Page 8 of Risky Vows

I swallow.

I should make more demands, though I doubt he'll be highly accommodating.

"Let's get this over with," I say, and lie on the bed like a cadaver. If Massimo wants to have sex, fine, but I won't pretend to like it.

I try to focus on the ceiling, but curiosity gets the best of me, and due to the silence, I fold. My gaze strays to Massimo, and I find him watching me with a dangerous glint in his eyes. He's telling me to fuck off with those deep brown eyes, and a rush of adrenaline surges through me.

I told this man, who's fucked half the country, that I can't wait for the arduous task of fucking him to be over. What was I thinking?

It's too late to back up now. If he thinks I'm not interested, he'll do whatever he has to and let me be. And if he thinks of me as boring or frigid? A bad lay? Even better.

He steps closer, his eyes on mine, and the tension in the room can be cut with any sharp object—of which none is around. I checked earlier. Just in case I needed to protect myself.

There's no protection against Massimo.

In one of our rare meetings before we got married, he said he didn't want to use protection. We exchanged health exams and agreed I'd take the pill. I guess I should be happy I can opt out of pregnancy for now. A part of me wonders when he'll insist on having babies to strengthen the two families' alliance.

"Rat," he calls me, yanking me from my thoughts.

I glance at him, and he's awfully close. He reaches for his shirt, and before he unbuttons, I say, "Lights off, please." My voice holds a squeaky tone that I wish I could remove. But desperate times call for desperate measures. I don't want him to forget about what he agreed.

"Of course," he says, a subtle annoyance in his voice. "We'll see if you pull through."

God, I hope I will.

If he hates me and sends me back home, my mom will have Ugo beat me up again. I shiver. But how can I have sex with anyone after James? James was so caring, so sweet. The opposite of a man like Massimo.

Finally, darkness casts over us.

A measure of relief washes over me, even if temporarily. The moment I hear the swish of his clothes leaving his body and landing on the floor, my heart leaps into my throat.

The mattress dips as Massimo climbs on the bed, even though it's a thick, high-quality one.

I can't see him, but my other senses betray me. I catch a whiff of his scent—a fresh take on a masculine smell. I register notes of bamboo and warm vanilla with a woodsy finish that doesn't overpower the man who wears it.

Honestly, not the worst fragrance. Not at all.

Massimo gives me no time to muse on the turmoil raging inside me. He quickly unbuttons my pajama top. I suck in my breath like someone is taking a picture of me and I need to conceal my lower abdomen pooch. A roundness that could use a Spanx right now.

I swallow, doing the bare minimum to help him remove my top. Once he slides it past my arms and flings it aside, my breasts perk up, my nipples hard. I blame it on the warmth radiating from his body.

Then he slides down my pants, taking the underwear with it. He does so swiftly, like it's no big deal, and I breathe through clenched teeth. Besides my pajamas being stripped, the only other sound is my ragged breathing. He breathes just fine, making no noise that would hint at anything other than complete control.

I splay the palms of my hands on the mattress, each on my side, determined not to show weakness. Not acquiesce to whatever he's about to do to me.

Awareness dawns on me. I'm naked.

Soon, he puts his elbows on each side of me and covers his body with mine, and I remember that he's also naked.

I bite my lower lip. I feel the scratch of something metallic on my chest, and apprehension dips low in my stomach. What's that? Did he bring a sex toy for our first time? A device to hurt me, maybe? Fuck, I don't know.

"Regretting not wanting to see me naked?" he asks.

What does he mean? I clutch the bedspread under my hands.

He lowers his head to mine and whispers in my ear. "Relax. They're just piercings."

I loosen my shoulders. Piercings. He has them in his nipples. Damn.

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