I don’t want anyone to think I would ever hurt her. Even as everyone comes over, wishing us luck for a fruitful first night together, I hold her close. I try to shelter her from their gazes as they make what they think are discreet remarks about her fertility and her body.
When they’re finally done and everyone has left the room, I walk away for a moment out onto the balcony to cool down.
“I am sorry that you were stuck with me.” Her voice is far away, and when I look back into the room, she’s sitting on the bed with her eyes on me.
“Stuck with you?” I ask her, a bit taken aback by how wrong she has it.
“I know what people say about me. That I am ugly, ghostly, and an abomination to the family. My siblings and cousins are nice to me out of necessity. I will be a burden.”
She’s looking at me with a brave face on, not wanting to let her emotions get the better of her. I wish I was as strong as her, because hearing her talk so poorly of herself and how poorly others have treated her has my anger flaring back up to the surface like a wave.
I walk over to her and sit next to her on the bed, grabbing her chin between my thumb and forefinger. I drag her face to my own and kiss her hard. I let my hands explore this time, moving them from her face to her hair to the back of her neck, where I pin her face against my own.
She opens her mouth, and I delve in, letting my tongue swipe against hers, and when she lets out the sweetest fucking moan, I have to physically stop myself from nutting in my pants. Her hands hold my forearms, and she meets my kiss with excitement, learning quickly by following the way my lips move.
“I’m not stuck with you, Aurora,” I tell her as I break the kiss and lean my forehead on hers. “You are not ugly. You are not ghostly. You are not an abomination. And you are definitely not a burden.” I end each sentence with a kiss, nibbling on both of her lips to bring the bright red blood to the surface.
“You don’t find me ugly?” she asks, a bit breathless. Her eyes search my own, darting back and forth as she looks to see if I’m lying.
“Not at all. I find you fucking exquisite.” I tug a bit on her hair, and her head falls back slightly, baring her throat to me. I let my mouth wander there, tasting her flesh and sweat as I kiss her pulse point. Her thighs rub together next to my own.
Fuck, my dick is going to break through my goddamn zipper.
“Then why did you stumble when you saw me walking down the aisle?” she asks, her voice coming out as a whisper as her hands hold my head to her neck.
“Mi hai sbalordito.” You stunned me. “I was not expecting you.” My hands leave her hair to find the tens of buttons holding her dress together. I begin to pick them apart one by one. “You’re perfect, mia piccola luna.”
A hoarse laugh escapes her, and I hear her swallow.
“Aspetta un attimo. Aspetta,” she says. Wait a moment. Wait.
I pull back to look at her but leave my hands on her spine, slowly unbuttoning her dress.
“Owen,” she breathes, running her hands over my face.
“Fuck,” I groan, dropping my head into her neck. “Say my name again.”
“Owen, I need to tell you something.”
I kiss her throat and finally get to the base of her dress. When I pull back, it begins to slide down her shoulders, baring more of her soft skin. I want to yank it off her. I need to see her. I need to have my mouth on her.
“What is it, sweet girl?”
“Owen,” she says, her voice unsure as her violet eyes meet my brown ones. “I’ve been told that this gets…” She trails off, looking for the right word as she gestures between the two of us. “Faked? Faked. The blood ceremony.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that, sweet girl,” I tell her, even though my blood is boiling at the thought that someone else has touched her. “I won’t make you bleed for it. We’ll use my arm.”
“No, no. That’s not what I am trying to say.” She’s getting flustered, and her accent is getting thicker. “Sto cercando di dirti che non dobbiamo fingere.”
I am trying to tell you that we do not have to fake it.
CHAPTER FOUR
“Mia piccola luna,” I whisper, cradling her face in my hands. I kiss her forehead, her eyes, her cheeks, and finally, her mouth. She sighs and leans into me.
“I am embarrassed,” she admits, pulling away slightly to try and meet my eyes. I can tell she’s wary, and I don’t blame her. We’ve only known each other for an afternoon, and we’re already alone together in a room, and we’re expected to consummate the marriage.
“There’s nothing to be embarrassed of,” I soothe, trying to be as gentle as possible.
“I am sure you are not a virgin.” The last word is whispered, and her eyes drop from mine. They land directly on my crotch, and I know the moment she’s realized I’m hard because her entire body lights up like a fucking firework.
She chews on her lip, bringing the blood to the surface. I touch it with my thumb and pull it free while she tries to look anywhere but at me.
“We can fake it,” I tell her. Her head spins towards me.
“We cannot.”
“Sure we can.” I shrug. “If others do the deed and fake the blood, why can’t we fake both?”
“You do not want to sleep with me?” she asks, her eyebrows knitting together with concern. I can’t keep up. I feel like I’m doing this all wrong.
“Aurora,” I growl, grabbing her jaw a bit more roughly than I intended. Her mouth opens on a gasp, and her eyes widen, the pupils expanding with desire. I know at least a part of her wants this. Her body language is giving me all the right signs, but I don’t want to scare her away. I want this to be good for her.
“Yes?” she asks. Her hands have fallen to my thighs to help keep her upright, and her delicate fingers dig into the muscle there. My cock swells as her breath fans across my face.
“I want to lay you down on this bed and taste every inch of your body. I want to eat you until you scream my name loud enough that the guests hear you on the other side of the house.” I kiss the side of her mouth and move to whisper in her ear. “I want to feel that tight little pussy of yours stretch for the first time as I sink my cock inside of you.”
I nibble on the lobe of her ear, and her breathing picks up. I can feel her pulse beating wildly where my hand rests on her throat.
“If you want this,” I tell her, forcing her head to the side so that I can leave a trail of kisses down her neck, “I will worship your body the way it deserves.”
“Voglio questo da te,” she whispers. I want this with you. She starts to work her dress down her arms, but I stop her.
“If we’re doing this, we’re going to do it right. I’m not going to rush it and end up hurting you. I will take my time.”
“But…” She trails off and gestures to the bulge in my pants. “Doesn’t that hurt?”
How inexperienced is she?
“Aurora, can you tell me how much you’ve done with someone?” I ask her.
“What do you mean? I told you I’m a virgin.” Her fingertips graze my shaft over my pants, making my abs flex, and my jaw tightens.