Italian Rhapsody Ch. 02

When he was finished with the unbraiding, he thrust his big fingers through the raven strands, lifting her hair off her bare shoulders. He released the thick mass slowly, allowing it to fall through his fingers. In the soft lamplight her hair looked like shiny silken threads of raven.

His knuckles brushed her naked back. Roxie drew in her breath. He stretched out beside her, his body almost touching hers, then drew his blanket up and over them both. He nuzzled her neck. She moved away from him, toward the edge of the bed. He threw his arm over her waist and drew her back to him, spooning their bodies. His hardened sex pressed against her buttocks. When she trembled, Daniel smiled.

"Such a skittish little virgin," he whispered in her ear. "Don't you ever wonder what it would be like to have a man make love to you?"

Lying in his arms, her body shivering with fear and desire as he held her, she knew she had to be strong. Now was the time to set him straight, to let him know she was not his for the taking.

"I'm not going to have sex with you, Mr. Fox. I'll take orders from you without question, but I draw the line at giving you my virginity."

He slipped his hand inside the blanket wrapped around her body and covered one of her breasts. Her nipple hardened against his palm. She struggled to free herself. He squeezed her breast gently. She shivered. Then he removed his hand and turned over, facing the opposite direction.

"Go to sleep, Roxie. I won't ask you to give me your virginity, since you seem to prize it so highly. But..."

"But what?" Her voice quivered ever so slightly.

"If you ever decide you want me to make love to you, all you have to do is ask. And I'll make sure your first time is unforgettable."

His statement left her speechless. Her stomach flip-flopped nervously. Her nipples puckered and tightened, almost painfully. Her feminine core clenched and released, spreading a fierce tingling sensation through her lower body. She had no doubt that he could make sure her first time was unforgettable. But what Daniel didn't understand was that, despite her desire for an unforgettable first sexual experience, she wanted more; so much more. She wanted love and commitment and the hope of "forever after." She was a woman with a great deal to give the right man. She hadn't saved herself just to throw away her treasured virginity to a man to whom she meant nothing, except someone he could satisfy his lust with.

An hour or so later, Daniel woke up with a hard-on. A soft, female body lay draped across his. When he turned his head to see who the lady was, raven hair tickled his nose. Then suddenly he remembered where he was and with whom. The plump little virgin was all but lying on top of him. Her head cuddled on his chest. One arm rested across his belly. And the apex of her thighs pressed against his hip. He had never taken a woman who didn't want him, but he was sorely tempted at that precise moment. With the right kind of seduction, she would be begging him for it. All he had to do was... No! Heck, no! The last thing he needed was to have sex with Roxie and for her to decide that she was in love with him.

When she began to roll away from him, he pulled her up against him and kissed her. When he cupped her buttocks in his hands and pressed her intimately against him, she came awake instantly. But when he thrust his tongue inside her mouth, she melted, clinging to him. But she pulled away once the pleasure built too much.

Easing his body away from hers, Daniel stood and stretched. He checked the clothes he'd hung on a hook last night and found them completely dry. Leaving the wrinkled garments, he headed for the small bathroom. Not wanting to leave Roxie alone in the dark, he didn't take the lamp. Feeling his way around in the dark cabin, he didn't find a toilet, but he did find something where you could answer nature's call, which was a room slightly bigger than a closet.

When he flung open the bathroom door, bright moonlight streamed through the window. He turned the faucets and breathed a sigh of relief when a thin stream of cold water trickled out and into the sink. Cupping his hands, he filled them and splashed the water on his face. He dried off and walked into the bedroom, totally naked, his long, damp hair hanging loosely down his back.

Daniel closed the door behind him, and crept silently over to the bed. The lantern's glowing illuminated the cozy room. When he glanced at Roxie, asleep in the bed, his breath caught in his throat. Her raven hair was spread out over the pillow like a puddle of oil. She had kicked aside the blanket, leaving it bunched at her waist. Her large, firm breasts were bare, their brown tips beckoning his fingers and mouth.

"Damn!" he mumbled.

Roxie sighed deeply and rolled over, turning her back to him, and in the process gave him a view of her backside. His body went fully alert, hardening and throbbing.

How the hell was he going to get through this night without taking her, when she was lying there all soft and tempting? He had never felt possessive about a woman. They came and went in his life, all of them temporary conveniences. He had never loved anyone. And no one had ever loved him. He had wanted, needed, and desired. And when he had desired a woman, he had taken her. But he had never loved. He reminded himself of all the reasons he couldn't have Roxie Serbati. She was a virgin. She would expect love and commitment. Becoming sexually involved with an emotional woman could jeopardize the mission. If he let himself care about her, he wouldn't be able to stay objective and do his best job. And if she ever found out about his involvement in her brother's and sister-in-law's deaths, she would hate him. Even though he didn't care about her, he didn't want her to hate him.

Who are you kidding? You already care about her. Get over it, he told himself. She's just a woman like any other woman. Two arms. Two legs. A pretty face. Nice large breasts. And a... Don't go there! Don't think about making love to her all night long.

He eased back the sheet and slipped into the bed beside her. He felt the heat emanating from her body and smelled the sweet, tempting fragrance of her. Hesitantly, he reached out and touched her hair, then leaned over and buried his nose in the soft, damp mass. His sex grew harder and heavier, throbbing with need. He kissed her shoulder. Roxie stirred, turning toward him, slowly opening her eyes.

"Daniel!" she mumbled sleepily.

He rose up and over her, bracing himself on one elbow as he aligned the front of his body along the side of hers, straddling one of her legs so that his knee was close to her sex.

When she tried to get up, he gave her a gentle shove and covered her waist with his heavy arm, pinning her to the bed.

Without thinking about what she was doing, Roxie gave Daniel a smile of genuine warmth and appreciation. She realized too late that she was in a very vulnerable position.

"Roxie," he whispered.

"Don't, Daniel. Please, don't."

Sandwiching her arms between their bodies, she shoved against his chest. He grabbed her wrists and flung her arms up, flattening them on either side of her head. She struggled against his superior strength, her sex coming in contact with his knee. When he lowered his mouth to hers, she thrashed her head from side to side. But he captured her mouth with fierce pressure, taking her lips, forcing them apart. He rose up and over her. Only a portion of the blanket separated their lower bodies as he ground his knee against her.

Roxie wanted Daniel. Wanted him desperately. But not like this. Not with such reckless hunger. Not when he was intent on forcing her. She could so easily give herself to him. Her body longed for his. Her heart cried out for his love. But Daniel Fox did not love her. He wanted her, but only for tonight. Perhaps for the duration of their mission, but not forever.

She fought a battle with herself, her own desire raging against her. As he deepened and softened the kiss, she whimpered her surrender to a moment of physical gratification. Straddling her hips, he eased his lips from hers and licked a moist trail down her neck and across her collarbone. He opened his mouth and covered her nipple, suckling hungrily as she arched in pleasure.

Her body tightened and released, moistening in readiness, as ripples of pleasure spiraled from her breasts to her core.

Daniel jerked the blanket completely away from her, exposing her large, round breasts fully. He cupped them in his hands, lifting them, weighing them. Roxie shuddered from head to toe.

While he did those incredible things to her breasts, she moved her hips, rubbing herself on his leg, causing incredible sensations to course through her body.

"Tell me to stop, now." He scraped his palms across both nipples. She gasped. "Tell me that you don't want me."

"I...I can't," she cried breathlessly, feeling herself getting closer and closer to something unknown to her. "Oh, Daniel, I just can't." She stopped herself from moving against his leg like a dog in heat. She was so close. A few more strokes and she would have lost herself to the incredible feelings of sexual release.

Damn it! He hadn't even made love to her yet and already he was ready to explode. If he was right, by the time he'd enter her body, he would surely lose his control. Was he enough of a bastard to take this woman's virginity? Would she allow him to love her and then, when this mission was over, walk away and leave her? He would like to say yes, but he wasn't so sure. He had a piece of paper that said they were married, but it wasn't for life, only for as long as they were in Sicily. He nuzzled his nose between her breasts, wanting her as he'd never wanted anything in his life. Then he dismounted her body and fell flat on his back beside her.

She laid her hand on his bare chest. "Daniel?"

"If you won't let me make love to you, Roxie, don't touch me." He flung her hand off his body. "Turn away and go to sleep. And don't touch me again. If you touch me, so help me God, I'll take you here and now."

Without saying a word, Roxie turned over and drew up into a ball. He lay still; naked and painfully aroused. When he heard Roxie's muffled sobs, he turned over and covered his head with a pillow. Heaven help him, this woman was going to make him lose his mind! There was only one thing left to do; manual stimulation. A few strokes was all it took. Damn her! All because of her he was acting like a horny teenager. Ever since she'd come into his life, almost two months ago, he had to rely on satisfying himself by his own hand almost every damn day. Since there were no other women around, that was the way it had to be.

Daniel washed his hands and dressed hurriedly, then checked his watch. It was nearly six-forty-five. Vladimir would be here soon. Vlad used to be in a Siberian prison. In Russian prisons your life's story was written on your body in tattoos. If you didn't have tattoos, you didn't exist. He had quite a few tattoos; a star on each knee that meant he had never kneeled before anyone. Stars on his chest. He had two spiders. A spider ascending meant he was climbing in his life of crime, and a descending spider meant he was giving up his life of crime. A cross on his chest, meant 'I'm a thief, but in good standing'. Like the cross, he had other tattoos that seem to be religious, but were not. In the Russian Mafia, they meant something entirely different. Vor V Zakone: we are marked for life and our stories tell the truth. That was the saying with the Vor V Zakone.

When he returned to the bedroom, he found Roxie awake, sitting at the table and hungrily devouring a banana"Do you want to use the bathroom?" he asked.

Gulping down the last bite of fruit, she wiped her mouth on the back of her hand. "A bathroom? That's wonderful. Where?"

"Don't get too excited. There's no shower or tub. Just a sink with cold water and a sort of...outhouse."

"An outhouse!" she exclaimed. "Well, beggars can't be choosers." Standing, she held the edges of the blanket securely around her body.

"Where is it?"

"Simple," he said with a smile. "It is where you can see sunshine through the window."

Grabbing up her clothes from the chairs, she smiled at Daniel. "Thanks. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"You know what?" she said when she returned. "You are a good man, Daniel Fox." She laid her hand on his chest. "You're a very good man."

He stilled instantly; even his heart stopped beating for a split second. Roxie believed he was a good man. If she knew the truth, if she knew that he had been considered a member of the Mafia when her grandfather had executed Pierfrancesco and Mariana Serbati, she wouldn't think he was a good man. She'd know him for what he was. He flung her hand off his chest and turned his back to her. "I'm not a good man. I'm a bad man."

A denial lodged in her throat. No, you aren't a bad man, she wanted to tell him. You just pretend you are. But she remained silent. Then she wondered, Is he a man tormented by demons? Is he plagued by a past he cannot undo? Is there true goodness in him? A goodness that can cleanse his soul? What memories tormented him? What was so terrible about his past that it plagued him? Did she truly possess the power to cleanse Daniel's soul?

Roxanne Serbati was a real woman in all her glory. Daniel's body responded as it always did when he allowed his mind to dwell on thoughts of a certain plump, virginal, pastor's daughter.

Late the following day, Daniel and Roxie were near a waterfall. Vladimir had also hidden a small jeep in the thick vegetation. "I'll spread out the sleeping bag in the back of the jeep," he said. "You get us some fresh water and open a couple of those delicious dinners and fruit that Vlad packed for us."

Placing her hands on her hips, she looked at Daniel. "I think I'll make a meal of the fruit we have left."

They ate hurriedly, aware that daylight was fading fast. She shared the oranges and bananas with Daniel, but refused to even taste the meal that he seemed to enjoy."

"You want to bathe first?" he asked. "Or do you want to stand guard and let me go first?"

"Stand guard? Do you think that's necessary?"

"We're in a foreign country. And you never know when your grandfather's men might be prowling around." He grasped her wrist. "I don't think we have to worry about them, but there's always a chance that a few of them could be close by."

"I understand. I'll bathe as quickly as I can."

"Feel free to undress and take a real bath," he said. "I promise to keep my back to you and not peek."

"Can I trust you?" she asked half seriously.

"If you can't trust me, who can you trust?" When she stared at him with her green eyes, he held his breath for a split second, then swatted her on her beautiful behind and laughed. "Get a move on. I don't want to bathe in the dark." Daniel found himself a large, smooth rock to sit on. With his back to the pond, he crossed his arms over his chest and looked straight up at the sun. An hour, perhaps less, of daylight remained.

The water splashed when Roxie entered the pond. He envisioned her naked body. He listened to sounds of the evening in the jungle, a mixed chorus of birds and insects.

After hurriedly unbraiding her hair, she plunged deeper into the pond and swam across its narrow width. Finding a shallow spot near the opposite bank, she dipped into the cool, refreshing water and scrubbed her face and body with her hands. As the grime and perspiration washed away, her skin tingled from the brisk rubbing. Swimming back toward the bank, she looked up and saw Daniel's broad back. True to his word, he didn't turn around when she rose from the pond and stepped onto the grass. She slipped into her jeans and shirt, then picked up her bra, panties and socks and dunked them at the water's edge.

"You can turn around now," she called out over her shoulder as she wrung out her underwear.

Daniel walked over to her and handed her his gun. "Now it's your turn to guard the camp, while I take my bath."

"All right." She gazed up into his dark eyes, such a deep, pure brown that they appeared almost black. He was close; close enough for her to feel his breath.

He wrapped his arm around her waist and hauled her up against him. Her lips parted. He lowered his head, covered her mouth and slid his tongue inside. She melted in his arms, her limbs softening. She dropped her underwear to the ground.

While he ravaged her mouth, he speared his fingers through her long, wet hair and grasped her head. Holding it firmly, he urged her into the kiss, seeking a response. Rising on tiptoe, she twined her arms around his neck and pressed her breasts into his chest. Daniel groaned. She moved her tongue from side to side, encountering his tongue with her movements. He retreated, then flicked her lips with the tip of his tongue, encouraging her to respond. Timidly, she entered his mouth and slowly explored the interior. He sucked tenderly.

Roxie shivered. Involuntarily, she rubbed her lower body against his.

Breaking the kiss, he grabbed her shoulders and pushed her away from him. They both breathed raggedly, as if they'd been running.

"I'd better take my bath now," he said. "Or I'll ravage that beautiful, curvaceous body of yours."

"Yes, you'd better." Her cheeks flushed with warmth and her body quivered with arousal.

"Keep your back turned." He grinned at her wickedly. "And don't let me catch you peeking or I'll have to punish you."

"It'll be difficult not to watch you strip, but I'll try to control myself." She laughed, wanting desperately to imitate his lighthearted banter. But if she was honest with herself, she would have to admit that she was curious about Daniel's body. Although she'd seen him in nothing more than brief swim trunks and felt his naked body hovering near her in the darkness, touching hers, she could only imagine how magnificent he was, completely unclothed. She reached down, picked up her wet undergarments and bundled them together. Forcing a smile to her lips, she nodded to him and walked past him.

He sat down on the bank, removed his shoes and socks and then looked across the clearing to where Roxie had taken her perch on the same rock where he'd kept watch. More than anything, he wanted to tear her damp clothes off her body and drag her into the pond with him. Would it be so wrong to make love to her? To take his pleasure in her soft, sweet body? After placing his rifle and holster on the bank, he removed his clothes and walked into the pond. He swam to the deepest part and dived beneath the water. The moment he sprang from the depths, he heard Roxie calling his name.

"Daniel! Daniel!"

Shaking nervously, her eyes round with fear, Roxie backed toward the pool. He trod water for a couple of seconds. Then he heard it. It was just an animal.

"Don't panic," he called out to her. "It's close by, but it's probably gone."

He rose from the pond, totally naked, water falling from his body in rivulets. He reached down to the ground and lifted his rifle, then slid his arm around her and drew her back up against his hard, wet body. She gasped.

"I want you to get behind me," he said.

She obeyed his command instantly, allowing him to shove her behind him. The dark shadows of twilight waved around them like eerie gray phantoms. The animal cried out. Roxie trembled. Daniel focused on the direction of the sound. To the right. On higher ground. But close. Very close.

"Is it a wild cat?" she whispered.

"Yeah, that would be my guess."

The leaves rustled. She gasped.

He lowered his arm and pointed the lightweight hunting rifle, a bolt-action Ruger 77 Hawkeye Ultralight, with a twenty inch barrel, at the ground.

Roxie let out the breath she'd been holding.