Beast I Can’t Tame by L.K. Shaw
Chapter 25
Francesca
I flipthe studio light on, and blink against the brightness. It’s a veritable photographer’s dream in here. Flash lights, back drops, and props are scattered around the room just waiting to be brought out and played with. The buzz of excitement is like a contact high. I’m giddy with anticipation as I step into the room.
“So this is where the magic happens, huh?” Gio asks from behind me as he follows me in, his gaze traveling around.
“Isn’t it wonderful?” I gush, doing a little spin as I dart from here to there, checking everything out and envisioning how I’m going to put all these pieces to use. My mind flashes with image after image.
Gio sitting here.
Gio sitting there.
Gio lying down on the bed.
Thatputs a whole new set of images in my brain. Ones that make me hot and flushed. I cast a quick glance at him from the corner of my eye, hoping he doesn’t notice how flustered I’m getting, but he’s still wandering around looking at everything. He reaches out to touch a flash lamp, but just before his fingers make contact, he pulls them back. It’s really expensive equipment.
I set my camera down on one of the tables and start to walk around as well, trying to get an idea of the kinds of shots I want to take and where I should start setting up. There are several backdrops to choose from, and I thumb through each one, my gaze darting between it and Gio. I finally settle on the muslin. It’s a great neutral, workable color that will go well with his dark hair and skin tone.
Once I have the backdrop ready, I glance around for a stool. My steps stutter at Gio standing only a few feet away, staring with a grin on his face.
“What?” I can’t help but chuckle.
“Nothing,” he says with a mock look of innocence. “I’m just watching you be adorable. I love seeing how excited you are.”
I cross the few short distance between us and lean into him, balancing myself with my hand on his chest. My lips brush across his. Once. Twice. I tease him with the tip of my tongue before I pull back so I can look at him. “I have the chaps ready for you whenever you are.”
Laughing, I spin away and keep my eye out for a stool. I finally find one buried behind a bunch of equipment and pull it out. Gio continues to observe me as I set it in the middle of the small, carpeted area in front of the backdrop.
“Sit, please,” I direct, pointing to where I want him.
He settles onto it, his body loose and relaxed. Confident. His gaze follows me as I move lights around, shining them here and there. I grab my camera and fiddle with the settings then look at him through the view finder.
Not satisfied, I shorten the distance between us, and put my arms on his shoulders, shifting and guiding his position. I back up and pick up my camera again.
“Turn your head to the left a bit and look right here.” I hold up a finger next to my ear and his eyes follows the movement. “Perfect. Hold it.”
I snap a bunch of shots, then call out more directions. I reposition the lights, change the back drop, and Giovanni moves with each of my instruction, until I lower the camera and study him, thinking. Coming to a decision, I cross over to him once again, stopping directly in between his slightly parted legs.
His eyes warm. “You look like you’re about to cause trouble.”
Without a word, I reach up. My hands tremble as I slowly unbutton his shirt. I can’t look away from him. Each loosened button exposes more of his lightly furred chest. My pulse races faster. I swallow, but Gio doesn’t stop my actions. Not even when I reach the last button and his shirt gapes wide open. We continue to stare at each other.
It takes effort, but I manage to clear my throat, step back, and pick my camera back up. “Can you stand?”
He rises and I move the stool out of the way. I return to my spot a few feet away. “Hands in your pockets. Deep in them, and lean back just a little.”
Giovanni does as I ask, slipping his hands in the front pockets of his jeans, tugging them down a bit in the process, and exposing quite a bit more skin beneath his belly button. The arrow of hair that disappears beneath his waist band taunts me.“Are you going to start shooting?”
I blink and jerk my gaze up to meet Gio’s amused one. My whole body heats.
“Oh, um, yes.” I fumble with the camera, nearly dropping it. A masculine chuckle fills the air.
Finally, I manage to gather my composure and begin the shoot. Once again, after I get in a bunch of shots, I close the space between us and turn him. As I do, my hand glides across his washboard abs. Giovanni sucks in a breath, his stomach muscles tightening, and I freeze in place, my palm still pressed against him. I jerk my head up. We’re so close, I can see the flecks of gold in his eyes.
I drop my hand and swear there’s a flash of disappointment across his face. Without thinking twice about what I’m doing, I set the camera on the discarded stool a few feet away and move back to where Gio has taken his hands out of his pockets. My hand returns to his stomach, only the other one joins it. I slide them upward, my fingers gliding over his chest until they disappear beneath his shirt. I push the fabric over the tops of his shoulders and down his arms, leaving him standing there in only his jeans.
“Francesca,” Giovanni says, his voice roughened with arousal.
I glance up at him. “Can I touch you?”
He clears his throat. “You can do anything you want.”
Feeling bold, I lay my hands on him, learning the feel of his flesh beneath mine. He’s hot. Hard. Muscled. One arm is paler than the other from where he’d been wearing the cast, and the muscles appear slightly atrophied, but that doesn’t take away from his strength. His power. Something I’m not sure he even realizes he wields.
I’d told Anya Giovanni makes me feel safe. Standing here, in this quiet room, alone with him, he could use that power against me. He would never do that to you. He wouldn’t even, and I’m finally beginning to believe that. Gio does make me feel safe. Protected. He’d never let anyone hurt me, least of all him.
My hands follow a path of their own making, along his stomach, chest, and over his shoulders. I circle around him, my fingers dragging lines along the way. His muscles twitch and flex with each pass. I run a single finger down his spine. He growls deep and a shiver passes through him. I’m powerful in this moment. I’m the one bringing him pleasure.
Every caress ramps up my own arousal. My nipples tighten, and my core throbs. I’m the one in control here. He’s letting me be in charge, just like the night he came over to celebrate.
I come back around to face him. His jaw is clenched, and his eyes have turned nearly black. My gaze drifts down. There’s no hiding the fact that he’s hard. The fact doesn’t scare me as much as it might have even only a week ago. I lift my gaze to his.
“Kiss me.” The demand comes out strong and confident and full of need.
Giovanni doesn’t hesitate. He spears his fingers through my hair and slams his mouth down on mine, as though two simple words unleashed the beast within. His kiss is a claiming. A declaration that he owns me. He does, too. I’m utterly and completely his. Just as he’s mine.
My hands latch onto him, and my fingers dig into his back, grounding myself before passion sweeps me away. The kiss is everything. Neither of us hold anything back. He kisses me like he can’t get enough. Emotions swirl inside me, each one growing larger and threatening to explode out of me. I’ve kept them locked up for too long and they’re ready to be released.
Tongues battle, teeth gnash. Feelings overwhelm me. They’re raw and new and scary as hell. It’s not enough, and yet, at the same time, too much. I jerk my head back, needing a moment to breathe. Gio’s chest rises and falls rapidly.
“Chess?” he asks with a thread of worry in his voice. It’s the first time he’s ever used my nickname.
“I’m okay.” It comes out shaky and ragged. “I just need a second.”
My hold on him remains, because I need to feel him, but I also need to control my thoughts. Everything begins to settle, including my heart rate. The intensity of what just happened slows. I suck in a breath and grip Gio tighter, resting my cheek against his chest. There’s a steady beating beneath me. His arms circle me gently, and when I settle more firmly against him, his hold strengthens.
We stay wrapped in each other’s embrace, breathing together until we’re in sync. There’s so much peace flowing through me. A feat I never thought possible. This warm light glows from my center, heating me inch by inch from the inside out. It pours out of me and encloses both Giovanni and me. If I had any doubts before that what I feel is love, this cements it. Does he love me, too? I’m too much of a coward to ask. Or to say the words first.
I breathe in his citrus cent one more time before I loosen my hold and step back. Gio’s shirt lies on the carpet at our feet, and I reach down to pick it up. Much more slowly than I unbuttoned it, I fasten each one again until it’s completely closed, and smooth the fabric with my hands.
“Thank you for letting me shoot you,” I tell him.
“I’m your willing subject anytime you need me.”
My eyes meet his, and I’m sure he’s not talking about just letting me take his picture. “Let me put this stuff away and then we can go.”
“You’re not going to exploit me by selling pictures of my half-naked body on the internet are you?” he asks with a serious expression on his face.
“What?” I burst out laughing, and Gio’s chuckle joins mine. “You are such a goof. And for your information, if I did sell them, I’m sure that I’d make oodles of money that I may or may not share with you.”
“Oodles, huh?” he waggles his brows.
I eye him up and down, pausing dramatically at the bulge beneath his jeans, before returning to meet his gaze. “Oodles,” I draw out the word with a cheeky grin.
