Thin Lies (Donati Bloodlines #1) (22 page)

Oh
.

Calisto
let her go.

Emma
fell back into the seat with a shiver. “We’re going to get in trouble doing
this.”

“Trouble”
wasn’t a good enough word for what would happen to them both if someone even
whispered about what had already happened. Calisto chose not to correct Emma.

“You
have to know what this is for there to be something,” Calisto murmured.

And
maybe if they didn’t label whatever it was, it wouldn’t exist.

It
was ridiculous, sure.

Calisto
didn’t care. He was still trying to make sense of the mess he had now found
himself in, a mess of his own causing. For a smart man, one who followed the
rules and knew what was right and what was wrong, Calisto was sure proving how
fucked up he could be.

Or
rather, how fucked up he truly was.

Broken,
maybe. Calisto knew what made him this way—callous, reckless, and selfish. He
had learned as a young man that when a bed was made, it was made to lie in.

Emma
caught his stare again, holding strong. “We shouldn’t do this, Cal.”

“No,
we definitely shouldn’t,” Calisto agreed.

Calisto
knew that they probably still would.

It
wouldn’t lead to anywhere good.

It
couldn’t.

Unbelievable
.

Calisto
stared down at the notification lighting up the screen of his phone.

Flight
USAir B-2473 to New York, New York canceled due to weather conditions. All
flights will be rescheduled and updates provided. We’re very sorry for the
inconvenience, and hope to have more information soon.

The
sky above Las Vegas was as clear as it had ever been. The same couldn’t be said
for New York, apparently. A blizzard that was expected to miss the state
changed direction in just enough time to cover everything in a good three feet
of snow. It also ended up causing the cancelation of every flight going into or
out of New York.

Damn.

Calisto
hadn’t counted on this happening. His bags were packed and waiting at the
penthouse door along with Emma’s four-piece luggage set. This wasn’t good at
all. He expected to be in the air in two hours. He wanted the distance that New
York would provide him to clear his fucking head of Emma Sorrento and the
nonsense Calisto had going on. 

Now
he couldn’t do that at all. His damned penthouse apartment, the one he had been
using, was emptied and then had been filled by a new guest with reservations.
That left Calisto with Emma’s apartment to stay in, or he could grab them a
hotel closer to the airport.

A
pressure landed on Calisto’s shoulders, pushing him down under the weight. It
was like the world was conspiring against him. Shrugging the heavy feeling off,
he dialed a familiar number and put the phone to his ear. Three rings later,
Affonso picked up the call.

“I
heard,” Affonso said the moment he answered. “They expect the storm to pass in
a day and have flights coming in within two days.”

“Saves
me the time of explaining,” Calisto muttered.

“I’m
sure everything will run smoothly and on time when you get here. The dress Emma
purchased arrived today, so let her know for me.”

Great
.

“Will
do,
zio
.”

“And
it’s appropriate, I should add. Thank you for that, Cal.”

Calisto’s
brow furrowed. “You looked at her dress?”

“Why
not?”

“Because
it’s her wedding dress, Affonso.”

“It’s
just a dress, my boy. I couldn’t let the girl wear just anything. I had to make
sure it was okay.”

“Then
what in the hell did you send me in with her for, if you were going to look
yourself?” Calisto demanded.

“Your
attitude is strong today. Awfully touchy, are we?”

Calisto
snapped his mouth shut. “No, not at all.”

The
sound of running water drew Calisto’s attention to the back hallway of the
penthouse. The place was mostly empty, and had been for a while. Emma had said
she wanted to jump in the shower before they left to catch the flight. Knowing
she was just a short stride away, naked and wet, did not help Calisto’s little
issue of keeping a distance and a clear head.

It
didn’t help his still semi-hard cock, either. It wouldn’t go down. It hadn’t
gone down since he’d felt her body, made her come, and he was left, still wanting
more.

“I’ll
let Emma know about the dress.”

“This
flight mess has you stressed. I can hear it in your voice. Don’t worry about
it, Cal. Everything will be fine.”

Affonso
was wrong.

Nothing
would be fine.

His
uncle didn’t have a clue.

“Just
give me a few minutes to get dressed and we can go,” Emma said from behind
Calisto.

“Don’t
worry about rushing,” Calisto replied without turning away from the windows.
“The flights to New York are canceled for today, and maybe tomorrow, too. A
blizzard came through and practically shut the state down.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.
You’ll get one more night in your bed. I’ll take the couch.”

Emma
didn’t respond. Shooting a glance over his shoulder, Calisto watched as Emma
turned away and walked back in the direction of where the bathroom was located.
She had a towel wrapped around her figure, and had left her damp hair to hang
in waves down her back. His gaze traveled over the curve of her waist that was
accentuated by how tightly the towel was pulled, and the swell of her ass that
swayed as she walked.

She
was all natural. All of her. Calisto’s fingers twitched, wanting to feel her
warm, smooth body under his palms and taste her clean skin with his kisses and
tongue.

Why
did it have to be her?

Why
did Emma—the one woman that was off-limits—have to be the one that finally made
him take notice and want something?

You’re
not going to do this
,
he told himself.

Not
with her.

“Calisto?”

Emma’s
sweet call of his name, all innocent and quiet, made Calisto snap out of his
daze. He lifted his gaze from her backside to her eyes. She had stopped walking
and was looking right at him.

Calisto
couldn’t even feel ashamed to be caught staring.

Beautiful
things deserved attention.

Emma
was incredibly beautiful.

“You
don’t have to take the couch, Cal,” she said.

Calisto
swallowed hard. “Don’t do that. Don’t put that out there, Emmy.”

“Maybe
we can just … get it out. It might work. One night, Calisto. And then we forget
it ever happened. You get what you want, and I get to pretend for a night that
things could be different. What will it hurt?”

Everything
.

Calisto
didn’t know how to explain that to Emma. His thoughts were silenced when Emma
let the towel slip enough to showcase her naked side and still damp skin. Under
thick lashes, she watched him from the shadows.

The
offer was there.

Offers
were meant to be taken.

Once
might not be enough.

His
self-control was gone.

“Don’t
do that,” Calisto said again, one last time.

Emma
let the towel drop even more. “I just did.”

Fucked.

They
were so incredibly
fucked
.

Calisto’s
restraint wavered, and he stepped forward.

Closer
to sin.

Closer
to his next mistake.

It
was bad, but it had to be good.

He
knew it was wrong.

It
still felt
right
.

Emma

Calisto’s
hand snagged Emma’s wrist the moment she stepped into the bedroom. Emma didn’t
even get the chance to turn around and face him before he pulled her into his
chest, drove his hand down her stomach, and yanked the towel away.

Emma
sagged into Calisto’s arms when his hand slipped between her legs. He didn’t
say a thing, not one word. His other hand palmed her ass while he started
kissing her skin everywhere he could kiss.

Air
cut through Emma’s teeth in a hiss as he stroked her bare sex with two fingers.
She knew what his hands could do to her, but she wanted to feel something
thicker, longer, and harder fucking her.

“Just
tonight,” Calisto rumbled from behind her.

Emma
nodded. “Yeah.”

“Fuck
it out.”

She
laughed, breathless and unsure. Her body was already singing, wanting this man.

“It’s
stupid, I know,” Emma mumbled, tilting her head back to rest on Calisto’s
shoulder.

“It
is.”

Emma
was pushed away from Calisto before she could say another thing. Confused, she
spun on her heel to face him, only to find he was pulling at the buttons of his
dress shirt, and working the zipper of his pants at the same time. Calisto
kicked off his pants, keeping his gaze on Emma all the while.

Something
dark was in his eyes.

Something
hungry—
starved
.

Emma
knew the feeling. She hoped that this one night with Calisto would serve to get
rid of whatever craziness was wrong with her. She needed it to go away.

They
couldn’t
be
.

Calisto’s
shirt hit the floor. “You’re fucking beautiful, Emmy.”

Her
mouth went dry when he shoved his pants down. His erection strained against his
boxer-briefs, thick and heavy.

“Am
I?” she asked.

“You
won’t be told nearly enough by him, I know it. I just wanted to let you know.”

Emma
wet her lips, her heart thundering loudly. She was naked standing there in
front of him, but she didn’t have the slightest urge to cover up her body or
the imperfections he might be able to see. Why should she, when he called her
beautiful, and sounded so entirely sincere that it almost hurt to hear it?

“Don’t
make this sweet,” Emma told him.

Calisto
met her gaze, his eyes a wild-black and burning. “I don’t want to use you,
Emmy.”

“I
don’t need or want sweet, Cal. I don’t want it to linger like it would if it
was like that. Don’t do that tonight.”

“Okay.”

Calisto
shoved his boxer-briefs down, and his cock was freed to his hand. He fisted his
length with quick, firm tugs, drawing Emma’s stare down to his dick. Her
stomach clenched with need. She watched as he bent down and pulled a foil
packet from his discarded pants pocket. Quickly, he opened the condom and
rolled it down his length without hesitation. He took two long strides, let go
of his cock at the same time, and grabbed her face in his hands.

Emma
took a single breath before his mouth was crushing down on hers. His teeth
nipped against her lips, making her skin sting. His fingers bit into her skin,
promising and wicked. She let him own her with his kiss, feeling his tongue
dance with hers, taking away her air while he sought more of her heat.

“I
bet you’re wet for me,” he mumbled against her mouth. “You’re shaking already.”

The
huskiness of his voice was a drug.

So
damned addictive.

“Fuck
me,” Emma demanded.

Just
once.

It
would all go away then.

Her
feelings.

The
craziness.

Her
confusion.

It
would go away.

Right?

Emma’s
thought process dropped off when she found herself spun around and shoved
forward. Her knees hit the bed, and then Calisto was behind her. His hand
buried into her hair and pulled with just enough force for it to hurt. His
palms snapped against her inner thighs, forcing her legs wider.

It
felt like fucking heaven.

“This
is what you want?” Calisto asked. “
Mi vuoi
?”

She
shivered. “
Sì
.”

“It
doesn’t have to be—”

“It
does,” Emma interjected quickly.

She
needed it like this.

Hard.

Fast.

Even
painful.

Making
this into something different might make them into something different. Emma
didn’t need that, and neither did Calisto.

“Just
fucking take me,” Emma said, feeling his hands run over her ass.

Emma
found herself flipped over in an instant. She barely had time to clear her
vision and see Calisto above her before he fitted himself between her thighs. His
cock was sliding through the lips of her pussy, and he flexed forward. She was
wet enough that his cock found no resistance when he took her deep.

Her
broken cry echoed.

Good
God
.

He
filled her full, stretched her open, and it ached in the best way. He didn’t
give her time to adjust to his thick length before he was pulling out and
thrusting right back in again. Emma’s hands found his chest, her fingernails
digging into his skin as she tried to find purchase.

She
needed to settle, to breathe.

“
Cazzo
Cristo
,” Calisto cursed.

Calisto
grabbed her waist and pulled her into him harder, reaching deeper. He didn’t
give her time to think. Not about what they were doing, the mistakes they were
making, or what might come of it.

No,
he just fucked her.

Skin
on skin.

Teeth
biting into her jaw.

Her
fingers buried into his hair.

It
was relief, sweet agony, and the desire for more, all rolled into one.

And
it was perfect.

Emma
wished it hadn’t been.

Emma
shivered as a fingertip traced lazy, loopy pathways across her naked shoulders.
Following behind the soft touch was the press of lips and the pulse of breath
washing over her skin. She nibbled on her bottom lip, trying to stay quiet and
still as Calisto continued his silent exploration of her body.

Maybe
he thought she was sleeping.

His
touch, his kiss, was fucking exquisite.

It
made her feel alive, but suspended in time. The simple stroke of his fingers
and the whisper of his lips, were laced with his care and desire. It wasn’t
simply playing with her body, or enjoying the woman sharing a bed with him.

No.

His
attention to her was worshipping.

Each
caress. Every tiny breath.

His
tongue lapping at her shoulder blade. His fingers raking over her skin.

Emma’s
body betrayed her when she let out a shaky sigh filled with the sound of her
pleasure and need for more. Calisto shifted closer to her under the sheets,
close enough that his chest melded against her back as his hand roved over her
side to her stomach. The long, thick length of his cock rested heavily along
the swell of her ass.

“Do
you know how soft you are?” she heard him ask.

Emma
swallowed hard, her words lost when his hand snaked between her thighs. She
couldn’t think of how to respond when his fingers began to explore under the
sheets.

Gentle
swipes of his digits circled her clit again and again. His cock grinded into
her backside, and by the way it felt, she suspected he already had a condom on.
She could feel her slick arousal smear to her thighs when his hand cupped her
sex as he pulled her into his groin. Then, his attention was back on her clit,
rubbing, pressing, and promising release. She shook in the bed, knowing her
tenderness was a result of the fast, hard fucking from the night before.

This
was nothing like that.

It
was sweet.

It
was blissful.

It
wasn’t rushed, demanding, or broken. She could breathe this time, feel
everything he did, and it was enough to make tears gather in her eyes. She
wasn’t supposed to have him like this, soft, sweet, and attentive. It wouldn’t
make things any easier when it came to an end, but Emma couldn’t make herself
tell Calisto to stop.

Not
when she felt like this.

She
was hot, wet, and so damned s
ensitive
.

Her
clit throbbed from the attention.

“So
soft,” Calisto murmured into the crook of her neck. “All over, Emma. It’s
fucking addictive. I want to keep touching just to see if there’s a single part
of you that doesn’t feel like silk underneath my hands. What the fuck did you
do to
me
?”

Nothing
, she wanted to
say. What could she do to a man like him? She was just a woman. One that didn’t
belong to him.

Emma
whined low when Calisto’s fingers pushed into her sex as deep as he could get
them. Widening her legs just a little bit allowed his palm to rub along her
clit as he thrust into her pussy over and over.

“Oh,
my God,” Emma whispered. She twisted in his hold, feeling him move with her.
The sensations running through her nervous system, the orgasm that was all too
cloying but just out of reach, was teasing her. It was too much. It wasn’t
nearly enough. “Please don’t stop …
please
.”

“And
this,” Calisto ground out behind her. “
This
, Emma,
cazzo Dio
. All
your little noises, and your trembling. You’re doing this for me and I
shouldn’t like it at all but I goddamn well do.”

Emma
sucked in a sharp breath when his teeth buried into her shoulder. She squirmed
in his hold again, seeking to find more of his body on hers and rolling her
hips into every plunge of his fingers.

Calisto’s
mouth found her skin with kisses that burned her from the inside out. His free
hand drove into her hair and held tight as his lips kissed a path over her
cheek, jaw, neck, and her shoulders. She could feel his tongue strike against
her skin, tasting her, while his fingers just kept fucking her to a racing
orgasm.

“You
didn’t want sweet last night, Emmy, but you said nothing about this morning.”

She
couldn’t stop moving, turning in his hands, pressing back into his cock and his
mouth.

More
.

She
needed more.

“God,
Calisto
.”

Breathless,
spun, and high.

That’s
what Emma was.

Somehow,
Emma found herself on her knees. Calisto was still wrapped around her with his
fingers tied up in her hair, his kisses painting her skin with his private
worship, and his fingers working her pussy harder than ever. She was slick,
tender to the touch, and raving fucking mad with the stinging bliss just beyond
her reach.