Chapter 8 - I Belong to You
- How much pain has cracked your soul?
How much love would make you whole?
What was it about him? Gianna wondered as her past barreled out of her mouth, rushed words spilling many of her well-hidden secrets. First her father's death, followed by her mother's alcoholism, and sexual abuse at her stepfather's calloused hands.
The pain and shame that she had bottled up so tightly came fizzing out with such force, it frightened her. But so far, Dominic took it all from her, removing the burden from her shoulders. She had barely comprehended of a word of her own story when she realized she had just begun detailing her disgraceful existence on the streets. As her timeline of despair and survival reached her drug addiction and the favors she gave to men in return for the comfort of her drugs of choice, Gianna clammed up. The cork was somehow stuffed back in the bottle.
As he sat next to her in stunned disbelief, Dominic could see Gianna was shutting down. And honestly, he was slightly grateful for the reprieve. He wasn't sure how much more he could bear. Rage was bubbling and percolating just under the surface of his skin. He was certain if he ever met Gianna's stepfather, he would strangle the son-of-a-bitch without a second thought. The only thing tempering his anger at this point was his insurmountable grief for Gianna, and what she had lived through starting as such a tender age. To endure so much rejection and humiliation...how much could a soul be damaged and still recover? Could she ever be whole again, he wondered.
He wallowed in his inadequateness. What could he say to her? What could he do to fix her? He knew his small town, humble upbringing left him unprepared to relate to her life experience. So he acted on his instincts, and pulled her into an embrace, wrapping his arms around her and pressing his cheek reassuringly against hers. He would absorb her pain if he could.
Her body trembled from exhaustion and cold.
"It's over, G. Look how far you've come. You'll never have to return to that life again. I promise you."
As her shaking subsided, he realized she did not embrace him in return, but sat stiff in his arms. Fearing he had crossed a line, entered her personal space without permission, he released her immediately.
"I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have...I assumed..."
"No, Dominic," she cut off his frustrated ramblings, "It felt nice. It's been a long time since someone..."
Her voice trailed off and her eyes became distant.
"What I've done in the past...well, you wouldn't ever want to touch me with your unstained hands if you knew. I didn't respect myself or my body. I let others do with me what they would in order to survive. I was used and discarded like...trash. I am nothing, Dominic."
The utter horror of speaking the words, of acknowledging the raw, undenied truth of her self-worth ripped her in two. Feeling naked, completely stripped of her polished disguise that shielded her, Gianna flew from Dominic's side in a desperate dash for his front door. However, in the seconds she fumbled with the door latch, Dominic had caught up with her. He reached over her and pressed against the door. He noticed for the first time how much larger he was than her.
Aware that his behavior could be seen by her as threatening or aggressive, he spoke softly from behind her, "Please, don't go."
Gianna didn't turn to face him and shuddered as she felt the heat from his body towering so close to hers.
"You are good, Dominic. I will only corrupt you; anyway, I am certain you feel no respect for me any longer. How could you even stomach looking at me?"
"Let me show you," he uttered so genuinely, her heart sank and her hand dropped from the doorknob.
Dominic laid his hands tenderly on her shoulders to turn her around. He was wearing only a crisp white t-shirt and gray cotton shorts.
She stared at his knees.
"Gianna?"
Still, her gaze remained glued to his knees.
"I was abandoned, too. By my father. As a small child I struggled to understand why he would leave," he shared.
"Did he ever come back?" she uttered.
"No. Never. I believed it was because of me. That somehow I was a disappointment to him. Unlovable. I carried that burden along with the belief that I had also hurt my mother since she loved him and he had left because of me."
"You know it's untrue, Dominic. You are good."
"As are you. And you are strong. You survived. And that's all any of us can do when thrown to the wolves..."
He blanched, cursing inwardly as his words briefly reminded him of the new cross he had to bear.
"You are not alone anymore, G. I'm here for you – if you'll have me."
"You won't leave!" Surprised by his sudden change of plans, she brightened and peeked hopefully up at him.
"I...I can't leave you. It's just...when I think about it..." This time he looked away.
Dominic struggled with the words and irrationaly strongl feelings. How would he explain it to her? Gianna, I've always been strongly physically attracted to you, but then you were my best friend, and today my whole life has been turned upside down. But the one thing I know is leaving you behind seems no more possible than leaving behind my own arm or leg.
He couldn't lay such heavy feelings on her, however unbelievably strong they were. She was just too vulnerable after unloading her painful past. Besides, he couldn't hope she felt the same. Their relationship had always felt comfortable and natural, but would she reciprocate his deeper feelings if he declared them?
"Go ahead," she encouraged him. "Finish what you started to say."
When he looked into her green, watery eyes with red rims, he saw them pleading for him to say what she needed so desperately to hear...
"When I think about leaving you, I can't breathe. It feels like the ground will drop away from under my feet and I'll fall endlessly into nothingness."
He watched as her expression morphed, so much flashed across her face: gratitude, relief, happiness. In that moment he was convinced she did have feelings for him. She wanted him to stay in Volterra.
Exhilarated with hope, he reached out to her, his heart pounding in his chest so forcefully he was sure she'd hear it. The blood coursing wildly through his vessels caused him concern, and he silently prayed he wouldn't transform into a monster, but somehow he could sense it wasn't the wolf being roused - it was the man.
This time, when he embraced Gianna, she melted into him. Her hands pressed into his chest, but they offered no resistance, on the contrary, they conveyed willingness. "I'm so glad you have decided to stay. I need you."
She was leaning into him and her voice caressed him as much as her hands sliding over his chest. Gianna rose onto her toes to press her cool lips to his neck. As she moved them to his jaw, he grabbed her upper arms so tightly she winced in pain, but hid her expression from him.
As she turned her head away, he misunderstood, believing his act of rejection had hurt her feelings. He released her from his grip and rushed to explain, "I can't trust myself, Gianna! I'm not in control right now...how I feel about you..."
A fierce battle raged between his mind and heart. He needed to protect her from what he was and yet she called to him with the undeniable force of a Siren's song.
Her eyes returned to his and they conveyed she had lost control as well. "Trust me, then."
She inched closer -very slowly- not wanting to frighten him off, yet determined to be close to him. When she saw surrender in his eyes, she took his face in her hands and guided his lips to hers. Their first kiss was soft, warm, and tender.
Soundlessly, the walls they had tried to establish crumbled around them, and blind passion burst forth. Dominic's kisses deepened, and it was clear in the way she responded, Gianna did not intend to leave him tonight. He knew he'd never leave her...ever.
Gianna's hand slipped down to the hem of his t-shirt, tugging it up and allowing her hand to journey underneath. Though her hands felt chilled, they sent a blistering electrical current through his entire body and a rush of ecstasy to his brain. He wrapped his arms around her to keep her close. Their still lips clung to each other as Dominic allowed Gianna to guide him backwards toward his mussed bed.
Experiencing the buzz her touch had caused, he hungrily wanted to know the feel of her body against his. Dominic tore off his shirt, discarding the tatters on their short journey to his bed.
"Oh, God, Domenico!" Gianna exclaimed incredulously as she pulled away to drink in the intoxicating expanse of his bare broad shoulders, muscled chest and ripped abs.
He smiled as the back of his legs reached their destination, bumping into the bed frame. Dominic spun Gianna around, lifting and laying her effortlessly onto his bed. She felt as though she was floating on air until he covered her with his weight, grounding her delightfully to the mattress and confirming for her that this was not just a fantasy.
Gianna slid her arms over his shoulders and down his biceps, letting the tactile experience excite her as their mouths and tongues danced in all-consuming desire.
Shifting his weight onto one arm, Dominic slid his other hand up the smooth, flowing curves of Gianna's hip, waist, and breast before cupping his hand behind her neck to devour her soft, swelling lips with moist grasping pulls from his own. The smell of her made him crazed for more and all sense of gentlemanly behavior was forgotten. He found his hands pulling on the opening of her blouse without conscious direction, popping the buttons one by one, exposing the smooth, rounded planes her heaving bosom. She arched her back needing more than wanting him to touch her.
Instead, he paused.
Gianna's eyes flew open as he drew away. She shivered slightly as the sultry heat of his body retreated. Hesitantly, she gave voice to her confusion, "Domenico?"
"Look at you. You're a work of art, G. So beautiful."
He couldn't believe his good fortune. A seraph in his bed, one he could actually touch and hold, not just admire or recreate in ornate glass.
He straddled her hips and gently, almost reverently, removed her blouse and asked, "May I?"
She nodded.
She had expected him to take her flesh, but instead his hands went to her hair, removing the pins that bound it to the top of her head. Casting them aside, he slowly ran his fingers through her long tresses, fanning her hair out around her. He seemed lost in the feel of her strands. When he finished, he admired his work.
"You are my Venus De Milo - a goddess shrouded in mystery..."
Her body relaxed and she let go.
Dominic reached under her back to unclasp her bra, removing it with as much care as he had stroked her hair.
Her breath caught as she realized how truly exposed she was under his intense stare. But the need to cover her nakedness was halted by what she didn't see reflected in his eyes. There was no crazed lust or glazed over inebriation from pills or heroin. What she did see was...adoration.
As if he could sense what she was thinking, he murmured, "So beautiful."
Dominic moved his large, strong hands up the sides of her breast. His palms finally came to rest over her them, and he pressed against her. The heat of hands comforted her. His honest touch absolved her from the hurt of the loveless touches that had come before.
And suddenly she was lost and found. Lost in that this sexual experience was unlike any that had come before. Instead of taking pleasure from her body, Dominic was showing he wanted to give her pleasure. His movements were unhurried. Their moment was fueled by something other than a rampant rush to reach climax. But even as his willingness to give mystified her, she could feel something undefined stirring within her. Something wondrous and new that Dominic had found and freed.
"Kiss me," she cried, longing to feel his body against hers and to show him her gratitude.
He complied, pressing his bare chest against hers.
Wanting him even closer, she threaded her fingers into his dark hair to draw him closer.
"Don't go. Don't leave me," she repeated breathlessly whenever his lips strayed from hers to kiss or nip at the skin of her neck, jaw, and upper chest.
"Never," he assured her, returning quickly to her sweet, searching lips.
Conceding little by little to her lover, Gianna could feel Dominic's arousal hard against her pelvis igniting her want for him.
"Make love to me, Domenico. Now, please, now – I don't want to change my mind."
She ran her hand down his side before moving it between their bodies to more fully appreciate his length straining against his remaining clothing. She let a very satisfied smile bring a new heat to her eyes as she gloried in his deep, responding groan.
"I want you," he hissed. "So badly, I want you."
"Take me," she insisted.
With her permission, he pulled her closer, rolling them both to their sides. Reaching behind her, he unzipped her skirt...slowly.
"How long I've wanted to unwrap you. To feel your skin against mine...and to savor your beauty as one would delight in a fine wine," he whispered.
He rose to his knees, watching how her eyes followed his every movement, encouraging him. He shimmied her skirt past her hips and thighs, slipping it easily over her shapely legs - the legs he fell in love with at first sight. His eyes hungrily consumed each newly revealed part of her.
Coming to a stand next to the bed, he let her skirt fall from her feet to the floor - his shorts and boxers followed suit.
Gianna's eyes widened at the complete view of her naked Adonis lover. He was utterly perfect.
Dominic reached to take her left foot in his right hand, raising it slightly off the bed. With the other hand, he stroked and caressed her calf. Not only were his eyes and mind in awe of her beauty, but he also showed his appreciation for such exquisiteness with his touch.
She held her breath as he moved seemingly in slow motion to place his lips to her calf, kissing it tenderly before trailing his hot tongue up to tease the spot behind her knee. A scorching current shot through her body, and she felt a trickle of wetness seep from her core.
As her body responded to his perfect touch, his tongue continued its upward migration. Gianna squirmed - the sensations tearing through her were so intense, the contact was so intimate, she wanted to cry out.
As his tongue feasted on her thigh, he crawled fluidly onto the bed. Gianna's body stiffened as his nose brushed against her apex and paused. He pressed his lips against her panties and breathed, "So warm and inviting. May I?"
"Yes. Quickly please!"
With a small ripping sound, Dominic tore the side seam of her panties, pulling them from beneath her and tossing them aside.
Again, he lay next to her on his side as she lay on her back. His fingers danced softly across her quivering stomach while he pressed his hardness against her hip.
"Feel what you do to me, G. You are divine, compassionate and..." he gave a small thrust against her to emphasize his next word, "...sexy."
Gianna could sense how dripping his verbal and physical manipulations had made her, but she wanted him to know...
Covering his hand as it toyed on her stomach, she guided it down between her legs.
"Feel what you do to me..."
"Oh, God," he moaned as he dipped a finger into her closing his eyes to savor every bit of the sublime sensation her body was offering to him.
She held his hand firmly in place and rocked her hips up, capturing him deeper within her.
"More please," she hummed.
He needed no further encouragement and began freely sliding his moistened fingers around her center, occasionally slipping into her to retrieve more of her wetness while exploring her gently.
Gianna felt the rhythm of his talented fingers matched the subtle thrusting he performed against her hip. When her skin became chilled, she knew it was his wetness coating her skin.
The building tension within her could not be denied or contained any longer. "Dominic, let me have all of you."
Gianna sat up and pressed against his shoulders, laying him on his back. She straddled his abs. Seated atop of him, she looked like a wild goddess. Her hair, dark and soft, fell over her shoulders and breasts while her green eyes blazed like emerald fire.
Gianna reached behind her back to take him firmly in her hand. As she stroked him slowly, she had all of his attention, though his eyes frequently strayed to her bare breasts. When she again caught him studying her face, she swiped an index finger over her hip where his cooled fluid still lingered. He watched in barely retrained anticipation as she moved her glistening finger to her mouth before wrapping her rose-colored lips around it to suck it clean.
"Mmm." She smiled slyly at him. "You taste as good as you look, Domenico, my passionate lover."
Mad with want, he silently thanked the heavens as she raised her body up, guiding him into her. He sucked in a breath as she lowered onto him, slowly taking him in. His breathing soon came in short pants as she consumed him inch by straining inch.
Gianna's hands pressed into the hot flesh of his chest as he filled her completely. When their bodies finally met, Dominic cried out in rapture. He was hers. Mind, body, and soul. She had just claimed all of him.
Her whole body undulated as she moved blissfully over him. He watched her, enraptured with the sight of poetry in motion dancing above him.
When her pace and breathing peaked, he reached between them, applying firm pressure with each of her downward thrusts. Her dark skin flushed and her brilliantly bright eyes squeezed shut. Dominic knew she was on the edge. Wanting only to draw out her pleasure, he brought his hips upward to meet her body, bringing himself to the precipice with her.
Gianna's high-pitched vocalizations signaled her climax and it swept him away too. He held her body tightly to his as they rode out the pleasing sensations.
Gianna collapsed onto Dominic's chest, closing her eyes and letting the warmth that coursed through her rule the moment.
"So beautiful," he managed to whisper before she drifted off.
As the clock chimed five times, Dominic folded his arms around her, kissed the top of her head, and joined her in dreamless, heavy sleep.
Outside, the other monsters shifted deeper in the disappearing shadows.
A/N: *Sigh* And the plot thickens...
Thanks for reading!
So have you been sucked into the great maw of BD1 publicity? I have. Only 11 more days until I make the trek to Seattle/Forks for the opening. What are your plans?
Oh, comments on the chapter/story are welcome!
