Melody Anne's Billionaire Universe: Devoured (Kindle Worlds Novella) (9 page)

Chapter Seven

At Vivian’s nervous nod, Luca carefully undid the row of buttons of the dress, his blood heating with every added inch of skin revealed. He touched her elbow, and Vivian understood his cue, moving up from the chair. She was trembling under his touch, and while it did make Luca want to be gentle, it also whetted his desire for her. The baser, more primitive side of him responded to it, making him want to devour her even more.

Slowly, Luca peeled the dress from her body and down her arms, and Vivian shivered as the dress caressed her skin on its way to the floor. When he took her hand and drew her towards the bed, she followed him in a sensual daze. Her heart was beating madly again, and she could barely breathe as Luca made her lie back on the bed.

He loomed over her for a moment, one knee bent on the bed, staring down at her with fiercely possessive eyes.

“Mi principesa.”
His voice was rough and velvety at the same time, and another tremor racked her body.

As he slowly unclipped the front clasp of her bra, Vivian remained still while her mind raced with thoughts of what would follow. It was sweet torture, knowing what would happen but not knowing how it would feel. When she felt the cups of her bra fall to the sides, revealing her breasts, she couldn’t help gasping---

“Beautiful,” Luca breathed. Her embarrassment heightening his arousal, he moved down and took one pouting pink nipple into his mouth. He began to suck, tenderly at first then hungrily. Her whimpers, soft at first, gradually became louder, filling the room, and he growled, moving to her other breast and doing the same. He felt her arch against his mouth, her fingers driving through his hair.

“
Luca.”

He rose up, kissing her full in the mouth, and his blood burned as she kissed him back with untutored passion. He undressed himself without breaking the kiss, and although it took longer than usual, he managed it.

And just in time because he wanted her so badly by now, all he could hear were her cries of need---

Vivian moaned in protest when Luca tore his mouth away, but then she felt him kissing his way down her body, and she gasped instead. Down and down his mouth went, pausing on her belly, and she jerked. His hand settled on her upper thighs, clasping them tightly before pushing her legs open, and she stiffened. “L-Luca?”

His head lifted. “Trust me?”

She swallowed. “Y-yes.”

His head lowered back down, and she closed her eyes, consciously making an effort to relax herself. But then his tongue lined her sensitive flesh, and she buckled with a moan, the piercing pleasure completely taking her by surprise.

“
Luca.
Oh God, Luca.” Her head began to toss and turn on the pillow, her fingers clutching the silky sheets as Luca’s intimate kiss continued to play havoc with her senses. When his tongue entered her, she cried out, unable to believe that she was really experiencing this kind of kiss. She couldn’t help looking down, her gaze seeking his, a part of her wanting to be sure that it was truly happening---

Another gasp escaped her as she stared down at his dark head between her legs, all the while feeling his tongue thrust in and out of her---

It was really Luca, kissing that part of her body.

Her senses reeled, and she fell back down on the bed as something imploded inside of her. The feeling was indescribable, overwhelming to the point that for one moment it defined everything that she was and would be.

And then she felt him sucking her as she came, drinking her cum, taking it all in, and her nails dug deep into his skin as her pleasure reached its peak.

“Lucaaaaaaa!”

As Vivian came against his mouth with a scream, Luca licked her one last time, moving his tongue leisurely against her flesh before moving up. Bracing his arms on the bed, he settled himself between her trembling legs and gazing down at her, he grated out, “I’m going to take you now, Vivi.” Brushing the wet strands of her hair away from her face, he asked in a rough undertone, “Si?”

She stared up at him, lips still swollen from his kisses, green eyes clouded with desire, and whispered, “Yes.” He didn’t say anymore after that, his jaw only hardening as he slowly nudged his length against the sensitive triangle between her legs. Vivian tensed and caught her breath as she felt the tip of his erection enter her.

Inch by inch, he filled her, and her nails dug deeper into his back with every movement. She could feel him filling her, and when he finally penetrated her completely, breaking through the barrier of her innocence, a cry of hurt escaped her---

“I’m sorry,
cara
,” Luca gritted out, the sound of her pain wrenching something inside him. He forced himself to keep still, knowing she needed to adjust to the way their bodies were now joined. While Vivian didn’t know the kind of pleasure that awaited them, he did, and the knowledge made the waiting even more tortuous, causing beads of sweat to appear on his forehead.

When Luca finally felt the tension gradually leave her body, he tested it by withdrawing an inch, and Vivian reacted immediately, her eyes flying up to him. “L-Luca?” Instead of answering, he kept her gaze pinned on her as he plunged back in. He saw her eyes widen and her lips part.

“Luca.”
But this time, she breathed it with a tinge of shock and wonder, and Luca knew it was time.

Vivian couldn’t help clutching his shoulders when Luca began to move in and out of her at a steady pace. She had always wondered why some people were able to throw their lives away just for the pleasures of sex, and now she knew. Every time Luca sank his length into her, it was like she had a taste of heaven, and as his movements became faster and wilder, it was like heaven had also become much, much closer.

Luca’s hands moved under her body, clasping the cheeks of her bottom as he angled his thrusts. This time, he went so much deeper into her, and with every plunge of his length, it would rub against the sensitive nub of her flesh, making Vivian gasp.

She had thought that there would be no greater pleasure than what his thrusts were already giving her, but this---

Oh God, this---

And then she could feel it again, those feelings that had once taken over her body, rising and rising, and Vivian moaned.

“L-Luca!”

The way her voice caught told Luca that she was close to coming for the second time, and wanting to experience the same thing with her, he moved even faster, and their bodies began to rock against each other. Taking a grip of her hair, he kissed Vivian, his tongue thrusting inside her mouth the same time he plunged his length into her.

The simultaneous possession of her mouth and body was too much for Vivian, and she cried against Luca’s mouth as she shattered at the strength of her orgasm.

“Luca, Luca.”

The way she sobbed his name triggered his own release, and with a growl against her lips, he came inside of her, filling Vivian’s core with his heat. Her arms wrapped around him, tightening, and he kissed her harder even as he reached for her legs, wrapping them around his waist so he could spill all of his seed into her.

When she opened her eyes, it was to realize he had carried her into the shower, which – for something that was in a private plane – was still bigger than what she shared back at home with Maggie.

After making sure the water was just the right amount of hot, he gently lowered her to her feet under the pulsing jets of water. He began soaping her and she closed her eyes, savoring the tender caress of his hands.

Luca was surprised when Vivian took the soap from him, her eyes telling him she wanted to return the favor. Seeing the way her cheeks burned, he told her in amusement, “You don’t have to,
cara
.”

She said stubbornly, “But I want to.” And so she did, starting with the sexy, muscular panes of his back and chest, which were easy and even exciting enough to clean. But when it was turn to touch his length, she hesitated---

“You don’t have to force yourself,” Luca said teasingly, seeing her fingers freeze mid-air.

She lifted her chin. “I’m not.” Her fingers circled him, and to her shock, she heard Luca hiss. Her fingers tightened reflexively, and his body tensed.

When her gaze flew to his in question, Luca managed a strained smile. “I can’t help it, Vivi. I still want you very much.”

Oh.

Swallowing, she whispered, “I w-want you, too.”

The words fed his arousal, but Luca forcibly stomped it down. “I appreciate hearing that,
cara,
but you’re still too sore.” He reached for between her legs, stroking her lightly, and she tensed. “See?”

“But---” Her gaze moved to the rigid proof of his need. “What about you?”

He raised a brow. “What about me?”

Biting her lip, she said awkwardly, determinedly, “I want to please you.” Her gaze rose up to meet his. “Please?’ Her hand touched his chest, and Luca breathed hard. “Teach me?”

Ah.

In one moment, the seducer became the seduced, and Luca found himself surrendering to her sweet command. Taking her small hand into his, he made Vivian wrap her fingers around his length. He taught her how to stroke him, how to caress him, and she did so eagerly and passionately. The combination was too much, and with a rough growl he came in her hand like a schoolboy.

There was no feeling like it, seeing the way his gaze glittered with need at her touch, and when his large, powerful body shuddered against hers as he came, Vivian almost felt heady with power.

How could someone like her give someone like him such pleasure?

Maybe it was nothing extraordinary, maybe it was simply chemistry or she was being too naïve, but for Vivian, it wasn’t just sex. It wasn’t just physical pleasure. It was…a promise, a reason to hope despite the truth.

The truth that she had always known, despite everyone thinking she didn’t.

Even Maggie thought she couldn’t see there was a catch, but she did.

Luca had turned off the shower and was toweling her dry now. After, he carried her out of the shower, and she closed her eyes and snuggled against his strong chest. He laid her down the bed, pulling the covers over both of them after closing the lights.

Drawing his new wife into his arms, Luca reflected broodingly on the fact that after his ex-wife, he had never experienced the inclination to spend the night with another woman.

And yet here he was…

She shifted in his arms at that moment, and Luca glanced down at her in the dark.

Vivian turned towards him, whispering, “What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing,” he lied.

She nodded against his chest.

“And you?”

The truth,
Vivian thought, which was that when one was too used to being disappointed, it was far, far easier to understand motives that weren’t all too pure.

The truth, and that was Luca Valencia had always been searching for the right woman to marry---

To control---

To make sure that he would not be betrayed again.

Instead of answering him, she drew his head down and pressed her lips to his. “Good night,” she whispered, and with that kiss Vivian welcomed whatever the future would bring with eyes wide open.

Their marriage might be imperfect, but it didn’t have to stay that way.

Chapter Eight

Thursday.
Vivian didn’t care about what she thought yesterday, she just had a feeling today was going to be
the
best day ever of her life. But first, she had to get up and---

“You think too loud,
cara
,” a sleep-roughened voice murmured from behind just before she was rolled to her back. A moment later, and Vivian was drowning in a sweet, hot kiss. Wrapping her arms around her husband’s neck, she kissed him back eagerly, her passion effortlessly rising to meet his. In truth, he only had to look at her, and she wanted him.

Like now.

Vivian let out a little gasp when he reversed their position in a quick roll, and then she gasped again as he slowly but steadily impaled her on his erection.

“L-Luca…”

His arousal sharpened at the way his wife threw her head back at her penetration, dark hair streaming behind her like a silky cloud that he itched to grasp and keep in his possession. Dio, but she was so beautiful, and it seemed like every time they made love, the more he could not get enough of her.

His wife began to move then, lifting herself up and then sinking back down, riding him the way he had taught her to, and his hands around her waist tightened. She began moaning as she rocked herself against him harder and faster, and the sound of her obvious pleasure had Luca drawing her down so he could catch one nipple with his mouth.

“
Aaaah
.” The way he sucked her nipple ripped her apart, and she could no longer keep her movements above his body steady. As if sensing the way she was fast losing control, he reversed their positions once more and as she fell on her back, she felt him rise to his knees. Her eyes opened in time to see him clasp her ankles. He pushed her legs as wide apart as possible before slowly entering her again.

“Luca!” He was oh so deep inside of her, and oh, it was killing her, the way it felt so, so good, to have her husband filling her. He began to move, thrusting hard and deep, and all she could do was follow his lead, head tossing and turning against the pillow.

Her swaying breasts drawing his attention, Luca reached out to cup them with each of his hands, squeezing and kneading the swollen flesh even as he continued to plunge his length into her over and over. When he started playing with her nipples, Vivian’s breathy little cries started echoing inside the room, and when he reached with one hand to pinch her tiny nub of pleasure, she jerked against his touch, her eyes rolling back as she came.

“Lucaaaaaa---”

Lifting his wife’s lower body up as her cum streamed out of her, he began moving faster, and soon, he could feel his own release rising. Breathing hard, he pulled his length all the way out before sinking it one last time. Her inner muscles clenched around his erection, tightening and triggering his own climax, and Luca came with a rough growl, spilling his seed into her even as his thrusts became wilder and faster.

When Vivian finally managed to catch her breath, she opened her eyes and saw her husband staring down at her. It was embarrassing, even after everything, and she blurted out awkwardly, “Good morning.”

Luca’s lips twitched. “Good morning, Mrs. Valencia.” The last one had his wife’s cheeks turning pink, and this time he could no longer suppress his smile.

She socked his shoulder, mumbling, “You just say that because you know it still makes me blush.” She wanted to sound mad, but even to her own ears she sounded more breathless with pleasure. And how could she not sound like that, Vivian wondered helplessly, with the way their bodies were still joined, his length throbbing temptingly against her muscles.

Luca drew his knuckles against her cheek, murmuring, “You still blush so easily.”

She made a face. “I can’t help it.”

“I am not complaining.”

Vivian rolled her eyes. “You may get a kick out of it, but I think it’s silly and I’m determined to find a way to be less, I don’t know,
blushable?
”

He laughed. “Ah, Vivi, I am a full-blooded Italian, but even I know that is not a proper word.” He expected her to retort like she usually did, but when she didn’t, it had him looking down at her, and that was when he saw the way she was staring up at him in wonder.
“Che cos’ e?”

Swallowing, she admitted, “Even after three months of marriage, it just feels like I don’t hear your laugh often enough.” When Vivian saw his eyes widen, it was her turn to laugh, and she asked teasingly, “Are you surprised you’ve lasted this long with me?”

“Has it really been three months?” He shook his head, saying wryly, “If you want the truth,
cara,
I am more surprised that it’s only been three months.”

“You feel like you’ve been married longer?” At his nod, she asked worriedly, “Is that a good thing?”

It was,
he thought broodingly,
and it wasn’t.

In truth, Luca could barely remember how life was without Vivi. Her quiet presence had more of an impact than he expected, and in ways that he had not imagined. The knowledge that Vivi was in his home, taking care of Eula, had actually allowed him to work more efficiently, and the knowledge that he had a family – a real and complete one – waiting for him had also made Luca cut back on his work hours. There was just something about Vivian’s willingness to listen that soothed his nerves, the way she never cared to be too funny or too smart allowing him to drop his guard and simply enjoy the moment with her.

She really was one of the best investments he had ever made in his life, and it was rather incredible, when he thought about it, that Luca had been able to acquire his wife for a measly sum.

His wife was indeed an asset,
he thought, and it would always stay that way as long as he remembered that in the end, she was just that.

An asset.

When Luca began pulling away, Vivian made no effort to stop him, sensing his silent need to put some distance between them. After three months of marriage, she knew him so much better now, and she knew that whenever he wanted to put more walls between them, it was only because he was feeling too much.

And these days, it was happening more often than usual.

So just be patient
, she told herself.
Don’t be too aggressive, too greedy, or too impatient
.

When Luca saw his wife watching him walk naked towards the bath, he raised a brow at her, asking, “Enjoying the show,
cara
?” She threw a pillow at him, and he caught it handily with a grin. “There is nothing to be embarrassed about. I myself have no shame in admitting that I always enjoy watching you striptease---”

She sat upright with a gasp at his words, and clutching the sheets to her, she protested, “I have never done a striptease!”

“Every time you strip in front of me, you tease me. You arouse me. Is that not the definition of a striptease?” Walking back to her, he caught the other pillow she threw at him effortlessly and threw it on the floor. Then he swept her up in his arms and silenced her planned retort with an open-mouthed kiss. By the time he lifted his head, his wife’s gaze was once again clouded with desire, and Luca smiled in satisfaction at the sight.

In the shower, they made love once more, despite his wife’s protests that she might be late in preparing Eula’s lunchbox for school. This time, he took her from behind, with her breasts flattened against the glass wall, and Luca teasing her that he might have forgotten to lock both the bathroom door and the main door of their bedroom.

“How could you,” she moaned in protest. But even so, the thought that anyone could enter the bathroom at that moment was both terrifying and shamefully exciting, making her feel even wetter and hotter.

Licking her ear, he whispered, “It turns you on, does it not, Vivi? That we are doing something forbidden, that people might catch us---”

“N-no.” But her voice was weak, and soon enough she forgot what else she had to say when Luca’s thrusts sped up, and all she could do was pant and let him take command of her body.

In the end, she barely had enough time to shower and prepare a sandwich for Eula, and then it was a race against time as the driver figured out a way to beat the traffic and ensured her stepdaughter would make it to school in time.

Inside the car, Vivian was surprised when Luca told the child that she would not be able to fetch her after school.

“I’m not?”

“Why not, Papa?” Eula asked at the same time, visibly upset.

“Because I will be taking Vivi out to lunch---”

“You are?” she gasped.

He lifted a brow. “Unless you would rather not?”

“I would definitely rather,” she said so quickly.

Eula was scowling. “But Vivi can have lunch with me.”

Luca laughed, more amused than annoyed at how his daughter was well taking after him with how possessive she was. And normally, he would have given in, but unfortunately for his little princess, today he happened to feel just a bit more possessive towards Vivi.

“No arguments,
principesa
,” he told her firmly. Gentling his tone, he promised, “But it is only for today. She will be yours again tomorrow.”

Eula’s scowl eased a little. “You promise, Papa?”

“Si.”

She sighed. “Then okay. You may borrow Vivi only for today.”

When they had dropped Eula off at school and they were all alone in the car, he asked her wryly, “Is she becoming too bossy, do you think?”

Vivian grinned. “Just a bit, but what can you expect when you’re her father?” But then she remembered his words from earlier and she hesitated, biting her lip before blurting out, “Are we celebrating our third monthsary?”

He winced. “Must you call it that?”

She blinked. “What, monthsary?”

Luca could not help wincing anew. “Si.”

“Monthsary?”

“
Yes,
that,” he snapped. Then he heard her unsuccessfully trying not to giggle, and he realized she had been teasing him.

When his gaze narrowed at her, she couldn’t help giggling again even as she tried to appease him, saying, “I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it. You just looked so cute, I mean, because you had this sick expression on your face when I mentioned the word ‘monthsary’---there, you looked exactly like that a while ago.”

As the sound of her giggles filled the car, he drawled lazily, “I believe I’m going to have a suddenly busy day today, Vivi. I might have to cancel---”

Oh, fudge.
She hastily covered her mouth until she was able to control her amusement, and lowering her hands, she told him earnestly, “I’m not going to laugh anymore, I promise.” But she wasn’t even finished speaking when her lips started to tremble at the effort not to smile.

Sighing, he drew her close to him, saying, “I suppose if I really want you to stop laughing, there’s only one way to do so.” Her lips parted, but before she could speak, he had already covered her mouth with his.

When they arrived at his office, it was Luca’s turn to sternly repress his smile. His wife walked beside him, her hand covering the side of her neck like a vampire had just bitten her. She had been like that the moment she caught sight of her reflection on one of the car windows---

Oh my God, Luca, why are your hickeys always too big!

The memory had him coughing in an effort to control his amusement. At the same time, he heard his wife whisper, “Do you think they believed me when I told them I was stung by a bee?”

“I’m not, err, certain,” he said diplomatically.

“What about when I told the other woman I was bleeding?”

“A bit implausible but not, err, impossible, I suppose?” But this time, he had to cough again.

She looked up at him suspiciously. “Are you laughing at me?”

He pulled her inside the private elevator and waited for the doors to close before answering her with a grin, “Yes, I am.”

She gasped. “You---”

Again, he swallowed the rest of what she had to say with another kiss, and for the second time, he moved his mouth down so he could mark her neck again.

Realizing this time what he was up to, Vivian couldn’t help laughing even as she protested incredulously, “You can’t be serious!” But then she felt him begin to suck at the tender skin of her neck, and she realized he was that serious. “Luca!” She was torn between amusement and chagrin, and oh, if she had to be honest, she was more than a little aroused, too, especially with the way his hard length was pressed against her.

And this was how Rafe Palazzo found his friend when the elevator doors slid open to the penthouse, where he had been waiting for Luca’s arrival. His eyebrows shot up at the sight of Luca locked in an embrace with his wife of three months. He cleared his throat, and the woman froze, her eyes flying open.

Rafe’s surprise deepened. She looked very innocent…and extremely in love with her husband.
This might be not a marriage of convenience after all
, he mused, and the thought brought Rafe relief.

Finally taking heed of the way his wife seemed to be seriously trying to get him to stop marking her, he reluctantly lifted his head, and she immediately whispered, “Your friend is here.”