Chapter Thirty-Seven

F L O R E N C E

As soon as the words leave my mouth, Niccolo’s eyes darken with lust and I melt right on his lap.

“Are you sure, my love?” he asks.

I nod, smiling softly as I trace his lips with my thumb. “Wanting you has never been a question to me.”

His expression becomes soft, so soft that it almost looks like he's pained, longing. "Wanting you is the best thing I have ever felt, but I think you should be resting right now, my love. Come to bed, I’ll help you relax."

He smiles and starts to pull away, but I can't just watch him do it. I'm left with this strange bereft feeling even at the thought of letting him go, of letting him step back without knowing how I really feel.

And so I grab the back of his neck and pull him back for a kiss.

Niccolo lets out a sigh, like he's been waiting for this all along. I feel his breath passing on my lips, and the warmth enters me and consumes me. Suddenly I can feel the tugging sensation again, only this time it's ten times more intense. It's almost a need, a desperate one. A fleeting moment so surreal that I'm becoming it.

I put my hands on the hem of his shirt and tug upward, revealing his toned body and his strong arms. I let my hands roam on his chest, stroking it in circles as I feel his skin warming up to my touch. His heart is beating fast, almost as fast as mine. My palms travel lower and he bites my lip softly, making my core wet with need.

"Niccolo," I try to say, but I lose my voice when he starts to plant soft kisses down my neck, his hands on my waist, grabbing and caressing as he goes. He nibbles my ear, and a new wave of longing reverberates in my core. "Niccolo, take off my robe."

He pulls away just enough to look into my eyes. "Are you sure?"

I nod and, with that, he slowly pulls back my robe, his eyes transfixed on my breasts. My nipples harden instantly, just because of the need in his gaze. He barely throws the robe aside when he gently lowers me on the soft bed and starts to kiss me again, positioning himself on top of me as he splays me right before him, leaving all of me bared to him.

Niccolo slides his tongue inside my mouth, playing with mine until he decides to pull the kiss lower. He drags his lips along my neck, across my collarbones, and finally to my breasts.

A moan escapes me when his mouth encloses my nipple while he flicks his thumb on the other.

The heat of his lips and the roughness of his thumb shoot pleasure right down to my core. I buck my hips to tease him, but he ever so patiently switches between my breasts. Then, while sucking my nipple, he trails his hand along my abdomen, my navel, and finally between my legs.

The smallest contact of his fingers along my wetness nearly makes me explode, so I reach over to pull down his pants. His length comes out easily and I close my hand over it—hard, warm, and pulsing. I move my hand back and forth, reveling in the sensation of him, until he pulls back from me and groans.

I bite my lip at the sight of him in deep pleasure, but it doesn't take long before he eases my hand away. He stares at me, a new fire burning in his eyes.

In one fluid motion, he scoops me up, puts me on his lap, and lies down to watch me on top of him as my core rests on his length.

I can feel it pulsing under me, making me moan. His hands are on my hips, moving around to squeeze my behind. Without warning, he lifts me, aligns his manhood, and enters me in one powerful thrust.

“Niccolo,” I moan, throwing my head back as the sudden feeling of fullness lights my body on fire.

The sensation of him stretching my walls and filling me to the brim causes me to whimper. He grabs my hands and puts them on his chest before guiding my hips, making me gyrate on top of him with him inside me. It takes me a while to adjust to him, but the longer I feel him inside me, the faster I move.

"Come for me," he whispers, and just like that I spiral over the edge.

I come as he bucks his hips and arrows inside me deeper. All the hazy pleasure inside my body crashes down, with warmth invading my body as Niccolo tenses under me. I feel the pressure of his release, and somehow that makes me climb down from my peak much slower.

He relaxes as I lay on top of him, completely spent. As he comes down from his high, he wraps his arms around me protectively. I rest my head on his chest, breathing hard, and he presses me against his skin, kissing the top of my head. I nuzzle closer to him, planting soft kisses on his chest.

For a while neither of us speak. We just lie there pressed against each other, breathing in and out and in sync. After a couple of moments, our breathing becomes softer and slower, more peaceful.

And I know, right at this moment, that this is the first time I have ever felt true peace.

"Florence?" he asks suddenly, and I can hear the rumble of his voice in his chest. It's a strangely intimate thing.

Smiling, I look up at him. "Yeah?"

Niccolo buries his hand through my hair and gently strokes it, letting my locks flow through his fingers. "I love you."

My heart flutters. The smile on my face gets wider and brighter, and just when I thought that my good feelings couldn't be topped, my mood soars again. "I love you too."

He sighs deeply when I say that, as though it's the only thing he's been waiting for. He continues to stroke my hair as I nuzzle close to him, and after a while I can feel his pace going slower and slower until his hand goes slack.

I lift my gaze to him and I realize that he has fallen asleep.

But I lay awake on top of him for a long while.

Eventually, when I can tell that he’s completely deep in slumber, I slowly pry myself off of him. He shifts in the bed, turning to his side. He looks so handsome and at peace that it almost deters me from what I’m about to do, but I take a night dress from the cabinet and put on my discarded robe before going out into the night.

I make my way to the packhouse. The lights are still on and, as I look up, I see someone looking at me from the window of the office. I immediately know who it is, and he is exactly who I’m about to see.

The servants let me in as though they know what I’m here for, and I head up to the study by myself.

Alpha Isaac is already sitting behind his desk, smiling in satisfaction. “Florence. I assume you already made up your mind.”

“Yes.” I clench my fists and look up at him. “The delegates... can you assure me that they will not hurt Niccolo and anyone from his pack once they find out what they need to know?”

“Of course.” He nods solemnly. “I will relay everything.”

“Very well.” I sit down in front of him, taking a deep breath to prepare myself. “This is what you need to know about the Ombra Nera Pack...”