“It is almost finished,” he remarked as Rocco eyed us with distaste from the front seat and we made our way to an elevator. Once inside, I couldn’t help but note Daniello’s size in the small space. We stood opposite each other in the elevator until I took a step forward and unbuttoned the top of his collar.
“You have no patience today, Taylor?”
Rolling my eyes so he could clearly see it, I examined the cut underneath his bandage.
“It is fine,” he protested, grabbing my hands and holding them in his. “Your concern is not necessary.”
“Fine . . . What am I doing here?” I asked defensively, taking my hands from his.
“This,” Daniello answered as the elevator door opened, “is where we will meet.”
“I’m confused,” I said as he entered a code on a pad next to a sleek metal door and opened it, ushering me in.
“Your circumstances for entertaining have changed,” he whispered into my ear, “and I am very fond of hearing your screams.”
My eyes closed at his confession, heat building throughout my abdomen. I noted the place wasn’t finished. The cabinets weren’t installed, and I doubted the plumbing was either. The space took up the entirety of the top floor of the building. A small spark of hope ran through me.
“Are you buying this place?”
“No,” he dismissed, his hands in his pockets.
“Daniello,” I blew out as I walked past him to explore the penthouse. It was expansive and modern chic with corner-to-corner views, an exposed open ceiling, and dark hardwood floors.
“It is a loan from a business partner. I helped with the design.”
There was no way to conceal my shock. “You design high rises?”
Daniello shrugged. “It is a—” his lips twitched as he searched for the word “—passion. In a different life, I would have trained for it.”
“It’s beautiful.” Fully impressed, I walked over to the floor to ceiling wall of windows and took in the bird’s eye view of the harbor that led out to open ocean. The sea was turbulent due to a coming storm that was evident by the massive wall of clouds that gathered in the distance. “This seems like a lot of trouble for such a short time. I mean, we could’ve gotten a hotel.” There was little to no activity on the water, and I found it fascinating. I could feel Daniello’s proximity by the energy wafting through the air, or maybe it was just wishful thinking that he would close the space between us. Lightning struck in the distance, and I saw the bolt so clearly. I jumped as another struck and then another. Afternoon lightning storms were common in Charleston, and though I had witnessed a few, I had never been so front row.
“Definitely a million-dollar view, there is no denying that.”
Another comment without a response had me turning to look back at Daniello, who stood watching me, his posture the same, his hands in his pockets. He was the epitome of tall, dark, and dangerous.
“What?”
“Would you say this view is suited for a king?” he asked, taking slow steps toward me. The room was quickly darkening with the cloud cover, and another series of lightning strikes had me on edge as I saw his face light with each of them.
“I would say that, yes.” I gave a nervous laugh. “Is that your big secret? Am I fucking the king of Egypt?”
“No.” He grinned wickedly as he reached me and shifted me, so I was again facing the window. “But what is fit for a king is also fit for a phoenix.” It took me only a moment to realize his logic and fight his grasp. He stopped my protest. “You may rule the world now, Taylor, but you limit yourself to live in a box fit for a shoe.”
“And that is my decision,” I hissed as he pulled off my suit jacket. Lightning struck close but the thunder never came, or at least I couldn’t hear it.
“And that is why you are here,” he insisted as he squeezed my ass painfully through my skirt. “You have come so far from your home, Taylor.”
“I am aware,” I whispered as he placed my hands on the glass above me then unzipped my skirt, letting it fall to the floor. I stepped out, keeping my hands where he put them as he reached around and stroked my neck with one hand while the other unbuttoned my blouse agonizingly slow. Lightning struck again, but I gave it little attention as I leaned back as much as possible against him. My blouse was moved to reveal my peaked chest, cupped by lace. I felt my wet heat coat my panties as Daniello whispered to me while he pulled the lace down just below my needy chest, so it held each breast up for his inspection.
“The next time I fuck you,” he lifted my hair and trailed his tongue across my neck to the opposite ear before finishing, “I will think of you like this.” He raised his thumb to my mouth, and I sucked it before he brought it to a straining nipple. He stroked across it slowly as I started to pant. Pulse kicking, breathing erratic, he took his time with his seduction. I obeyed without command, my hands still planted against the glass. The storm arrived along with a downpour of rain. Ribbons of water slid past my firmly planted hands as Daniello moved underneath the tails of my blouse, around the edge of my panties, playing with the lacy elastic.
“Please,” I begged on edge.
His tongue continued to trace the back of my neck. I remained at his mercy with another plea on my tongue when his hand finally slid down the front of my panties. He sank his teeth into the sweet spot between my neck and shoulder. I moaned out my relief as his thick finger stroked my clit.
“Ah, that is what I needed to hear before I make my way home.” He quickened his strokes stifling the throb of my needy clit but leaving the ache inside of me. I moved to touch his rock-hard cock poking me in the back and was rewarded with a harsh, “No.”
“I want you,” I said breathlessly as he moved his digits faster over my clit, his free hand molding my breast.