Page 105 of Ricardo

That her wanting is not a weakness, but a strength.

I want all thought of that prick, of the way he made her feel, to be burned away, leaving nothing but the memory of me.

And the way I make her feel.

I lift my head and look down at her.

Her eyes are closed, her lips parted, her breasts heaving with each ragged breath she takes. She looks wild and untamed, and she is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.

"Open your eyes, Julia."

Her lashes flutter, and slowly, she does.

Her eyes are dazed with passion, unfocused and hazy, but they are clear of the shame I saw in them earlier.

They are clear of him.

My chest tightens with a fierce, possessive triumph.

I smile at her, a slow, lazy, satisfied smile.

"Good girl," I murmur.

All at once, I stand up.

She blinks up at me, a confused, almost wounded look on her face.

"Ricardo...?"

"Un momento," I say and grab the blanket she had been wrapped up in earlier. I take that and go to the cabinet to grab pillows and another blanket.

I spread the blanket on the thick, plush rug, right in front of the roaring fire, and place the pillows on top of it.

I walk back to her, where she's now sitting up on the couch, watching me, and hold out a hand.

"Come here, cuore mio," I say, my voice low and gravelly. "Let's make this more comfortable."

She looks from my outstretched hand to the little pile of pillows and blankets I made in front of the fire, and then back to my face, and hesitantly takes my hand.

I help her up and lead her to the makeshift bed.

I have made love to many women in my life. In luxurious penthouses, in five-star hotels, on yachts in the middle of the Mediterranean.

But none of them compare to this.

To her.

To the firelight flickering over her skin, the storm raging outside, and the soft, trusting way she follows me, without question, without hesitation.

We stand on the rug and face each other, her still half-wearing her dress, me still fully dressed.

My hands go to the zipper at her back, and I slowly, torturously, slide it down the rest of the way, until the dress is completely unfastened.

The black fabric pools at her feet, leaving her in nothing but her black lace panties.

I can't help it. I groan, a deep, guttural sound that comes from the very depths of me.

"Julia," I breathe. "Sei una dea."