pushes back against me and screams my name as I cum hard inside her ass. She convulses against me as the waves of her orgasm rip all the fight out of her and she collapses against me, impaled on me like a virgin sacrifice.
I hold her against me and kiss her sweet neck, whispering over and again that I love her. I’m not afraid to show her the emotion in me because she needs to know that I do love her more than anything and to allow me to make this sacrifice in the name of it. Sophia has to marry me for the world to keep on spinning. If she doesn’t, I may as well quit it, anyway. What price is it to pay to hold on to something so right against a life that is so wrong? We can make it work; we have to.
The night is ours and we don’t waste a moment. I make love to Sophia every hour of it until she is sore and bruised and marked inside and out. I’m like a wild animal claiming its territory and she is a willing participant. It’s as if this is our last chance to make it count and sleep is the furthest thing from my mind.
By the time the dawn arrives we are exhausted and reluctantly I leave her to grab a few hours’ sleep and head back to my room, hoping that her mind is now aligned with mine. Today will be our wedding day because I’m in no doubt now, Sophia Moretti will become a Romano to save her family and the only one that will be is me.
30
Sophia
When I wake, I feel the evidence of last night on every part of me that counts. I am bruised, sore and aching but wouldn’t change a thing. It feels as if I’m a marked woman and I love every delicious bit of it.
I manage to drag myself to the shower and love the way the hot jets soothe the burn and wash my pain away.
Everything has changed because my mind was made up the moment Maverick entered my bed.
A gentle knock at the door reminds me I wedged it closed and I grab a towel and shout, “Just a minute.”
Hoping to God it’s Maverick, I am slightly stunned to see who has come calling.
“Elena!”
She laughs as she sees me dripping, shielded by nothing than a towel and says softly, “May I come in, my dear?”
“Of course, please.”
I hold open the door and she glides into the room and sits on the bed like a queen visiting a subject.
“I trust you slept well, my dear.”
I blush and the knowing sparkle in her eyes makes me wonder if we were a little loud and my face burns as I remember the sex marathon that went on here last night.
She looks at me with a considered expression and says gently. “I’m sorry, Sophia.”
“For what?”
“For dragging you here and putting you through hell.”
I just stare at her in surprise and she smiles ruefully. “I think you should get dressed and pack your bag. We are going on a little trip.”
My heart twists as I wonder what the woman before me has up her sleeve and I say fearfully, “With Mav…um Lorenzo?”
“Not this time. It’s probably best if we keep this between ourselves.”
She sits and stares as if waiting patiently for me to do as she says and I notice she is dressed as if to go outside. Feeling concerned, I race to the bathroom and chuck the few possessions I brought with me into my bag and quickly change into the clothes I came here in, tying my hair in a messy ponytail rather than keep her waiting longer than I need to.
Wondering what this is, I try to find out as we walk through the quiet hallway toward the front door. I’m almost afraid to ask and whisper, “Where is everyone?”
“They had a meeting to attend and will be gone for two hours. Plenty of time to put this situation right.”
I feel increasingly nervous as I follow her and there’s something so final about it, my heart twists in my chest. I have to know and say fearfully, “Does Mav… um Lorenzo know?”
“No.”
Now I’m really worried and almost back out but there is something about the way Elena looks at me that tells me she is doing me a huge favor here, so I follow her silently to a large black car that is waiting outside.
One of