She didn’t think she could possibly experience anything so wonderful or wicked ever again, until he surprised her by rolling her to her stomach, lifting her hips, and slamming his cock deep into her.
“Dear God,” she gasped, her eyes going wide, as he fucked her. And that was absolutely what he did. She hadn’t even been aware of him unfastening his trousers, but there he was now, filling and stretching her with what could only be an enormous cock, utterly uninhibited. He hadn’t asked if she liked it rough, he just knew, and that was how he gave it to her. “Yes!” she cried out. “Yes, oh yes!”
A second orgasm washed over her, blurring the edges of her vision with its intensity. Her inner muscles worked him until he, too, was panting and groaning with pleasure. His cries grew louder, until he let out a desperate cry and slammed hard into her. She should have been offended that he would be so careless as to come inside of her, but it felt so good to be mastered by him that way that she couldn’t bring herself to care. She reveled in every vast inch of him buried deep within her.
He was the best lover she’d ever had, there was no denying it. He’d made her come twice without either of them undressing. She wished it could go on forever, but all too soon, they collapsed onto the sofa, breathless and spent.
“That was…” she began, but couldn’t find the words to finish.
“I know,” he panted in return.
His arrogance made her laugh, even as her heart swelled with affection for him. He was simply wonderful. It crossed her mind that she didn’t know how she would be able to give him up once their mission was done. Perhaps, if she was persuasive enough, she could convince him to stay in Rome with her a little while longer. Perhaps she could—
Her thoughts were cut short by a sudden knock at her door, urgent and demanding.
“Signorina, I know you’re in there.”
Chapter 5
Violetta’s heart shot to her throat, and she tensed so fast she nearly choked. As wonderful as making love with Thomas had been, they’d been foolish to let themselves go.
“Hide,” she hissed, rolling out from under him and off of the sofa. She landed on her knees, but there was no time to wince in pain. As quickly as she could, she stood, pushing her skirts down and fumbling to tuck her breasts back into her corset and button her bodice.
Thomas shifted on the sofa, doing up his trousers and tucking his shirt in. “Where do I hide?” he whispered, glancing around the room as he struggled to his feet.
“Somewhere. Anywhere.” Violetta ignored her clothes for a moment, grabbing Thomas’s arms and spinning him away from the sofa. “The bedroom,” she said, pushing him to the half-open door.
“Signorina, please let me in,” the man in the hall called through the door. Violetta would have recognized Antonio’s voice anywhere. Of all the times for her amorous troupe-mate to enter stage left, this was the worst one. “Signorina, I am worried about you.”
“Just a minute, Antonio,” Violetta called to him as soon as Thomas disappeared into her bedroom. She wanted to tell him to shut the door all the way, but he left the blasted thing half-open, likely so that he could monitor whatever interaction she was about to have with Antonio. If she were honest with herself, she was relieved to have the security of a man looking out for her during what could turn into a tense exchange with Antonio.
Antonio knocked even harder once he knew Violetta was home. “Please let me in, Signorina. I will knock down this door if you don’t. My heart has burned with worry for you these past few hours. I don’t know what I will do if you do not show me that you are well and safe.”
Violetta rolled her eyes as she did up the last of her buttons. She checked her reflection in the small mirror she kept next to her door. Her vanity over wanting to look her best every time she stepped out of her flat was more useful than she could have imagined. She definitely looked worse for wear. Her face was still flushed pink and dewy with sweat, but already her mind was coming up with an excuse for her appearance.
She unlocked the door and opened it slowly, faking an enormous yawn, then rubbing her face, particularly her mouth, which was swollen with kisses. “Heavens,” she said, blinking at Antonio with a sleepy smile. “You caught me napping, Antonio.”
Poor Antonio looked as pathetic as he did anxious. He held his hat in his hand and had worried the brim so much that it had crumpled into a shapeless mass. “Signorina,” he said with such pathos that Violetta thought he might cry. “I heard a rumor in the streets that you were kidnapped by an Englishman. I had to come see for myself whether it was true.”
“It wasn’t—”
He pushed past her, striding into her flat, before she could tell him to go away. Once his back was to her, Violetta dropped her vain and innocent actress expression for a moment to stare daggers at his back.
Antonio moved around the apartment as though Thomas would jump out at him from every corner or cupboard. “You don’t need to pretend with me, Signorina,” he said. “You and I understand each other. We are part of the same troupe. We are like family, no?” He continued to move restlessly, going to the window and looking out, then crossing back to the sofa.
He narrowed his eyes slightly at the scattered pillows on the sofa. At some point in their romp, Violetta and Thomas had pulled the blanket that was thrown over the back of the sofa askew across one arm. The cushions themselves were cockeyed. All in all, even Violetta couldn’t deny how suspicious it looked.
“As I said, I was taking a nap,” she said, reaching for his arm, looping hers through it, and attempting to escort him to the door. “I had the most amazing dream while I was sleeping,” she went on. “I was being chased through London by a bandit who was intent on stealing the brand-new hat I had purchased at my favorite haberdasher. Have you ever been to London, Antonio?”
“No, Signorina.” He shook out of her grip when they were only feet from the door, doubling back and investigating the other side of the room. “You can tell me if the brigand is still here,” he whispered, moving to a small bookshelf near the stove that served as her kitchen. “I will protect you.”
Violetta faked a laugh. “That really isn’t necessary, Antonio. I’m fine. Just a little sleepy is all.”
Her words ended in a squeak as Antonio darted suddenly into the bedroom. Violetta leapt after him, but he’d already thrown the door all the way open and invaded the space. Heart in her throat, Violetta chased after him. Her room looked as ordinary as it had when she’d left it that morning. Her bed was nearly made, her vanity was carefully arranged, and the window was shut. She searched around with wide eyes, attempting to guess where Thomas could be hiding.
“Really, Antonio,” she said, far more casual than she felt. “You cannot go invading a young woman’s bedroom like this.”
“Ah, Signorina,” he said, turning to her with a wistful look that made him appear more foolish than ever. “If you would only invite me into this room, I would give you memories to last a lifetime.” He inched closer to her.
The edge of her wardrobe door moved just enough to tell her where Thomas was hiding. She took a step back with a coy laugh. “Now, Antonio. You know that I make it a rule never to dally with members of the troupe. That way lies madness.”