Scorned Love: An Enemies to Lovers Romance (Scorned Fate)
Scorned Love: Chapter 23

I was on cloud nine.

The fashion show was a success. Not because it was packed with A-listers, not because there were no mishaps on the runway, and not because when Xander did his bow it was a big fuck-you to his father—well, that could be the cream on top—but it was a success because according to Katie and Xander, orders from top retailers were already pouring in and so were requests for interviews. Most people thought fashion week was just all about the presentation of the collection, but it was what happened after that would predict its success.

But what made it outstanding for me was the man sitting beside me. We were finally leaving Edward’s after-party. Xander was staying at a hotel, so it was just me and Nico tonight. He’d been my rock during these past few weeks of craziness. My preconceived notions of him hadn’t changed. I simply understood him more. Broodiness was an intrinsic part of his personality. He internalized a lot. He was watchful. He tolerated being on social media because that was who I was. I understood why he thought I was a bad influence on Bianca before, though I wasn’t excusing his previous prejudice. Neither did I excuse his quick temper. But I admired how he kept it in check around Edward tonight because I was sure my ex had poked at him. It showed how much Nico cared, how much he respected Xander and me and didn’t want to ruin our night.

I glanced at Nico and squeezed our joined hands. He shot me a brief look and a smile before returning his gaze to New York traffic.

“We’re not going to Hell’s Kitchen?” I asked.

“Nope.”

“This is the way to The Lafayette.” We were in SoHo.

“Yup.”

Just when I thought I could come down from the high, my heart escalated in beats. “It’s ready?”

“Wait and see.”

I laughed. “I don’t know if I can take more excitement.”

Nico transferred our linked fingers to his lap, alternately lifting them to kiss the back of my hand. With the heel of his other hand, he used it to maneuver the Maserati. He was so sexy when he did this. Skillful. A sexy man behind the wheel of a sleek, sexy vehicle. One could say I had stars in my eyes when it came to everything Nico De Lucci. When the SUV entered the underground parking, he slid into my designated space and cut off the engine. “Don’t get out. Wait for me.”

“I know.” Feminism deserted me when I was around Nico. I thrilled to his chivalrous behavior of opening doors, walking on the dangerous side of the street, and twisting the cap off a bottled water for me, but he was far from a gentleman in the bedroom.

He was my filthy, rough lover.

And he made my toes curl.

The door opened and he helped me down.

“Do you want me to carry you?”

My poor feet were squished in the latest Louboutins.

“No, but you can massage my feet later.”

“Always a pleasure.” His voice dropped to a husky baritone that sent goose bumps across my skin and made me forget my name. “You know I have a thing for your toes.”

“I didn’t know you have a foot fetish,” I teased.

“I have an everything-Ivy fetish.”

Yeah, there was no space in my shoes for my toes to curl, and my clothes shrunk, became scratchy and strangling, to the point where I wanted to rip them off. My pussy pulsed with wetness. I could come just from standing beside Nico. Was I that easy? I suspected he could make me come on command.

Despite the agony in my shoes, the rest of my body responded with my thoughts running rampant with the indecent designs Nico had for me. Or maybe it was my designs on him. I wanted to sink on my knees and wrap my lips around his gorgeous cock. At this moment, I didn’t care where we were.

“I’m not really tired.” I shot him a coy look when we got into the elevators.

He made a strangled sound and dropped his gaze, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. But when he looked up, the space in the elevator diminished to just him and me. “Is that your way of saying I’m getting lucky tonight?”

“I know you, Nico De Lucci. You’ll think I’m too tired for sex tonight. You’ll fix me a bath and then tuck me into bed.”

“You’re making me sound boring, princess.”

“On the contrary.”

The elevator doors slid open. After my attack, we’d come to the loft two times. The first time was after Nico had a crew do a deep clean. I couldn’t find a single speck of blood on the floor. The second time was to assess if I still wanted the same furniture for the loft. I did. No asshole was going to scare me from living here and change my mind about what I envisioned my space to be. The police still didn’t have a lead on who attacked me. There were more serious crimes in Manhattan and my case, no matter how high profile my attack had been, was not a priority. Trevor had been cleared by the video footage that he acted in self-defense and the cops were eager to slot this case under armed robbery.

Neither Nico nor his cousin Dom were hot for the police to investigate anyway, but I knew they were still digging into it and trying to find a connection to the Rossis. They even had me look through some pictures of their soldiers, but since I didn’t see their faces, I couldn’t identify them.

That evening was just a blur.

Nico took my keycard and swiped it at the door to my unit. He updated the overall security in my loft, including the cameras and entrance. The loft security was under surveillance by a company the De Luccis trusted. Actually, it was one of their subsidiaries.

He opened the door a crack, then looked at me. “Close your eyes, no peeking.”

“Oh, you’re such a tease.” But I did as I was told. He guided me inside. The scent of tuberose wafted in my nose. I knew this smell because it was my favorite candle scent. Full of sensuality and everything. My lids were not in total darkness, so I figured there was some kind of lighting. As Nico led me further into the room, I got impatient, and as if knowing I was going to defy his instructions, he went behind me and covered my eyes with his hands.

Farther into the loft we went until we stopped where I could tell we were in the living room. He lowered his hands and clasped my shoulders. “You can open your eyes now.”

I did. And I gasped.

Before me, my loft was lit with candles of all sizes supplemented with the chandelier that I’d chosen for the middle of the living room. Several lampshades sat discreetly in the corners providing more lighting but remained unobtrusive to the whole cozy setup.

“How?”

“Aunt Carlotta and Mom,” he said in my ear. “They said they were too old for after-parties anyway, and offered to do this for me.”

I tried to take another step, but I was stunned at the transformation of the loft. I opted for creamy white leather bubble couches. I might regret the white color later, but it went so well with the gold feet. The coffee table was glass and gold. It complemented the faux fur white center rug. I might regret that later, too. Tears formed in my eyes just as a sob rose in my throat.

The avalanche of emotions was too powerful to hold back. I spun around and threw my arms around Nico’s neck and peppered his face with kisses. “You’re the best boyfriend.”

My words came out garbled. I didn’t even care if he understood me.

I shamelessly tried to climb his body at the same time smooshing my front into his, my leg hooking around his hip, trying to get closer and found his erection already rock hard. I rubbed myself against him and my pussy pulsed with a wetness that drenched my panties.

“Oh, God.” I think I had a mini orgasm.

“Damn, baby,” he muttered between our frantic kisses. “You’re so fucking hot.”

“I’ll show you hot, lover.” My fingers unbuckled his belt with an urgency that abraded my skin and puckered my nipples. I released the button and lowered the zipper, the sound breaking through our rapid panting.

I gripped his erection, our mouths not quite touching, our gazes transfixed. He backed me into the living room amidst the giant pillows.

I dropped to my knees and licked the crown of his cock. Hearing him hiss and then groan empowered me and made me…wetter.

“You have me at your mercy, princess.”

“Do me a favor,” I said huskily, looking up at him.

He swallowed, and his eyes took on the shade of midnight. “Anything.”

“I want you to fuck my face like you hate me.”

He froze, as though unsure. I shot him a look of pure seduction. It was all in the eyes. I hadn’t been this forward before. I had gotten my needs so wrong but Nico showed me exactly what I craved.

I wasn’t a submissive. I enjoyed spanking, but I didn’t need the pain. I wanted to be dominated but not in the way I needed to say sir.

I was a warrior who needed someone stronger to overpower me. Not because I wanted to be subjugated but because being strong all the time was so exhausting that sometimes I wanted to relax knowing there was that person I trusted to have my back.

Nico was that person.

Stunned with this realization, I eagerly swallowed his cock. It was impossible to take all of him even when he hit the back of my throat, so my fist slid to the base.

“Fuuuuck,” Nico growled, his fingers dragged through my hair. “This will be over before—”

I sucked until my throat felt its tip.

“Princess—” This time the word was more guttural, like he was about to lose control. And that prompted me to taunt the beast. I released his cock. “Are we still hesitating? Degrade me like the—”

With a painful grip on my hair, he cut off my words and shoved his cock between my lips. I choked. Then he yanked me off, and while still maintaining a vise on my hair, he lowered his head and demanded, “Does that feel like I hate you yet?”

I released his cock and grinned. “Go for it.”

The next time I swallowed him, he controlled the movement. Tears sprang to my eyes when his cock slid into my throat so deep, it robbed me of oxygen. When he withdrew, my arousal saturated my panties.

I could feel Nico’s self-control tread on a razor’s edge. His fist in my hair grew tighter and my jaw was open so wide, it was feeling uncomfortable, but the power bleeding through his pores was feral, erratic, without focus.

It electrified me.

“I’m going to come,” he warned.

I grabbed his ass and went deeper.

“Dammit, woman.” Warmth jetted on my way up and I greedily tried to lick every drop of him, but I let him go and he was still coming. He was also cursing me. Cum landed everywhere and my mouth remained open like I was in the desert, parched and needing rain.

Nico staggered back and glared at me. “What the hell was that?”

“I couldn’t swallow all of it, asshole. That was a lot.”

“Not that.” He continued to glare at me. “That was the single hottest blow job of my entire life.”

“Oh…” Was I preening a little? Yes. Yes, I was. I would have grinned if my jaw wasn’t still recovering from opening so wide.

“Yeah…” He stepped into my space and plucked me off the floor, carrying me bridal-style, heading outside to the balcony. “I didn’t even get to show you this area, but I’m thinking, I’m going to let you enjoy it while I spend time between your legs.”

“What?”

He tossed me on top of a padded lounger, panties ripped, Louboutin heels still on, legs pushed apart by his wide shoulders, and his face smashed against my pussy.

“Nico!” I cried. I could see the stars, literally. We were inside a pergola, fabric walls flapping in the breeze, a peekaboo of sorts. I wondered if there were voyeurs in the opposite building, but my brain couldn’t care less right now. The exquisite fluttering of his tongue made me a blubbering mess. It always did. The way he licked, the way his mouth sucked, and the way his fingers pumped inside me like he was a maestro directing each and every movement to a crescendo. My clit swelled and my orgasm hit me so hard, I think I squirted. So, so wet. And if I drowned him with my arousal, it was all his fault.

I guess Nico got me back and gave me the most intense orgasm of my life.

“Enough…” I muttered weakly.

The bastard refused to let go, and the vibration of his growl only added to the exquisite sensation between my legs.

By the time he was done, my limbs refused to move. My arms stayed over my head and I was enjoying the view of the sky and skyscrapers as if I was tripping and drugged out of my mind.

Nico came into view, and I mustered a smile. I was in a different space. “Thank you.”

“For what, baby?”

“You’ve robbed me of speech. I can’t articulate my thoughts.”

“Do you want to see the rest of the apartment?”

“Can’t move.”

“I’ll carry you.”

“Can we just stay out here?” But then reality seeped in. I was wearing the grit of the night as well as Nico’s cum. My hair was probably a rat’s nest by now, with the way his fingers ravaged them. “On second thought.” I sat up and he rolled off the lounger. “I need to shower.”

“I had planned to run you a bath.”

“Nope, I’m not sitting in all these bodily fluids.”

He burst out laughing. “Gotcha, princess.”

“But first…” I kicked off my shoes and my toes screamed in pain, and then relief. “Ow. I don’t know why women torture themselves this way.”

“Or ruin their spines.” Nico muttered, helping me up.

It wasn’t the first time he made a comment about this. I guessed being big into fitness, he was all about strengthening the core. I took a tentative step forward. It felt so weird to be three inches shorter again after strutting all day in heels, which I rarely did for precisely Nico’s concerns. I padded barefoot back into the loft.

I didn’t have time to finish feeling giddy before I was overwhelmed to jump Nico’s bones with what he had done. Emotions worked their way up my throat, and tears stung my eyes again. I inhaled sharply to try to control the sobs that wanted to break out.

Nico turned me around and searched my face. “Those are tears of happiness, I’m guessing?”

“You guessed that right.” I buried my face in his chest. “You are the bestest boyfriend. How can a girl be so lucky?”

He rested his chin on my head. “I’m the lucky one. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, princess…” He paused, but there was so much innuendo in his tone, it made me lift my gaze to his face.

“I’m in love with you, Ivy Wu.”

My lips parted, and then I exhaled sharply, the emotion was so big in my chest that I had to let it out to make room for more because my heart kept pumping waves of love.

Love for this man in front of me.

“Oh my God,” I said in wonder. “I’m in love with you, too.” I laughed giddily. I put a hand over my chest. “I love you, Nico De Lucci.”

A rumble of approval escaped his mouth before his lips crashed down on mine. He took me down to the floor, hooked my legs over his elbows, spreading me wide, and drove inside me. I was still so sensitive, I clenched around him.

I couldn’t look away from the fierceness in his gaze. This was a claiming. He pumped inside me again and again. He watched me as I cried out from another orgasm. I’d lost count by this time. My clit and my sweet spot were tweaked enough that they were on a hair trigger in which any pressure would set me off.

He never slowed until his face contorted like he was in pain, and then relief swept over his features before he grunted and spilled inside me. It was so hot to see that I could do this to this broody man and make him lose control.

Nico rolled off me when he was done. I noticed we were still wearing our clothes. Though I loved our naked sex, there was something satisfying when he couldn’t wait to get inside me. Then he angled back into me and propped up on an elbow. “I guess we’re marking every corner of this loft?”

He was not wrong. After we cleaned up in the shower, we were both hungry, and luckily his mom had the sense to get some groceries for us and stocked up the fridge.

After suitable rest, because fucking after eating was a disaster and we both knew this from experience, Nico made love to me again slowly.

We made it to my new bed eventually. Afterward, Nico cleaned me between my legs. He was kissing my inner thighs and his tongue circled my scars. He lingered around them more than usual, and somehow I knew I’d have to tell him the story about them. Or part of the story.

He kissed them one more time and shifted on the bed, dragging me into his arms.

“It’s going to be a long day tomorrow,” I groaned. “I hope Xander and Katie had more sleep than I did.”

Nico was silent, but his fingers were playing with my hair.

It was time. I’d blocked the details of my relationship with Edward from my mind. Locked under layers of willpower, I learned martial arts because it gave me the highest level of discipline needed to accomplish this. For six months, Edward broke down the grief I carried with my father’s death and left me more broken, left the pieces of nineteen-year-old me scattered at the bottom of that staircase. And for a while I thought he was still the one to fix me. It was my rock bottom. The only way to go was up, but to do that, I finally accepted I had to excise him from my life.

Taking a deep breath, I said, “Edward and I had a Dom-submissive relationship.”

His fingers stilled.