Love Me (The Elites of Cheshire shore #2)

20. Florence

CHAPTER TWENTY

florence

R ome’s lips descend on mine, his hand cupping the back of my neck. I expect a soft chaste kiss. The moment they touch me, electricity pulses through my body. The air thrums between us, sending a shiver through my body at the feel of his stubbled jaw under my fingertips. This morning’s kiss wasn’t a fluke. I just know I will never be able to kiss another man ever again and have it feel like this. I am forever ruined. Slowly, his lips move in a practiced rhythm, and my tongue peaks out to meet his. My lips part further and Rome uses that as encouragement to deepen the kiss. The energy between us shifts into something so much more than a practice kiss, and yet Rome keeps his slow deliberate pace. His big palm cups the side of my neck, as his thumb lightly strokes my skin. His lips are firm, his tongue both controlling and yielding to mine, and his stubble rasps against my skin, making sparks glide through my body. For a practice kiss, Rome savors me. He makes every touch, every point of our bodies meeting, feel like it’s deeper and less innocent than it should be. Rome Venuccio doesn’t just kiss, he invades.

He penetrates my mind.

He’s all I smell.

He’s all I feel.

He’s all I touch.

He’s everything.

I get lost in the feel of him.

My palms itch as I slowly slide them up his bare chest. His warm skin, so soft under my fingertips, has me groaning. I’m kissing Rome Fucking Venuccio, and I’ve never felt more alive before—and that fucking terrifies me. He nips my bottom lip in response. He’s so tall, all hard muscle and masculine bulk. “Rome,” I say in a breathy whisper. My leg has a mind of its own and slings across Rome’s slim hips as my own hips follow, settling on top of him, needing to feel more of him on me. Rome’s hands drop to my hips as he settles me on his lower belly.

Rome is the first to break the kiss, his breath coming out in short pants. “Jesus, lolli. I want to thank and kill every single man who has ever touched your perfect lips.”

A giggle escapes my lips as his lips trail down my neck, biting, sucking, and kissing a hot trail down. “Is this your way of telling me I’m a good kisser?”

Rome’s lips trail across my chest, my nipples pebble under the silk of my button-down top, just begging for his hot mouth. Rome’s hands rub up and down my bare thighs. I never giggle, but Rome has reduced me to giggling. What the fuck is happening to me? Maybe Lottie is right, I need to get fucked by someone who isn’t a Venuccio.

“Too good, lolli,” Rome replies, his voice as gritty as broken gravel. I could say the same about you.

“What if I said your brother was responsible for teaching me?” I tease, knowing Luca would totally go along with the lie for as long as we could to annoy Rome. Even though Luca was definitely not responsible for my kissing ability but I love seeing the way Rome’s green eyes heat and simmer, almost turning amber in shade as they take in my puffy lips.

“I would call you a liar.” He bites my earlobe, causing me to shiver in his arms as wetness pools in my core. I attempt to squeeze my legs together trying to soothe the ache starting, but all it does is squish Rome tighter to me. A moan releases from my chest as Rome grabs my butt cheeks and gives them a squeeze. I put my hands on his chest lifting, myself off him, my chest heaving. “I think we have proved we are quite capable of kissing convincingly.”

“I think our chemistry is compatible.” He almost sounds disappointed. As I slide off him, putting space between us. But it does nothing to calm the ache spreading through my body.

The next morning, I wake to find Rome’s side of the bed cold and empty. I stretch my arms over my head, if this is what fake dating Rome is going to look like, I think I can get around it. I quickly don my yoga pants and sports bra and braid my hair down my back and make my way to the little gym. I need to get a quick workout in before the others wake, and we have to meet for breakfast. I send a message to Rome; we need to work out some of the logistics of our relationship. I don’t want to get caught out by Nora again, and I’m sure the question of how long we’ve been together is bound to come up.

I tuck a piece of hair that has gotten loose after my workout behind my ear and pick up my pace back to my room. Officially now cutting it fine for meeting the others for breakfast, but I need to shower, I stink.

“Lottie?” I see my best friend at our door, her key in hand, still wearing the same dress from last night. Not a single one of her curls has dropped, and her makeup is still perfectly in place. The only tell that she’d been partying for most of the night is her heels hanging off two fingers and the hot pink thong poking out from under her arm.

“Ugh, only you would use the in-house gym on a vacation.” She rolls her eyes and places a light kiss on my temple as she moves aside so I can unlock the door.

“Fun night?” My eyes flash as I get a whiff of male cologne that I know she didn’t spray on herself last night.

“Yeah.” She runs her tongue along her lips, stained with last night’s lipstick that has been kissed off. “Some of the Sharks football players arrived at the club after they won last night.” I open the door and Lottie walks in behind me, a satisfied smirk on her lips. “The rumors are true. Finn truly is a specimen. Man, the guy fucks like he plays on the field.” She lets her shoes drop from her fingers and flops down on our bed. “I’m in love. I think I’ve met the man of my dreams.” She sighs, wrapping herself up in the duvet.

“It’s nice one of us is.” I quickly jump into the shower while she catches a power nap.

“Wait, where’s Rome?” she asks, the moment I step out of the shower.

“Dunno.” It’s the truth. I haven’t seen him since our epic make-out session last night. Lottie rises from the bed, walks to me, and rests a hand on my shoulder. “I need to shower, but don’t think you’ve escaped all the questions I’ve been stewing on since Rome messaged me that we’re changing rooms.”

“Oh, I can’t wait.” I give her a tight smile as she slams the bathroom door shut.

“So let me get this straight.” Lottie and I, freshly showered and changed, walk arm in arm toward breakfast. “You screwed up dinner for Rome and Luca and the guy and his daughter are here and you told them that you’re in a relationship with ROME?!” she practically screeches.

“Shhhh.” I pinch her side, my eyes darting around to make sure no one heard her. “Keep your voice down. What was I supposed to do?”

“I don’t know, not lie?”

I roll my eyes. “I mean, I live with Rome already, and I’ve known him my whole life, it wouldn’t be that hard to convince them that we’re a couple.”

She nods her head like she’s agreeing with me, then hits me with, “Except for the fact that you guys don’t really display any PDA that a loved-up couple would. And you’re so focused on your career you don’t even really look at men other than to help you climb the medical ladder. Oh, and I say this truly with the most love I can in my heart. Luca would ruin your little secret in two minutes flat.”

O-KAY. So I didn’t really think of Luca, but I don’t think he should really protest this; it’s for Ven Industries after all. I spot Rome before he sees me, sitting at a table with Nora and Brian and the grin slips off my face. “Oh shit.” I freeze, my mind already working through a reason why I am late to breakfast.

“I think this is where you need to show some PDA with your boyfriend,” Lottie whispers in my ear. Shit. She’s right. Straightening my shoulders, I detangle myself from Lottie and cross the room to my new boyfriend.

I let my arm slide down Rome’s chest, his body uncomfortably frozen from the foreign touch and kiss his clenched jaw. “Good morning, babe,” I whisper in his ear, letting him know it’s me. The heat from Nora’s and Brian’s gazes only eggs me on.

But his body transforms, relaxing into my touch in an instant. “Ahh, here she is. How was your workout?”

“Fabulous, although, not as satisfying as our little workout last night.” I wink at him and take a seat, doing my very best at playing the whole loved-up girlfriend part.

“I didn’t hear you complain yesterday,” he returns my greeting, grabbing ahold of my chin and slanting his lips over mine. All that practicing we did last night is being put to great use; I’m almost, dare I say it…enjoying myself. I break our kiss off and turn my gaze to Nora and Brian, who are staring at me with equal expressions of shock and confusion.

“So sorry for my lateness.” I place the white linen napkin on my lap as Rome signals the waiter. I’m grateful this spa doesn’t have a buffet. I don’t usually have a big breakfast, and this way I can order something on the lighter side.

“Avocado toast and matcha latte?” Rome asks, and I nod.

Brian is the first to recover from our little PDA session. “That’s quite all right, we weren’t even sure you were going to make it. Rome informed us of your morning workouts. I must say, it’s rather admirable to continue your workout routine while you’re on vacation.”

I snake my fingers through Rome’s and place our joined hands on the table between us. A small smile tugs at my lips at Nora’s trained gaze on our hands. “I have to keep my body in tip-top shape, it’s my greatest instrument behind this.” I tap my forehead. My dad used to always say your brain is your conductor and your body is the instrument, you must keep your instrument in top shape in order for the conductor to get the best out of it. Discipline, structure, rigidity. That’s how I operate. The waiter places my breakfast down.

“That’s a very interesting philosophy.” Brian sips his orange juice.

“It was my dad who really spent my whole life drilling it into me, it’s what made him such a successful surgeon.”

Rome offers me a gentle smile, lifts our joint hands to his lips, and places a soft kiss on my knuckles. To anyone watching it would be an endearing gesture of a caring boyfriend, but the look passing across Rome’s eyes tells me he misses my dad just as much as I do.

“Well, isn’t this a beautiful little picture.”

Oh shit. I dig my fingernails into the soft skin on the palm of Rome’s hand. All the muscles in my body become rigid. Lottie’s words ring around in my head as the one reason why this fake relationship with Rome is going to be over before we can convince Brian and Nora it’s real appears at the end of our table.

“Please spare me the sordid details, I don’t want my ears to bleed.”

Oh. My. God. He really woke up and chose violence this morning.