Love Me (The Elites of Cheshire shore #2)

35. Florence

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

florence

I toss and turn, checking the clock for the third time tonight. Sleep is evading me. Rome really didn’t help the situation walking around the apartment in gray sweatpants and with his fucking cap backward after he’d been to the gym. Apparently, he didn’t feel like getting changed. It’s like he knows the gray sweats and his reading glasses combo are freaking catnip to the female population. Ten minutes have passed and I’m still sitting here counting pointless sheep. No matter how tightly I close my eyes, it’s only one man who I see, the same man sleeping in the room next to me, and it’s officially driving me insane. I toss again, pulling the covers up over my bare shoulder. I’ve had a constant throb between my legs since I left him in the bathroom during the puppy auction. It’s completely messed with my head. I can’t deal with this anymore. Throwing the covers off, I let the cool air try to chill my overheated body, but it does nothing but make my nipples tighten.

Well shit.

I throw a glance at the drawer I shoved all the stuff Rome bought me in. My body is wound tighter than a spring and I’m just about ready to uncoil. I reach for my trusty old vibrator in my bedside drawer and pop it on the bed. Sometimes a girl’s gotta take care of herself. I take a deep breath and relax back into the pillows. Fuck Rome and his clit-teasing kiss . I don’t need him. I run my palms over my breasts, rolling my nipples between my thumb and forefinger. I push out my chest, pinching and tugging to create that sting I crave, loving the spark that shoots straight to my core. A delicious smile curls at my lips, and I hum my enjoyment, as a warmth starts to heat my sensitive skin. My legs fall open on their own accord, and the cool air touches my overheated flesh. My hand slowly slides down my stomach heading straight toward my aching pussy. The first swipe of my fingers over my aching clit, and I groan. I insert one, then two, teasing my opening while using the pad of my thumb to roll over my clit.

“Having fun there, lolli?” I startle at Rome’s words and flick my gaze to see him leaning against my door jamb. My hand freezes, but I don’t pull it away from my sex. My eyes flick over his skin, slowly incinerating myself with the fire from his eyes. Every muscle in his body is on display, held taut. His fingers grip the door frame with the effort to not enter my room. My tongue peaks out to wet my lips, as my gaze navigates the tattoos lining his pecks and shoulders. On the left side is an old maritime compass, my favorite one so far, followed by the faces of various Italian gods, each placed on a well-defined muscle. My gaze travels further to his abs, those sharp V-lines that trail down the smattering of dark hair, until eventually I reach the tent on his tight boxer briefs that tells me he’s been standing there a while. “Let me see how wet you are. Show me your fingers.” His voice is husky as corn silk.

I pull my fingers out, keeping my eyes on him while I stick my two fingers completely coated in my juices into my mouth.

“Fuck.” Rome’s responding groan is pure need. He leans one arm more heavily against my bedroom door. His other hand rubs against the front of his boxers. The expression on his face is tortured and it turns me on even more, his heated stare making my thighs clench. I glance down at his crotch and see the head of his cock now poking out the top of his boxers, tall and proud and ready, his piercing twinkling in the light. He still hasn’t stepped foot in my room. How is he so controlled? It’s infuriating.

I remove my fingers from my mouth. “Shame I have to use the substitute. The real thing really is much better,” I say and place the vibrator between my lips. Making sure to get it all nice and lubricated, giving it the loving attention I would be giving to Rome’s magnificent cock.

“Fuck, lolli. You’re killing me.” He voice is more animal than man.

Good. I want him to be as desperate for me as I am for him.

A small smile touches the corner of my lips, I remove the vibrator from my mouth, turn it on and use the wet tip to draw a line, circling one nipple then the other. Eliciting a moan from my lips as sparks of electricity dance through my body. “Why don’t you join me then?”

I’m seconds away from having him right where I want him. He’s not quite on his knees but having him crawl-walk into my bed is exactly what I want.

“Is that what you want, baby? For me to come take the ache from you?” His eyes follow the path the vibrator takes as I move it farther down my body, sliding it through my slit.

“Fuck yes,” I gasp, inserting the vibrator straight into my clenching core. But the latex toy holds nothing on the real thing, the contrast stark now I know what Rome feels like bare inside of me. My spine tingles with the need for more. I continue to pump in and out at a slow, punishing pace. I know I’m getting close. My eyes remain on Rome only to find his hand has worked its way into his boxers and is now pumping his hard length. His stare on me hardens, and I become mesmerized watching his tattoos dance with each stroke of his fist, matching my own strokes to his punishing rhythm. It’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen, watching him get off while watching me pleasure myself. His eyes on my body intensifies everything I’m feeling; my nipples harden almost painfully when he licks his lips. I run my hand over my breast, trying to relieve the ache.

“You’re going to be the death of me, Florence Liu-Savino.” Hearing my full name on his lips only makes my core clench around the vibrator. I continue to pluck and squeeze at my nipples, feeling the precipice of the orgasm humming under my veins. Throbbing. Begging for release.

“Rome,” I gasp as stars dance behind my eyes and I know I’m seconds away from my orgasm.

“Come for me, lollipop,” is his husky reply, and with that, I explode. I come apart at the seams just to float back together. When my eyelids flutter open, I find Rome standing over me, my vibrator in his hand. He bends at the waist. His hot breath featherlight against my stomach makes me shiver all over in my current heightened state. “That was quite a show,” he whispers against my heated skin. “Fuck, baby. You’re so beautiful when you come, I can’t wait for you to explode like that all over my cock.” His nose skims up my torso, between my breasts, barely touching me. He leaves a trail of fire in his wake as his lips glide up my neck to whisper in my ear, “But I’m not going to break, little temptress, it’s going to take a little more than that to get me in your bed.” He bites my earlobe as his hand comes down to cup my breast and tease my nipples. Just as the coiling starts up in my lower belly, he’s gone.

“Fuck,” I sigh, throwing my head back on the pillow. “Well, I guess there goes that plan.”

Only now, I’m more ready for round two than ever. I slip out of bed needing to shower and get the stickiness off my skin. Stupid fucking Rome Venuccio and his stupid fucking morals.

“He did what?” Sof squeaks. At both the highest octave and the quietest tone she’s ever said. Livvy and Kendall are staring at me with rapt attention.

“Mm-hmm,” I reply, swiping the paintbrush along my nail, admiring the deep burgundy color. “And it was from one of those fancy stores, too, came gift wrapped in a box with tissue paper.” I’m totally going to have to take this off tomorrow. Nail polish at the hospital is a giant no-no, and it’s the one rule I actually abide by.

“You have given me some ideas.” Livvy grins, showing all her straight teeth. “That’s genius, I almost wished I’d thought of that sooner. Have a box like that arrive at the office for Ryder to open. He would have been running for the hills.”

I decide to withhold the event that happened after the sexy present was received.

“I don’t know what hills you’re thinking of.” Sof laughs.

“Liv,” Kendall snorts, “the man would have given everyone a day’s paid vacation if that had arrived.”

“Point taken.” She places her toes in the portable lamp to cure her polish.

“What’re you going to do?” Lottie’s voice crackles. She couldn’t be here, but after I sent her a photo of what I’d received, she insisted on calling in. Apparently, Operation Get Rome to Crawl on his Knees into Flo’s Bed has become a group activity without me even knowing about it.

“Are you asking me if I intend to use the box of spicy magic on my own?” I wait for a beat before answering my own question. “Because the answer is fuck yes. I’m single, not a monk. Besides sometimes you just need to take the edge off, you know.”

“If I were you, I’d choose my playtime wisely and make sure Rome’s around to hear it. Be extra loud.” Livvy carefully pulls her toes out of the lamp and paints another coat of polish on them. The amount of self-control Rome has is unreal, I don’t even think that plan would work. I would know, I tried it already.

“Flo, I love you. You’re my sister from another mister, but do you think it might be time you started to be a little less jaded about love? Rome sees you for the woman you are,” Sof says.

“I’m not jaded, I’m a realist. Love is time consuming and hurts. I don’t have the space for either of those things right now.” I try to sound confident, but if I’m honest, Rome is chipping away at my resolve.

“I think Rome is, like, right guy, wrong time. But we’re going to pull fate’s strings a little to make it right guy and right time.” Sof hands me a glass of something. I don’t bother to check what it is, I just take a few deep pulls. I need the liquid to soothe my now-parched throat. I cough as the alcohol burns its way down my throat and goes straight to my head.

“Next time, warn a girl please.” I blink at her, my head feeling fuzzy and my limbs already starting to go numb.

“Well, I didn’t expect you to down that like a bottle of water after you’ve just run a marathon. But sure, noted.” She sniggers.

I’m starting to believe that these girls may be leading me up a garden path, because Rome doesn’t appear to be cracking, and I really don’t want to change what we have right now into something real. The more I keep trying to push Rome, he just keeps pushing back. Stupid fucking man.