. Like you always have since I first met you. But I want to take it slow with you. To ease into it till your sadness disappears, to rock you to sleep in my arms until you forget. Because I need you to be ready for my brand of loving, it’s wild, raw, untamed, and hot, and you must be freakin’ primed for it, carissima.’

I struggled to maintain control as the primal urge to claim her consumed me.

I bent and pressed my lips to the corner of hers. ‘Then I’ll take you high, I’ll kiss you senseless, I’ll lick you, fill you, fuckin’ plug you.’

Her eyes were limpid in wonder as she caught on to my meaning.

‘Anytime, anyplace, I’ll be ready,’ she breathed.

My heart warmed at her lack of shame.

She lifted her mouth to me, and we fused into a fierce, desperate collision of two souls yearning for connection. Her hands roamed my body with a hunger mirroring my own, igniting a fire within me.

I ground into her, lost in the overwhelming need for her touch, her presence.

Eventually, we slowed into a lazy sequence of kisses and caresses until sleep engulfed us both.

We woke to dawn leaking in through the windows.

To lips searching and finding each other, mouths melding in a slow and sensual dance.

Morning’s soft illumination highlighted our faces, highlighting the tangle of our limbs and the craving in our eyes.

Every kiss deepened, igniting a fire within us.

Our gentle moans and faint whispers filled the room, accompanied by our quiet keens and gasps as our mouths glided, exploring and tasting, fingers tracing patterns on our skin.

‘Sei cosi seducente,’ I growled into her ear, probing the shell of it with my tongue. ‘So fuckin’ seductive.’

She moaned back, thrusting her hips against mine, driving me wild.

I pull back, almost cumming in my pants.

‘Woman, we’re breaking the rules,’ I grunted, waving at the air between us, ‘of l’uomo e cacciatore.’

‘I freakin’ want to break them all.’

I hitched a thigh over her, claiming her, our bodies melting together in a symphony of desire, entwined and connected in a moment of pure intimacy.

‘I should get up,’ I rasped at one point, cock aching, wanting to blow but keen to keep my promise to her.

Cleo sighed, running her fingers through my locks, nails scratching my scalp in a sensual release of pleasure strobes.

She nodded, a small smile playing around her lips. ‘Alright then, but you can’t blame a girl for trying.’

I chuckled, slipping out of her grasp and sliding off the bed. ‘A nympho, who knew.’

She shrugged. ‘I look the part, don’t I?’

With her swollen pink mouth, tousled pixie hair, and hot bedroom eyes, she did.

I took a moment to admire her.

Her beauty was nothing short of breathtaking. It took all my willpower not to look back at her as I left the room.

I headed for a brisk cold shower in the outhouse, my mind already set on the task ahead.

The water was fuckin’ freezing, and I cursed like a trucker as it splashed over me.

Still, it was invigorating and helped me clarify my plan for the day.

‘I’ll stake the Conti farm for the day,’ I told Cleo over breakfast.

‘Hell no. We’re doing this together.’

Her voice was firm, her eyes locked on mine across the kitchen table. Weak morning light seeped through the curtains. ‘What if something happens to you out there alone? I’m with you, and that’s final.’

I sighed and ran a hand through my locks. Part of me wanted to argue, to insist on going solo. But I was beginning to recognize that stubborn set to Cleo’s jaw. There would be no convincing her otherwise.

‘Alright, we’ll go together.’

I met her fierce gaze. ‘But we have to be careful. Stay hidden; gather intel only. No engaging unless necessary.’

She nodded. ‘Understood. I’m not looking to play hero, Alessio. I just can’t let you walk into danger alone. Not after everything and your injury.’

Her words sent a pang through my chest.

After all, she’d been through, all the shit and heartache she carried, Cleo still had my back without hesitation.

I jolted, reaching across the table, capturing her hand, and bringing it to my lips.

‘Sei fantastico. I’m honored to have you with me.’ I quirked with a half-smile. ‘There’s no one else I’d rather have watching my six. Now let’s get geared up and head out before the day escapes us.’

Cleo returned my smirk, her moxie shining through. ‘Time to see what secrets the Conti’s property is hiding.’

She stood, the scrape of her chair decisive.

We took off just after 7 a.m. as mist rose over the grass.

Again, I was reminded of my time with the Italian military, how we’d tramped across the Alps at a high elevation not so different from this one.

We navigated the winding paths from Cleo’s acreage to the Conti homestead.

I took her hand, and she smiled as we navigated the brush around us. Which was alive with the sounds of hidden animals, the patter of invisible feet, and the trill of birds.

A comfortable silence settled, evidence of our growing comfort and connection.

Also expanding in me was a ratcheting desire to love all of her.

At one point, I pulled her into my arms from behind.

‘What was that for?’ she murmured, facing me.

‘Call it innamorato cotto.’

‘Please explain,’ she invited in a whisper, dragging a finger across my lips. ‘What does it mean?’

‘What you think it does. Fotto, I want to make you come so hard when I get a chance.’

She ducked her head, a touch of shyness in her eyes.

‘Cleo.’

She twisted away from my rumbled growl with a roll of her eyes.

I caught the slight smile on her face and dragged her to me. ‘Where the hell do you think you’re going? I’m not done.’

She moved, eyes searching mine.

‘Mouth, now.’

She jolted against me.

‘Now?’

‘Right here. I want more.’

I raked her face, loving how her jade eyes deepened with lust, how her lips parted for me, how her cheeks dusted with a pink blush.

I reached a hand for her nape and tugged her to me.

She slid her hands around my collar, and I lowered my head, capturing her lips, sliding my tongue in an unholy caress.

Before easing it into her, tongue fucking her until she squeezed my neck so hard, its imprint left a mark.

I kissed her with intensity, demanding, suckling on her lower lip till she whimpered against my mouth .

My cock pulsed, and I almost entertained stripping her clothes off right there and then and making her scream out here in the wilderness.

We’d work to do, my logical brain told me.

I pulled away from her swollen, wet mouth and brushed her cheek with a finger, chest heaving.

‘You are pure, fuckin’ beauty,’ I rasped into her ear before tapping her ass and pushing her out in front of me on the path.

Tugging me forward, she stalked ahead, and I let her, drinking her in, her lush, tight behind, her hips, that waist, the small of her back and nape.

I couldn’t wait to fuck her senseless.

The sun beat down on our backs, the air heavy with the scent of earth and a rich biosphere.

Cleo took the binoculars from me at the fence line and studied the compound below.

‘I can’t see any of the Contis, just worker bees, majority of them on the hemp fields.’

‘See that?’ I whispered, pointing somewhere above one of the barn structures. ‘The last of the night’s frost is rapidly turning to steam, which means they have massive amounts of heat inside.’

‘Machinery?’

‘Some large operation that gives out massive energy. I plan to check it out. Tomorrow morning.’

Cleo’s lips pursed, and her hand tightened on my arm, her tone urgent. ‘Alessio, we need to be careful. What if one of the Contis catches us snooping around?’

My mind was made up. ‘I have to go in, Cleo. Maybe how we bring down Franco and his sons is by exposing the shit they’re up to. ’

Her eyes searched mine, and I tagged the fear and uncertainty warring with her fierce drive to end her nightmare. ‘Alessio -’

‘Woman, I know the risks,’ I growled. ‘But I also know that I can’t walk away.’

‘I -‘

‘You need me to do what no one else wants to,’ I grunted, this time with a hard, unyielding edge.

Sei la mia vita.

She was rapidly becoming my hope of a fuckin’ incandescent life, and I would never let her stop at any chance of bringing her happiness.

Cleo closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath.

When she opened them again, she nodded.

‘Okay,’ she murmured. ‘But we do this together. No rash decisions, no unnecessary risks. We go in smart, and we get out fast.’

I jerked my chin at the incredible woman beside me.

‘Tomorrow morning. I’ve a plan for how all this shit will play out.’

CLEO

It was early evening, and I took a much-needed shower in the outhouse .

We’d spent most of the day gardening and knocking items off my never-ending chores list around the farm.

I’d got so much done with Alessio by my side. What it had meant, however, was heightened contact with his sensual, sexy self.

Which involved brushing close to his skin, his hands on the small of my back, a stroke, and frequent pulse checks.

By sunset, my lust for him was out of freakin’ control.

Now, with a low-flow drizzle flowing over my skin, the jets in a stroking flow over my body, heat and desire pooled, making me sopping wet, sending fireworks through my pussy.

Not giving a second thought, I reached between my legs.

I slipped a finger past my lips and into my cunt, parted my thighs, and stroked, loving the fall of water off me as I flicked my clit.

I pulsed, thinking of him in those flippin’ sweats, no tee, just pure muscle.

I moaned, reaching one hand to grab the wash rail as my fingers worked faster.

Without warning, the door to the outhouse opened, and cold air rushed in.

I turned, gasping at the sight of Alessio, brow arched, slicing away from my nudity.

‘Scusa,’ he growled, backing out. ‘I didn’t know -’

To his credit, I’d decreased the water flow.

He’d had no idea I was inside.

As he twisted away, I called out.

‘Don’t go.’

He froze, head tilting, eyes still canted away from me in respect.

Silence fell as I bowed my head, face flushing .

What the hell was I thinking?

‘Did you fuckin say what I thought you did, carissima?’ he snarled after a beat.

I took a shaky breath.

‘Yes.’

I wanted this, no, I freakin’ needed this.

To feel, be touched, and have a man’s hands on me.

I hadn’t ever experienced the skill of a masterful lover, just the fumbles of much younger, unschooled men.

I craved Alessio; sensing his masculinity and sensuality was what I sought to set me off. It was greedy, it was selfish, it was fucking white-hot.

I sneaked a peek at him.

Wind rifled his hair as he lifted a finger, his body still canted from me. ‘Let me rerun this by you, carissima,’ he growled. ‘You want me inside. With you.’

My nipples pebbled at his growl, and not from the cool air from outside.

I glanced again at him over my shoulder, my hand holding tight onto the shower rail, the other still on my trembling upper leg. ‘Yes.’

That’s when he turned to me, eyes locking on mine.

Strangely enough, there was no shame.

Not with him.

How? I’d no idea, but Alessio Calibrese was the one man who made me feel so fuckin’ beautiful in so long.

With him, I always felt so needed, so seen, not owned nor controlled, but adored.

His gaze flicked to where my hand lay on the apex of my thighs. He trailed his eyes over my back, ass, my tits, and back to my face .

‘You yearning?’ he growled, so raw, it sent shivers all over my skin and pebbled tits.

I nodded, mouth parted, not trusting my voice.

‘You want me to make you cum?’ he rasped.

I took a shaky breath and jerked my head once more.

He bit his lip, and for a moment, I thought he’d walk away to my everlasting mortification.

Instead, his eyes smoked out, and he stepped into the small space.

He still had no shirt on, and his chest gleamed with sweat and dirt from our day spent in the garden and working the land.

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from his defined abs and how his muscles rippled with every movement. He was like an opus of masculine beauty, each sculpted line perfect and captivating.

The scent of his sweat mixed with the musky cologne he wore was intoxicating, filling my senses and heightening my desire.

My eyes drank him in like a thirsty traveler at an oasis, savoring the sight of his chiseled physique that spoke of strength and passion. Every hard edge and dip was a masterpiece, a work of art I longed to explore with my fingertips.

He strode to me, kicking off his boots and socks and throwing them outside.

In seconds, he loomed over me from the rear, his golden mane falling over his eyes, chest heaving.

Muscled and sinewed arms around me.

My breath hitched, my knees weakened, and my mouth went dry in anticipation.

First, he used the shower jets to wash his hands .

All the while, his torso hit my spine, his skin sliding over me, sending waves of need all over me.

With a grunt, he lowered his head to me from behind.

Pressing those sensual lips on my nape.

It galvanized me, and I turned, my grasp sinking into his mane.

His mouth met mine for a lush, scorching kiss.

Lips firm, sucking, biting, pulling.

When his veined, sinewed, heated hand cupped my tit, I lost purchase of his mouth as pure desire arced through me.

My head rested on his shoulder, panting, arms around his corded neck, holding on for dear life.

When he flicked my nipple and pinched it, making me moan.

His thick fingers moved lower, past my tummy mound, through the tiny nest on my pelvis, slipping in between my pussy lips.

I died and went to heaven.

Rotating into his nape, I lifted my thigh to give him all access.

‘Oh Dio, I’m so wet,’ I groaned.

He growled, thrusting a finger inside me, working me, exploring my folds with a tenderness that brought a sheen of mist to my eyes.

Gazing down at where his hands played in and over me, I held onto his neck and shoulders for dear life, hissing at the ecstasy, keening for more.

‘Alessio, baby.’

I tried turning his face to mine for a kiss, but he pulled away. ‘Only your pleasure today, carissima,’ he rasped, his timbre rumbling through his chest from behind.

I was so caged, so protected in his grasp .

His focused attention flamed me more as water poured over us, slicking over my skin, soaking his gym pants, and pooling at our feet.

Still, he stroked, then slid two more fingers inside my slippery lips, deep into my cunt.

His other hand, banded around my back, twisted to cup my breast, tweaking, squeezing, rolling my nipple, driving me wild.

I arched my vertebrae as his lean, long digits fucked me, his thumb twisting my clit in rotations of unending, unceasing bliss.

I bucked my hips, pushing against his hand, wanting him deeper,

‘Alessio,’ I breathed, thighs shaking, waist swirling so lost in chasing the stratospheric high I sensed was coming with him.

His eyes smoldered, tongue between his lips as he gave me the most delight I’d ever experienced.

The tingle in the back of my spine spread out into a wave over my back and legs. Then, with a burst, concentrated at where his thumb and fingers slicked over me, I exploded.

Bucking with such wild abandon, his arm had to tighten to keep me from slipping.

I was taut, tight as a wire, as he worked me, my entire body convulsing for him, on him. His cock thudded through his pants, a scorching length against my inner thigh, driving me even more savage.

‘Die on me, mia sola,’ he growled.

I did, falling slack into his embrace, limbs aching from the tautness of arching so hard, panting even as I came down.

He pushed me up and on him, tits on his wet chest, eyes closed, my face buried in his nape.

He rinsed me off, his hands stroking over me, until one hand slipped between us, a finger reached beneath my chin and tilted my face to his.

I blushed as unbidden words spilled from my lips. ‘Was that pathetic? Was I a desperate slut?’

He rumbled, ‘Cleo, cara, I won’t have you talk about yourself like this. You were wild, you were fire, and you were the best non fuck I’ve ever had. I can’t wait to undo you, make you scream with my cock in you.’

I let out a sigh, chest heaving, biting my lip.

Imagining.

‘I want every drop of you.’

He huffed, eyes crinkling with pleasure at my greed for him.

Eyes flaming, he growled, ‘Woman,’ reaching for the shower gel.

He washed me with a tenderness that brought tears to my eyes before drying me off.

‘Now get the hell out of here so I can cool down, bella.’

I nabbed my towel from his hands and kissed the corner of his lips.

And fled.