“Maybe he was off work that day,” Carmine says with a shrug and walks over to the door. “I don’t really care. He’s not following us now.”
He opens the metal gate, and we step out, much to the surprise of a young couple currently walking around through the cemetery.
“Oops.” I grin and wipe my mouth, then wink up at Carmine. “Finally checked that one off the bucket list.”
Carmine laughs and pulls me away, just as the young woman gasps.
“Never a dull moment with you, is there?”
“Nope. And you’re welcome.”
Chapter 15
~Carmine~
“You really should come in with me,” Nadia says as she treads water in the crystal-blue pool. We’ve been at the resort in Cannes, on the French Riviera, for five days. We went from sightseeing and walking all over Paris to lazy days by the pool and eating all of the food in sight.
It’s all about balance.
“I’m happy to sit here and watch,” I reply. Nadia just shakes her head and starts swimming back and forth. We’re not alone here at the pool since it’s open to all resort visitors. But because it’s the middle of the week, it’s not overly crowded, either.
I’m sitting on a lounge chair, similar to the one that Nadia was sitting in that day that I found her in Miami all those months ago.
But so much has changed since then.
Finished with swimming, she moves over to the infinity wall and stares out at the water beyond.
The view here is stunning. We’ve spent quite a bit of time on the balcony of our penthouse suite, enjoying the sunsets.
It won’t be long before we’re back home, immersed in all of the responsibility that comes with our lives.
But for now, we’re simply enjoying our vacation. Together.
I take a sip of the fruity drink that Nadia ordered for me and watch as the woman turns from her view and gives me a smile as she swims through the water.
Her eyes widen in surprise, and I lean forward, wondering if she needs my help.
“Oh, crap,” she mutters, and as she walks up the steps and out of the pool, her bikini top is in her hands.
And her breasts are bare and on display.
“You’d best cover yourself.”
“The damn clasp broke,” she says. “And I liked this suit. Oh, well, I brought another one.”
“Put something on, Nadia.”
She looks up and frowns. “We’re in France. Trust me, no one cares that I’m topless.”
“I care.”
She tips her head to the side. “Seriously, it’s no big deal, Carmine.”
“Put something on, or we’ll go to the room.”
She simply sits on the chair, leans back, and tips her face up to the sun, her small breasts out for everyone to see.
“No.”
I press my lips together in frustration. “Nadia.”
“Carmine,” she says lazily and reaches for her drink. “I’m a grown woman. It’s not illegal to be topless poolside in France. So, I’m going to sit here. Topless.”
“For fuck’s sake.” I grab her black cover-up, toss it over her, and lift her into my arms. I don’t miss the man across the pool, watching us.
He’ll be dealt with later.
“What in the hell are you doing?”
I don’t answer. I simply carry her to the elevator, and when we reach the top floor, I stride into our room.
She’s glaring at me now.
I couldn’t care less.
“You’re such a fucking caveman,” she growls. “I didn’t do anything wrong, Carmine.”
“Stop talking.” I set her on the floor and then pin her against the wall. I take her hands in mine and lift them over her head with one of mine. With the other, I worry a nipple between my fingers. “If you think I’ll sit back and let you sit out there on display, for everyone to see, you’re sorely mistaken.”
“Let me—”
“I said, stop talking.” I drag my nose over the shell of her ear, breathing her in. My fingers pinch the nipple, just a little harder. “This, right here, is mine. Only for me to see.”
She whimpers when I move over to the other side and pay that nipple the same attention.
“No one gets the pleasure of seeing this but me.”
“Caveman,” she whispers, but I can tell the anger has left her, replaced by pure, unadulterated lust.
I make quick work of her bikini bottoms and my shorts, and with her hands still pinned over her head, I boost her up and slip right inside of her.
“This is what happens when you defy me, Nadia. You piss me off and make me want to claim what’s mine.”
“Oh, my God.”
“Look at me.”
With her blue eyes on fire and pinned to mine, I work her hard, making her come fast. With the second orgasm, I follow her over and lean my forehead against her shoulder as I release her hands, and she wraps her arms around my neck.
I can’t breathe.
And I can’t let her go.
“Jesus, you do shit to me,” I mutter.
“Same.” She swallows hard and looks at me as I pull my face back. “It really bothered you, I guess.”
“I wasn’t playing.”
Her mouth quirks into a grin. “I can see that. Fine, I’ll wear the suit. But I could say the same.”
“I’d look awful in a bikini top.”
She smirks. “Do you think I didn’t see the waitress flirting with you when she delivered your drinks? Or how the other women watch you when you walk across the pool area, wearing nothing but your shorts?”
“And how do they look at me?”
“Like they want to eat you alive. And I can’t blame them.” Her hands glide down my chest. “You’re a sexy man, Carmine. You have muscles for days. Combine that with this smooth olive skin and that sexy face of yours, and well, you turn heads.”
“Thanks for feeding my ego.”
“I’m not. It’s just how it is. But I don’t wrap you in a towel and pull you out of there.”
“I didn’t like it,” I repeat. “And I won’t apologize for it. If you want me to wear a T-shirt at the pool, I’ll do that.”
“Well, that makes me just sound dumb.”
“No.” I grin and kiss her chin, then set her on her feet. “It makes you sound possessive, and that doesn’t bother me so much.”
“I’m going back down.” She pads over to the dresser and pulls out a clean swimsuit. When she’s dressed, she turns back to me. “Are you going to join me?”
“Yes. Would a tank top be too revealing?”
She laughs now and shakes her head. “You don’t have to wear anything.”
I slip the tank over my head and shrug. “If it makes you more comfortable, it doesn’t bother me.”
“We’re sappy. You know that, right?”
“Darling, what a sweet thing to say.”
The casino is loud and bustling around me. I’m seated at a high-roller blackjack table, sipping whiskey and watching Nadia from several yards away.