When I turn back toward Sly, his lips are instantly on me, claiming me in a kiss that’s absolutely carnal.
His tongue presses into my mouth, dancing with mine as he reaches down and grabs the back of my bare thighs, hoisting me into his arms.
As my legs wrap around his waist, he walks us until my back slams into the wall. His hands press against the glass on either side of my head, caging me in while his hips press into mine, keeping me firmly in place.
A moan pushes past my lips, and he catches it, groaning in satisfaction. Pulling away from my mouth, he trails kisses down my neck, softly sucking on my skin in various places, before moving onto the next, careful not to leave marks.
“You are the sweetest thing I’ve ever tasted, piccola ladra.”
My hands cup around the back of his neck, and I gently run my fingers against his short hair, trying so hard not to rock against him as my body begs for more.
“Sly…” I moan.
His hands reconnect with my skin, running down the length of my body and to the back of my thighs.
With his fingertips digging into my skin, he pulls me away from the wall and walks us further into the greenhouse, never once disconnecting our kiss. He leads us toa bench surrounded by the gorgeous blossoms of coneflowers and Japanese anemone, along with a variety of roses, sunflowers, and snapdragons.
It’s me who pulls away as he sits with me in his lap, my knees touching the cool stone of the bench as I settle, straddling him with my hands placed gently on his shoulders. Looking around at the gorgeous rainbow of colors around us, their sweet fragrances filter through the air, and I can’t help but admire the beauty as the sound of the rain begins to slow.
“I’ve never seen anything so beautiful,” I say with appreciation.
“Neither have I.”
Drawing my attention back to him, his focus is solely on me. His hand reaches to cup my cheek, and he pulls my face back to him for another slow, sensual kiss.
Our foreheads stay pressed together as it slows, and when our lips part, I whisper, “Can we stay here forever?”
Even though the rain has stopped, here in this greenhouse, it’s like the world can’t get to us. It’s our own private hideaway, where we can just continue to get to know each other and pretend like our surnames don’t matter.
“I wish, piccola ladra. I truly wish we could.”
Weaving his hand into my mess of rain-soaked waves, he presses his lips against my forehead, then on my cheek, before claiming my lips again. I sigh against his lips, completely taken aback by how easily my worries melt away when he simply kisses me.
After a few more stolen moments, he stands with me in his arms before placing me gently on my feet. His hand moves easily from my hip to my hand as he takes it.
“Come,” he says, leading me to the door. “Let's go explore the castle.”
Chapter 19
Sly
“What’s the rest of your week looking like?” Sully asks, making idle chitchat over a cup of coffee.
It’s ten a.m. on Thursday, and he showed up at my house an hour ago, unannounced, per usual. After making himself a cup of coffee, he followed me into my home office, settling down on the black leather couch while I continued to scroll the florist's website, looking for an arrangement to send to my piccola ladra.
“A few patients scheduled throughout. Lunch with Mamma on Saturday.”And hopefully a date with Vincenza on Sunday.
I keep that to myself.
“Anyone scheduled for today?” he asks, his tone attempting to be nonchalant, but I know him well enough to know he’s fishing for information.
“No.”
“Tomorrow?”
I pause, looking away from my computer’s screen. “In the afternoon. Why are you asking about my schedule, Sully?”
Our phones go off simultaneously, a notification for group chat popping up.
