“Nic… oh…” My hands fist in the sheets, holding on because I feel like at any moment, I might fly away.

“Are you ready?” he asks.

Seriously, I’m not sure.

“Hold on, Bellissima… you’re going to enjoy this.” His finger slides inside me again while his thumb rubs over my hard nub. And then his lips suck my nipple again, and holy moly… my entire body detonates. It’s like rockets bursting inside me, coursing through my blood, lighting up every cell in my body. I buck underneath him, shuddering uncontrollably. The pleasure goes on and on until I collapse.

As I come down from the euphoria of my first orgasm, Nic’s hands are still on me, but they're gentler now, almost soothing.

“How was it?” he asks.

“Oh, my God.”

He laughs. “I’ll take that as a compliment.” He starts to get up.

“Where are you going?”

He sucks in a breath. “Just to take care of something.”

I see the bulge in his pants. I know that he hasn’t felt what I just did. I also know it’s my job to provide it to him.

“That?” I point to his erection.

“Just give me a minute.”

I’m annoyed now. “I want to make you happy too.”

He shakes his head. “This was about you.”

“Then let me touch you too. I want to.”

His jaw tightens again. “Bella.”

“Nic.” I glare at him.

“You don’t need to. I can just…” He makes a motion with his hand that I know means he’ll jerk off.

“If I can’t do that for you, then you have to let me watch you.”

The wild heat that flashes in his eyes nearly incinerates me. But it also gives me power. I’m starting to see the effect I have on him.

Taking a chance, I reach out, my hand tentatively covering his erection. Good Lord, it’s hard. “I want to make you orgasm.”

His hips jerk up. “Fuck.”

17

NIC

Iwonder if I’m dreaming. This morning, Bella kissed me and tilted my world off its access. She trusted me enough to tell me she had a phone, and I responded in anger, demeaning her. She heard details of my father’s depravity and tried to escape. So how the fuck am I here with her hand on my cock asking me to let her jerk me off? This can’t be real.

Yet the ache in my dick suggests it is real. Deep inside, I feel like I need to take care of this issue myself. I shouldn’t have even touched her. But something about her… I’m powerless. I hate it. I want to fight against it.

Her fingers squeeze, and fucking hell, my dick screams out with need.

“Fuck,” I groan again, giving in to this ill-advised activity. It’s not that I don’t want her. Because I do. I want to sink into that hot, wet pussy of hers. When I felt it contract around my finger, my dick screamed out about that too. But I’m stronger than my dick. I’m not a man who lets his libido get the best of him. Or at least I wasn’t. I want to do right by Bella. Except for Gia and her kids, I’ve never felt so protective.

“Show me what you like.” She squeezes again.