Page 2 of Unrelenting (Ruthless Temptations #1)

TWO

Lorenzo

Lucia’s delightfully expressive face hides nothing. Her shock at my declaration is apparent, but I had to let her know how things stand. I’m done waiting for her to soften toward me. It’s time to make her mine.

As I come to a stop in front of her, I detect fear, but also a trace of desire. I reach out and brush a stray hair from her face. She swallows so hard the gulp echoes through the otherwise silent room.

“What do you mean, you want me? I thought you were interested in buying the restaurant.”

“I was at first.”

She screws up her nose, an outward sign of her confusion. Clearly, my being here has scrambled her thoughts. I like that I’ve thrown her off balance.

“But you don’t want it now?” she asks.

Though I would love to add this Florentine institution to my extensive property portfolio, I accepted weeks ago that Lucia’s refusal to sell is not some tactic to persuade me to increase my offer.

She really doesn’t want to let go of the place.

She inherited the restaurant from her grandmother and intends to keep it in the family.

No doubt she wants to pass it down to her own children one day.

I respect her dedication to preserving her family legacy. I also admire her fierceness in defending the property from my attempts to purchase it.

She may not realize it, but she’s the only woman who’s ever spoken to me as bluntly as she has. Few men would dare to.

Something about the defiant glint in her eye when she stands her ground has piqued my interest. She’s a challenge, and not one I intend to lose.

“No, it’s not the restaurant I want. It’s you.”

Her frown deepens. “I don’t understand.”

Why is she not getting it? She cannot possibly be this obtuse.

I sent her flowers and an invitation to an exclusive event at my new vineyard.

Surely she doesn’t think I did that to get my hands on the restaurant?

If she does, she’s seriously misinformed about my business methods which are far more brutal.

“I want to fuck you, Lucia.” I spell it out in the starkest terms to voice any further misunderstanding.

She blinks twice. “Why?”

Rather than fishing for compliments, she looks genuinely curious, so I hold back the disbelieving laugh that’s desperate to break free.

“Isn’t it obvious?”

She folds her arms across her chest. “Not to me. I’m not your usual type.”

She’s right. Lucia Lazaro possesses a beauty that most women I fuck only achieved with cosmetic enhancements and expensive dresses.

Even disheveled after an evening spent working in a hot kitchen, Lucia outshines most of the women I’ve been with. Her gorgeous dark blonde hair and enormous brown eyes are incredibly alluring.

It’s not just her physical attributes I’m drawn to, though. She knows her own mind. Right now, I’d love for her to give me a piece of it.

“What is my usual type?”

“Well, judging from what I’ve seen on social media…”

“You’ve read about me online?”

Caught out, she scowls. “You’re hard to miss since you court gossip.”

People may spread stories about me, but I do nothing to encourage it. “I really don’t, but go on.”

“Judging from what I’ve read online, you go for bleached blondes whose tits are bigger than their IQs. I’m guessing you like the type of woman who falls at your feet to worship your magnificence.”

“Hmm.” As much as I hate to admit it, her assessment is accurate. I stroke my chin thoughtfully. “Lorenzo the Magnificent. I like the sound of that.”

Lucia snorts derisively. “You’re five hundred years too late. We’ve already had a Lorenzo the Magnificent.”

I nod. “A great patron of the arts, if I recall, and an incredible statesman, though not without a few stains on his reputation.”

Lucia’s eyes widen. “You know about the Medici?”

Now it’s my turn to scoff. “I may be a simple Roman boy at heart, but I’ve embraced Florence as my home. I’ve learned all I can about its history.”

The Medici and their kind were not so different from the families who vie for power today. I studied them long before my brothers and I expanded our territory into Tuscany.

“But to get back to the topic at hand,” I say, “I want to fuck you because you’re not like my usual women. You possess a rare beauty, and you have a spine of steel.”

Lucia shuffles from one foot to the other. “I’m not sure about that.”

“You do,” I insist. “You’re afraid of me, but you refuse to back down.”

“I am not afraid of you.” Her denial would hold more weight if her voice didn’t quiver.

“You are a little, and that’s okay. I like it.” Reaching out, I curve my hand around her cheek. To her credit, she doesn’t flinch. “The moment you defied me, I knew I would make you mine.”

“Lorenzo…” There’s a note of caution in her voice. I love how my name sounds on her lips, but I’d rather hear it in a breathless moan.

“We’ve been dancing around this long enough, Lucia. I want you, and I’m not prepared to wait a moment longer.”

She lifts her chin in challenge. “And if I say no?”

I don’t have an answer to that. I’d like to think I’m strong enough to walk away, that I’d never take a woman who’s unwilling, but I’ve never faced a test like that before.

“Are you saying no?” I drop my hand to my side.

Lucia holds my gaze for a few seconds before looking away. Unable to utter the words to refuse or accept me, she sinks her teeth into her bottom lip.

I step toward her, and she backs away. I follow until she comes up against the wall. Placing my hands on either side of her head, I cage her in.

“There’s nowhere left to run, Lucia.”

Blinking rapidly as if trying to reset her thoughts, she stares up at me. Her lips part, and I take that as an invitation.

Bending my head, I kiss her. She tastes of vanilla and everything pure. I push my tongue into her mouth and explore a little before I realize I’m alone in this.

“Kiss me back,” I demand.

She doesn’t. Stubborn woman. I wrap her ponytail around my fist and yank her head back. Her eyes flash with fire. There’s anger there, but it doesn’t mask her desire. She enjoys being handled roughly. That’s something I can work with. It’s not as if I’m known for tenderness.

“Kiss. Me. Back.” The order is harsher, impossible to refuse, and this time she does as she’s told.

When I release my grip on her hair, she pushes up on her toes and kisses me. It’s tentative at first.

If I didn’t know better, I might think she lacked experience, but my brother insisted on digging into her background and revealed her three-year relationship with the nephew of a relatively minor Mafia don.

She was on track to marry Adriano Rossini until he was arrested for attempted murder.

My brother thinks it’s concerning that Lucia is rumored to have abandoned Rossini when he needed her the most. In our world, a woman is supposed to stand by her man.

I don’t give a shit what happened in her past. I’m not the person I was in my early twenties, and I doubt she is either. Adriano clearly wasn’t worthy of her undying loyalty, but I intend to make sure I am.

Putting thoughts of her previous relationships aside because they’re a mood killer, I deepen the kiss.

Lucia threads her fingers through my hair and gives a sharp tug. Fuck. I love that. She stiffens when I return the favor, pulling on her ponytail, then softens against me.

A moan slips out of her as I slide my hand beneath her starchy chef’s jacket to palm her breast. It’s not enough for me. I want to feel the warmth of her skin against my fingertips.

Breaking the kiss, I step back. Her work clothes do nothing for her body. I want to see what I know is concealed beneath these shapeless garments.

“Strip!” My command is firm, letting her know refusal to comply will not be tolerated.

Despite my order, she hesitates. Her chest rises and falls slowly as she takes a steadying breath.

Then she looks me straight in the eye as she unbuttons the stained white jacket, removing it to reveal a fitted beige t-shirt. She pulls it off over her head, and the sight of her plump breasts, only partially concealed by delicate lace, does not disappoint.

Lucia kicks off her shoes and slides those wide black trousers down to the floor. She steps out of them and unfastens her bra.

It’s not a sensual disrobing my any means, but my cock is getting harder by the second. As she drops her bra to the floor and takes off her panties, I’m in danger of losing control.

Her body is sheer perfection. Her arms are toned, her waist small. Long, lean legs are a testament to the work she puts into maintaining her figure. I’ve seen her running by the river. She pushes herself hard. It would be fun to chase her sometime.

“Beautiful,” I tell her. “I can’t wait to fuck you.”

“Then don’t,” she replies with sudden boldness.

I grin, amused she thinks she’s a match for me. Grabbing her shoulders, I spin her around. She throws her arms out to brace herself against the wall.

I lean down to suckle on the delicate spot at the base of her neck until I’m sure to have left a mark. Then I trail my lips to her ear.

Can an ear be pretty? Hers is. I nip the lobe lightly with my teeth, and she shudders with desire.

“Are you on birth control?” I ask.

“Yes.”

That should make me happy because if she agrees, it means I can fuck her without a condom. But it irritates me to know she’s taken precautions.

It’s not that I want her to pop out a little Lorenzo anytime soon. It’s that she was thinking about the possibility of being fucked, and not necessarily by me.

My possessiveness runs deep with this woman. I don’t want her to entertain a single thought of being with another man.

“I’m clean,” I tell her.

She murmurs something I take to be consent for me to go in bare. Unbuckling my belt, I lower the zipper on my pants and drop them enough to free my cock.

I don’t check if Lucia is wet because the way she’s squirming with need tells me she is. Positioning myself just right, I kick her legs farther apart and shove straight into her.

My cock glides effortlessly through her folds, confirming she was ready for me.

I slide out and push back in, eliciting a satisfying moan from her lips. Perhaps some other time I’ll go slow and worship her body the way she deserves, but right now I can’t hold back. I’ve waited too long to claim her. I’ve imagined this moment down to the last detail.

Somehow, reality surpasses the picture I painted in my head. It’s sheer heaven to be inside her.

“Oh, fuck,” Lucia whimpers as I pump my hips harder.

As I pick up the pace, I think about what her tight little ass would look like after a thorough spanking. I would never dish out a punishment unjustly, but Lucia will eventually slip up and earn one.

Then I’ll revel in seeing her creamy skin turning crimson beneath my palm.

The more relentlessly I fuck her, the more labored Lucia’s breathing becomes. She pants and moans in desperation as I stamp my ownership on her body. Her pussy squeezes tight around me.

“Such a good girl,” I praise her. “You like being fucked, don’t you, Lucia? You like being owned.”

“Yes.”

I’m pleased she doesn’t deny it. Her head drops down, and her fingers scrabble at the wall as she becomes increasingly close to release.

“You want to come, gattina ?”

Calling her kitten wasn’t a conscious choice, but it feels right. She’s an appropriate mix of adorable and fierce, a woman with a good heart and razor-sharp claws.

“Yes.”

I smile to myself. If only it was that easy. She has to beg for what she wants. “I need a little more than that, Lucia.”

“Please, Lorenzo.” She raises her head and glances back over her shoulder at me. A thin layer of perspiration coats her brow, and her mouth twists in sensual agony. “Please make me come.”

“Well, since you’re being such a good girl for me.”

Sliding one hand around her throat, I drag her upright until her back is flush with my chest. She’s tall for a woman, but in my arms, she feels small and breakable.

It’s a strange realization for me, but I don’t want to break her. I hold her tightly enough that she feels my strength, but I don’t squeeze. Not yet.

With my other hand, I reach between her legs and find her swollen, throbbing clit. I circle it with my finger, gently at first. Then I stroke harder until she bucks her hips. Her legs tremble, and her head falls back against my shoulder.

Her glossy lips part, and her eyes darken with arousal. She’s close, but not there yet. She’s making me work for the ultimate prize.

I tighten my grip on her throat, watching her reactions in case she panics. It’s not my aim to frighten her. Some part of her must trust me not to hurt her because she doesn’t try to pry my fingers off her. I doubt she’d ever admit it, though.

As I steal her ability to breathe bit by bit, her body reacts. Her pussy spasms around my rigid length.

“That’s it, gattina . Milk my cock.”

As I release her throat, she comes with a scream. Warmth spreads through me as my cock swells inside her. I shudder as a wave of pleasure crashes over me and I follow Lucia to completion.

Resting my chin on the top of her head, I hold her close, giving us both a moment to recover. A powerful sense of satisfaction swells inside me.

It’s been a while since I fucked like that. No, that’s not true. I have never fucked like that before. I have never experienced such a connection with a woman. It’s fate or some shit.

I knew it the moment Lucia first glared at me. This is the woman I want, the one who’ll warm my bed and give me heirs. She’ll stand by my side for better or worse. It’s as certain as the sun rising tomorrow.

When she wriggles to free herself from my embrace, I carefully pull my cock out of her and spin her around. Her face is flushed, her hair wild. Some of it has come loose from her ponytail, so I pull the elastic from it to let it all down.

With crimson cheeks and a dazed expression, she looks thoroughly fucked and more beautiful than ever.

As she moves to step around me, I sling my arm around her waist and pull her back to my side.

“Where do you think you’re going?” I ask. “I’m not finished with you yet.”

A crease appears at the bridge of her nose. “You’re not?”

Did she think this was going to be a one and done situation?

“No, I’m not finished with you, Lucia.” I bend to put my arm beneath her legs as I lift her off her feet. “I’m not even close to being done with you yet.”