“We can stop pretty much wherever we want, and have the place to ourselves.”

I liked the idea, liked it very much, especially the thought of having Luca to myself.

LUCA

I could tell that Aria was as excited about the prospect of having the ocean and secluded beaches to ourselves as I was. I wanted to fuck Aria on the beach, in the ocean, on the sundeck and beneath that big mirror. All of those would be firsts for Aria, and it made my cock harden only thinking about it.

Her forehead crinkled. “What about food?”

Perhaps our minds hadn’t wandered the same dark paths. I had to stifle a smile. “I asked my family to stock our fridge and the cupboards with food.”

“So we need to cook?”

Aria’s worry sent me over the edge. I roared with laughter. Aria had as much talent for cooking as I did. She definitely wasn’t like the Italian wives of the past.

“We’ll starve, or get food poisoning,” she said with a shake of her head.

“We’ll figure something out, and I’m only hungry for one thing anyway,” I said in a low voice, pulling Aria against my body.

“For now. We’ll see how you feel about that after a few days without decent food.” She pressed up to me, her soft breasts rubbing against my ribs, and I decided to find anchorage quickly. When we came to a small bay, I anchored the yacht before Aria and I went into the kitchen. We threw together a green salad and filled our plates with ciabatta, pecorino cheese, olives and Parma ham before we moved to the sundeck, sat down on the lounge furniture and watched the sun set over the ocean.

Aria sighed. “This is incredible.”

The most incredible sight of all was the golden halo the sinking sun created on Aria’s head. She put a piece of bread into her mouth then swallowed self-consciously. “You have a strange look on your face.”

I shook my head and ate a few slices of ham. Eventually, my hunger for food was replaced by another, so I set the plate down, leaned forward and slid my hand under the hem of her dress. Aria’s lips tipped upwards as she slipped another bite of cheese into her mouth. She was still shy about seducing me, but she rarely averted her eyes anymore. I pushed my hand higher, up the soft curve of her knee. Her eyes scanned the surrounding cliffs.

“It’s only us,” I assured her. I wouldn’t risk that anyone saw what was only my privilege to see. She put down her plate and scooted closer, allowing my hand to reach up even higher. I accepted the invitation and slid my hand between her thighs, my fingers stroking her soft skin. She sighed softly, eyes filling with need as she leaned back on her arms, head tilted back, her hair falling like golden silk down her shoulders, brushing the leather of the lounge. Too fucking gorgeous for words.

I trailed higher and brushed against her wet folds. My eyebrows shot up. “No panties?” I rasped, my cock jerking.

Even in the dimming light I could see Aria’s blush. “I got rid of them before dinner.”

I groaned. Fuck, she was getting better at this. I rubbed the pad of my thumb over her clit and she pressed up against me with a twitch of her hip. With my free hand, I shoved her dress up, revealing her lean legs and her pussy. I got down on one knee and cupped her ass with my palms before I pulled her to my waiting mouth.

Aria moaned. “Yes, please,” she mewled, and fuck, I almost came in my pants. She wasn’t outspoken yet, and for her to say anything was fucking amazing. I knew she loved it when I licked her, and I fucking loved it every bit as much. I’d rarely gone down on women in the past, had preferred to fuck them hard or have them suck my dick, but with Aria having her pussy in my mouth was paradise. I’d never forget the amazement on her face when I’d licked her for the first time.

I worshipped her with my lips and tongue, and waited until she was close to her release before I pushed a finger into her. That’s how she liked it best. One finger only to tip her over the edge as I sucked on her clit, and as usual I was rewarded with her cry of pleasure and her sweet juice. Fuck. I loved her taste.

When her breathing slowed, I pulled back and kissed her knee before I straightened. Aria peered up at me through lust-hooded eyes. “Get out of that dress, principessa. Let me see your perfect body.”

She stood, lifted the dress over her head and dropped it on the ground. She was left completely naked. What kind of imperfections did she see? There were none.

I circled her waist and pulled her closer to get a taste of her nipples before I released her and made quick work of my clothes. She curled her hand around my dick but I shook my head. “I want to fuck you, Aria. Kneel on the couch.”

She hesitated but then she did as I asked.

I positioned Aria so she was kneeling on all fours in front of me. That was a position we hadn’t tried yet. She’d been bent over a couch, but this was new and I loved the view of her ass I got.

I lined myself up when I noticed the tension of Aria’s spine and felt her pussy clamp up against my tip. Not sure what had caused her reaction, I stroked her back, but she didn’t relax. She was too tense for me to enter her without causing her pain. “Aria?” I gritted out. My balls were about to burst.

She didn’t react, but now her shoulders rounded in and her breathing changed. Was she crying? I circled her waist, hoisted her up and turned her around. Her eyes snapped up to me. She wasn’t crying, but her expression made it clear that she was upset about something. “Sorry,” she said quietly. “Can we try another position?”

“First tell me why you tensed? What’s the problem with you being on all fours?”

She cast down her eyes, which was a fucking bad sign.

“It reminded me of the day I saw you with Grace.”

Fuck me. I felt like the biggest asshole on the planet. I leaned down as I lifted her chin. She met my eyes, looking fucking vulnerable. “Aria, I told you she’s a thing of the past. There’s no other woman for me. Only you.”

“I know. I don’t know why I can’t forget it.”

I wasn’t sure what to do with her hurt, and so I kissed her. Drawing back, I whispered, “Let’s go inside. I’ll make love to you in our bed.” When she hesitated, I cupped her cheek and brought our faces close. “You are the only woman I’ve ever made love to, Aria.” If my soldiers could hear me now, I’d have to make another even bloodier statement to gain back their respect.

Yet, when Aria’s expression softened, I didn’t regret my words. She followed me down to the lower deck and into our bedroom. She was quiet and when I made her lie down on her back on the bed and brushed my fingers over her pussy, I could tell that she wasn’t as aroused as before. Her eyes were closed, either because of the mirror or because she was trying to hide her emotions from me. I lay down beside her and stroked her cheek. She opened her eyes and the hurt was gone, so she was shy about the mirror. I could deal with that.

I nodded toward the mirror above us and she followed my gaze. Her delicate body looked breakable in comparison to mine, her pale skin too perfect against my scars and hard muscles. Her eyes focused on the small scar on her shoulder. Trust Aria to be bothered by the one tiny flaw on her body—which wasn’t even a fucking flaw because it was proof of her love. I set out to distract her and rekindle her arousal. I cupped her breast with my hand, then wedged one nipple between my fore and middle finger and slid up and down. Aria lowered her gaze.