Desire in Lingerie (Lingerie 7)

One

Bones

I sat in my office in Lake Garda, disappointed that the snow in the mountains was starting to melt and reveal the solid ground underneath it. The soil began to reemerge, and the wilted flowers popped out from underneath the freezing layer.

Winter was my favorite season.

Probably because I was already ice-cold.

My scotch sat on the desk in front of me, and I stared at the painting on the wall.

Vanessa sat back on her ankles on the bed, looking just as stunning as she did in real life. Vulnerable, emotional, and beautiful, she was the woman who captured my complete attention the second I laid eyes on her. I kept her pinned under my thumb as long as I could.

The second she slipped away, I lost control.

I hated not being in control.

But with this woman, I didn’t have a choice. She changed all the rules.

I hated her for it, but I respected her for it at the same time.

A man like me wasn’t familiar with love or its implications, but when I stood on that snowy bank, I knew I wasn’t the same man I had been the last time I stood there. Ever since Vanessa crossed my path, I hadn’t been the same.

And I would never be the same.

Once I understood how I felt for her, I didn’t shy away from it or pretend it didn’t exist. I was the kind of man who was always honest, even when I didn’t want to be. If that meant I had to wear my heart on my sleeve, so be it. I wasn’t afraid of anything, even loving a woman. I’d never met a woman I ever loved, so this was new to me. But just because it was new, didn’t mean I was scared of it.

She was the worst person I could possibly fall for. I hated her family and all the pain they’d caused me. I even hated her a little bit too. I would always be envious of what she had, the love of two complete parents and wealth that would last a lifetime.

While I lived on the streets.

But whatever I felt for this woman was stronger than that. It was enough to conquer all the hatred inside my chest. It was enough for me to let go of the vendetta I promised myself I would fulfill. I knew her family would never like me, and I would never like them, but she should have made the sacrifice for me.

I made the sacrifice for her.

I was furious with her, but my rage wasn’t enough to conquer the pain inside my chest. It wasn’t enough to mask the longing, the loneliness. My bed wasn’t comfortable anymore, and the solitude I once enjoyed was now suffocating.

I stared at the picture, feeling connected to the woman who’d stolen my heart.

I despised her. Hated her. Loathed her.

But fuck, I loved her.

I tried to convince her she was being stupid, but that stubborn woman wouldn’t change her mind. Now it’d been a week since I grabbed the painting and left her apartment. I’d hoped she wouldn’t be able to fight the heat in her veins and would take me to bed. The second I was inside her again, our sick relationship would start all over.

But she didn’t.

She didn’t want me. She wanted a good man to bring home to her family, a gentleman who would open doors for her and earn his living honestly. She wanted someone with manners, someone who smiled.

Basically, a man nothing like me.

She could try to force it as much as she wanted, but it wouldn’t work.

She didn’t want a good man.

She wanted me.

She judged me for what I did for a living, but I knew she respected my power. My tattoos were intimidating to her, but she found them sexy. She was scared of all the components in my life, but at the end of the day, I was the only man on this earth who could make her feel safe.

She was a powerful woman, and she only wanted a powerful man.

But she would never find a man more powerful than me. She would never find a man of my size and strength. She would never find someone who could scare off a group of men just by flashing them a glare.

She would never find someone who could make her come the way I did.

She knew that deep inside her chest, even if she tried to convince herself otherwise.

I was everything she needed.

Two

Vanessa

Bones didn’t contact me again after he left my apartment.

And I knew he wouldn’t.

He was livid with me, and he wouldn’t chase me. I’d pushed him far enough away that there was no coming back. All I had to do was not contact him and this would be over…eventually. I had to stay strong.

Tonight was my date with Matteo, the man whose father was friends with my father. I knew what he looked like, but it was pretty much a blind date. I knew he owned some businesses and he knew I was an artist, but that was the extent of our knowledge of each other.