Page 77 of Nine Years Gone

If I know Lena, she thinks this scar has ruined her. But it hasn’t. This scar has made her more beautiful; it reveals her strength and tells the story of a warrior who made it through battle and still knows how to love fiercely.

CHAPTER 25

No More Secrets

MARIALENA

MASSIMO IS CARESSING THEheinous scar that plagues my body, reminding me every day of what was taken from me, of what will never be. His gentleness is twisting me up inside, churning the emotions of what could’ve been. I place my hand on his arm, and he pulls it down, tangling my fingers with his so that we can explore the jagged line that mutilated my midsection and destroyed my body, ruined me.

In all senses of the phrase, I’m empty inside. I’ve felt so lonely for too long. My emotions bubble to the surface, and I cannot stop the tears from escaping.

He moves our hands and bends over, putting his lips to the zipper-like flesh, scattering kisses over it. “I’m sorry you suffered through it alone,” he whispers softly, almost as if he didn’t mean for me to hear him. My lips quiver at his words, and my eyes sting as the emotion stirs within me. I take a deep breath to ease my thundering heart.

Massimo lifts his eyes to mine; they’re dark, moisture at their rims glowing with love and lust and understanding. Without breaking his gaze away, he stands and unbuckles his belt, removing his jeans. He still knows me so well.

He knows that I’m hurting right now, that despite our conversations and apologies, the loss I feel is profound. He is going to make love to me because his touch has the ability to tear down my barriers, to heal me, and help me understand that I’ll be okay.

Massimo grabs his wallet from his pants and takes out a foil packet, tossing it onto the blanket. I watch as he tugs his shirt up and over his head and removes his tighty-whities, letting his beautiful cock spring free. It’s as thick and beautiful as I remember, its tip glistening with his arousal. The anticipation of feeling him buried inside ignites a firestorm of desire.

He drops to his knees at my side to finish sliding my panties down, then moves, so he’s straddling me. His arm stretches out to grab the condom he tossed onto the blanket, and I rise from my position, swinging my legs back to kneel.

I reach for the foil packet, tugging it from his fingers, and toss it back onto the blanket. Massimo draws his head back, his eyes questioning me. I remove my blouse, letting it drop to the floor, and stand up, setting my feet astride him. He squeezes my curvy hips with his hands, the pressure sending a tingle up my spine and between my legs. His lips find my scar, and he presses gentle kisses along its length.

My head tips up, and I exhale, pushing my hands into his unruly mane. This is the moment I’ve dreamed of for years—to have Massimo make love to me again. I cannot let my emotions of the past, and all the loss I endured, continue to torment me as it has. I have to be present and let him love me as only he knows how to.

His fingers push at my entrance, rubbing circles, playing with my folds—readying me for him. His breathing is heavy, his breath burning the skin underneath it, and I mewl from the pleasure.

With my knees bent, I hold on to his shoulders to steady myself until I’m hovering over his cock, and he guides himself to my entrance. I lower myself onto him so he can fill me, his heat setting the fire within me ablaze as he impales me—filling me with love.

Massimo hisses as he’s stretching me. His hands wander to my back and unsnap my bra, tossing it to the side, tightening his arms around my torso, our bodies as close as they can be. His breath is hot at my ear, sucking my earlobe between his teeth—whispering words of love and endearment.

Once he’s fully seated inside of me, I adjust to accommodate him. For the first time, I feel full.

Full of love.

Full of understanding.

Full of Massimo.

His lips find my taut nipples, and I watch him through a veil of loose curls falling over my shoulders. Massimo raises his head and begins devouring my mouth, kissing me with fervor—our tongues twisting, turning, and tangling. His grip tightens at my hips, lifting me up and down—inch by delicious inch. I take everything he has to give—mine.

Despite the years, my body remembers him. With each thrust, it recalls what we once were, each outstroke a reminder of what we always should’ve been.

My pace is slow and measured—rise and fall—and I feel his love each time he plunges into me. I haven’t been intimate with Massimo in over nine years, but I’ve never felt as close to him as I do right now. There are no more secrets between us, and for the first time, I’m giving myself to him completely.

Tears stream from my eyes. He must taste them because he licks at them, first from the left cheek, then the right—taking my pain and sorrow as his. A pleasurable ache starts building within me, and my breath quickens.

Massimo must notice the change in me because he brushes kisses along my jawline before running his tongue up my neck, over my chin, and landing back on my mouth. Our tongues are pressing and stroking each other as I climb toward the peak of my arousal until it crashes into me, spiraling me through blinding pleasure.

My heart swells. Emotions churn. Love surfaces.

His hands move around to grasp my buttocks, and he lays me back, repositioning himself. I kiss his chin, drag my tongue along his jawline as he continues with his punishing strokes. I tug at his thick hair, kissing the sides of his mouth until I pull his bottom lip between mine, sucking and biting.

My hands move to his back, where I rake my fingernails from his waistline up. His pace quickens, and his head drops, his mouth landing at my ear. “It was always you, nobody but you,” falls from his lips as he comes undone and fills me with everything he has and everything he is.

We lie still, embracing one another, Massimo seated within me. His nose at my throat is dragging in a back-and-forth motion.

He separates from me, jumps to his feet, and darts out of the living room, quickly returning with a small towel in hand and another blanket. He uses the small towel to clean me up, then tosses it to the side and lies down, pulling my back to his front, ensuring to cover us with the blanket.

---