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Lia's POV
The dream always started the same way.
A man came into my bedroom. The door opened slowly with a creak. I heard his footsteps on the wooden floor. Heavy steps that made the floor groan. I never saw his face—it was always hidden in shadow, like the darkness covered him on purpose. But I could tell he was tall and big. His shoulders were wide, filling the doorway. His body blocked the soft light from my window, the moonlight that usually made my room glow.
He walked toward my bed without saying anything. Not a sound except those heavy footsteps getting closer. My heart started racing, pounding so hard it hurt. I wanted to move, to say something, but I couldn't. My body wouldn't listen.
He got into my bed, and the mattress sank under his weight. The springs creaked. I could feel the heat from his body before he even touched me. He filled the whole space, all the air in the room.
His big hands reached for my thighs. They were rough and warm, so much bigger than mine. He pushed them open, slow but firm, spreading my legs. The touch made shivers run up my spine. My whole body tingled and came alive. My skin felt extra sensitive, like every nerve was awake and waiting. My heart pounded so hard I could hear it in my ears—thump-thump-thump.
My breathing got faster. My chest rose and fell quickly. I wanted to see his face, to know who he was, but the shadows hid him. All I could tell was his size, his shape, the feeling of his hands on my skin.
His other hand came up to my throat. I felt his palm first, warm and slightly rough against my neck. Then his fingers wrapped around it, holding me there. Not hard enough to hurt, not choking, but enough that I couldn't move. Couldn't turn my head. Couldn't speak. Could barely breathe, just small quick gasps.
My skin felt hot where he touched me, burning almost. His hand on my throat made me feel completely trapped, completely his. My pulse beat against his palm. He had to feel it, had to know what he was doing to me.
I was scared and excited at the same time. My whole body was shaking with need. A heat was building between my legs, an ache that almost hurt.
Without waiting, without warning, he lined himself up. I felt the pressure first, him pushing against me. The heat of him. How big he was. My body tensed, but there was nowhere to go. His hand on my throat kept me pinned.
Then he pushed inside in one hard stroke, filling me completely. Stretching me. It was so intense, so overwhelming, it knocked the breath out of me. I felt every inch of him. Pain and pleasure mixed together until I couldn't tell them apart.
That was where the dream always ended. Every single time. Right at that perfect, terrible moment. It started the same and ended the same, right when I wanted more, needed more. Right when my body was screaming for release.
I woke up with a gasp, my eyes flying open in the dark. My bedroom looked normal—no man, no shadows, just my furniture lit by the streetlight outside. But my body didn't feel normal at all.
I was breathing hard, my chest heaving like I'd been running. My heart was still racing. My whole body felt hot and tingly, like my skin was too tight. There was sweat on my forehead, on my chest, between my breasts.
I reached down between my legs, and my hand came away wet. I checked my underwear and it was soaked, completely drenched. The fabric was clinging to me, wet and uncomfortable. The ache between my thighs was almost unbearable. I squeezed them together, trying to find relief, but it didn't help. It made it worse.
I turned my head to look at Rob, my boyfriend of a year. He was sound asleep next to me, his back turned toward me like always. His breathing was slow and steady, the kind that meant he was far away in his own dreams. Probably dreaming about work or video games or something boring. He looked so peaceful, his face relaxed, his body still. Like he didn't have a care in the world. Like he had no idea what I was feeling right beside him.
The space between us felt huge even though it was only a foot or two.
I was still so turned on from the dream. My whole body felt like it was on fire. I needed him. Needed to feel his hands on me, his body against mine. Needed him to want me the way the man in my dreams wanted me.
I reached out slowly and touched his shoulder. My fingers barely brushed his skin. His skin was warm and soft.
Then I leaned in and kissed his neck, pressing my lips below his ear. Soft little kisses, gentle and hopeful. I kissed him again and again, trailing down toward his shoulder. My hand moved to his chest, feeling him breathe.
Please wake up, I thought. Please want me. Please make this ache go away.
He stirred a little, his body shifting. He made a small sound. Then he opened his eyes, but just barely. They looked tired and annoyed, like I'd woken him from something important.
"What are you doing?" he mumbled, his voice rough with sleep. I could hear the irritation.
"I want you," I whispered, my hand still on his shoulder. My voice came out smaller than I meant it to, almost begging.
He let out a heavy sigh, the kind that said I was bothering him. That I was being unreasonable.
"Go back to sleep," he said flatly. No warmth in his voice at all. No affection. Nothing.
But I didn't give up. I couldn't. The need was too strong, the ache too intense. Maybe if I touched him more, he would change his mind. Maybe he just needed to wake up more.
I ran my hand down his chest, my palm sliding over his skin, moving lower. Feeling the warmth of him, the softness of his stomach, heading toward his boxers.
But before I could get there, he grabbed my hand. His grip was tight, almost rough, his fingers wrapping around my wrist and stopping me.
"Stop acting like a little slut," he said, his voice cold and harsh.
Lia’s POVI lay in bed for over an hour, tossing and turning, my mind racing and my body restless. The room felt too hot despite the open window. The sheets felt too rough against my skin. Everything felt wrong.Finally, I gave up.I pulled on shorts and a t-shirt and left my room, padding quietly through the dark hallways and down the stairs. I knew where I was going before I consciously decided.The pool.Maybe he wouldn't be there. Maybe I'd have the quiet and the stars and the glowing water all to myself, and I could clear my head and figure out what the hell was happening to me.But as I stepped out onto the terrace and the pool came into view, I saw him immediately.Dante was in the water, cutting through it with long, powerful strokes, his body moving with that same effortless grace I'd watched from behind the plant two nights ago.My heart kicked hard against my ribs.I should leave. I should turn around right now and go back inside and lock myself in my room and stop seeking
Lia’s POVRob had never shown this kind of respect to anyone, let alone people he considered beneath him socially. Rob would have sent someone else to deal with this, or shown up and made grand pronouncements without actually listening to what anyone needed.But Dante was different. Everything about the way he carried himself, the way he spoke to these people, the way he genuinely seemed to care about their input—it was all different.I found myself studying him as he talked. The strong line of his jaw when he tilted his head to listen. The way his dark eyes focused completely on whoever was speaking, giving them his full attention. The occasional smile that softened his otherwise serious expression. The easy confidence in his posture, the way he took up space without demanding it.He was compelling in a way I hadn't expected. Magnetic.We spent over an hour at that cafe, and then Dante took me around to meet more villagers—the woman who ran the small grocery, the young couple who own
Lia’s POVHis voice was quiet but direct, cutting straight through the silence.I turned to look at him. His eyes were on the road, his hands steady on the wheel, his expression calm and unreadable."What?" I said, though I'd heard him perfectly."Why are you with a man who can't respect you?" Dante clarified, still not looking at me. "Who treats you like you're invisible?"My defenses went up immediately. "You don't know anything about our relationship.""I know he's parading his ex-girlfriend in front of you," Dante said evenly. "And you're pretending it doesn't bother you."The words hit me like cold water.Ex-girlfriend.Celeste was Rob's ex-girlfriend.That's why she was here. That's why Rob had invited her without telling me. That's why he'd looked so happy when she arrived, why he'd hugged her like that, why he was touching her now with a gentleness he never showed me.The realization settled over me slowly, piece by piece, forming a picture I didn't want to see but couldn't lo
Lia’s POVThose blue eyes held mine steadily, and I felt like I was being seen—really seen—in a way that was both comforting and terrifying. Like he could read every thought in my head, every shameful fantasy I'd just indulged in.But his expression remained kind. Concerned, even."Are you sure you're alright?" he asked quietly. "You seem... troubled.""I'm fine," I repeated, but my voice cracked slightly on the word.Victor tilted his head slightly, considering me. He didn't press, but something in his expression said he didn't believe me.Instead, he shifted the conversation."Tell me about yourself," he said, settling back in his chair with an air of genuine interest. "I realized at dinner last night that I know very little about you. And I'd like to change that."The request surprised me. Rob had never asked me to tell him about myself. Not really. Not in a way that suggested he actually cared about the answer."There's not much to tell," I said with a small, self-deprecating shru
Lia’s POVI froze on the bed, my heart jumping into my throat."Miss?" A soft, feminine voice came through the door. One of the maids. "Miss Lia?"I sat up quickly, smoothing down my dress with shaking hands, trying to look like a normal person who hadn't just been doing what I'd been doing."Yes?" My voice came out rough and I cleared my throat. "Yes, just a second.""Mr. Marchetti would like to see you in his office," she said politely through the door. "When you're ready."My stomach dropped straight through the floor.Victor wanted to see me.Victor. The man whose hands I'd just been imagining on my body. Whose voice I'd heard in my head telling me to let go. Whose blue eyes I'd pictured looking at me with hunger while I touched myself.Oh god. Oh god."I'll—" I had to stop and swallow hard. "I'll be right there. Just give me a minute.""Of course, miss. I'll wait in the hallway to show you the way."I heard her footsteps retreat slightly, giving me space.I scrambled off the bed
Lia’s POVI woke up gasping.My eyes flew open and I stared up at the ceiling, my chest heaving, my whole body trembling. For a few disoriented seconds I didn't know where I was. The dream clung to me like a second skin, still so vivid and real that I could almost feel those hands on my body.Then reality came rushing back.I was in my room. In the villa. On the island. Alone in bed with the afternoon sun streaming through the windows.And I was so incredibly, impossibly turned on that it hurt.My body was on fire. My skin felt too tight, too hot, hypersensitive to even the brush of the sheets against me. My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears. And between my legs—Oh god.I was soaked. Completely drenched. I could feel it without even checking, the wetness seeping through my underwear, making my thighs stick together.I pressed my hands over my face and let out a shaky breath that was almost a whimper.What the hell was wrong with me?I'd just had a vivid, explicit,







