“I would. I would not, however, say that’s a great reason to do it now.”
Turning around so she can face me, she frowns up at me. “Don’t you want to have sex?”
“Very much.”
Her frown dissipates and she offers a little smile. “Then why are you trying to talk me out of it?”
“Because I don’t want to ever feel like I took advantage of you. More importantly, I don’t want you to ever feel like I took advantage of you.”
Her soft hands come to rest on my shoulders now. “I wouldn’t feel that way. I told you, it’s easier for me if alcohol has drowned out my inhibitions a bit.”
“That makes me nervous in and of itself. I wasn’t there so I obviously don’t know what it was like for you before, but I need to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that if something I’m doing isn’t working for you, you’ll tell me.”
Francesca nods. “I will. I told him sometimes, it was just… you know, he didn’t care.”
Rage moves through me again, overriding any sexual interest that survived this conversation. “Francesca…”
As if reading my mind, she shakes her head. Bringing her hands up to frame my face, she meets my gaze firmly. “I will never tell you his name. Not ever. I appreciate your protectiveness, I really, really do, but I’m not going to be the reason you go to war with my brother.”
“If your brother would go to war with me over this kind of human garbage, then maybe we should go to war.”
“No,” she says firmly, shaking her head. “It isn’t worth it. It doesn’t matter.”
“It does matter.”
Smiling to take the sting out of her words, she tells me, “I don’t need you to slay my dragons, Salvatore.”
“But I bought a special sword for it and everything.”
Now she grins at me. “I hope you kept the receipt.”
Sighing heavily, I let my head fall back. “Why won’t any of the women in my life let me kill the scumbags who hurt them?”
“I’m just spitballing here, but maybe murder isn’t an appropriate reaction.”
“I’m also open to prolonged torture ending in castration,” I inform her. “Never say I’m not flexible.”
“As much as that would benefit the world as a whole, I still have to say no.”
“This is bullshit,” I inform her.
Nodding indulgently, she says, “I know. I’m sorry I won’t let you murder or maim. It’s obviously unreasonable of me.” Dropping her hands to her sides, she sighs. “If it makes you feel any better, this conversation has totally killed my buzz.”
That actually does make me feel a little better. Even if it means I don’t get sex now. No sex is much better than sex Francesca isn’t totally on board with.
Indicating the pile of discarded clothes in the floor, I ask, “Should I put these back on?”
Slowly shaking her head, Francesca works her dress down over her arms. Then she shoves it down the rest of her body, stepping out of it.
Clad only in her bra and panties, she backs up toward the bed, easing up on the edge and scooting back, watching me all the while. “I had my heart set on sleeping with you tonight, Salvatore. You wouldn’t leave a girl disappointed, now would you?”
Chapter Ten
The sight of Francesca waiting for me on the bed swiftly reawakens the arousal I lost a moment ago.
I prowl closer to the bed, my gaze heating. With her on display like this, there’s too much I want to look at. Too much I want to do. I don’t even know where to start.
That little smile on her face is where I have to start. It’s killing me. The sight of her perfect, rounded cleavage spilling out of her bra, just begging for my mouth’s attention is hard to pass up, but those lips of hers… I’ve gotta taste those lips.
She scoots back when I approach the bed, like she wants me to chase her. I’d chase Francesca to the ends of the earth, so a few feet across a hotel room is nothing.
Climbing up on the bed, I move until I’m hovering over her body. “There are a lot of things I want to make you feel, Francesca, but disappointment sure isn’t one of them.”
The way she looks up at me like I’m the only man in the world seeps into my soul. I want to remember the sight of her like this for the rest of my life. It’s scary as hell at the same time. This woman who already means so much to me is opening herself up, making herself vulnerable, and now it’s my responsibility to live up to her faith in me. My mouth has been spitting out promises that are going to be hard as hell to keep, but I’d rather let down everyone else in the world than disappoint Francesca. I don’t know exactly how I’ll keep my promises, but I damn sure will.