Read Online Cortigiana (A Vamp Life Prequel) by Jez Strider - Free Book Online Page A

bear it. It was as my mother had warned me.
    “ Evelina, I should not have
been weak. This affair is my mistake. The vibrant, young woman that
somehow touched my heart appears lost to me now.” His hands rested
on my shoulders from behind before carefully gliding around my
waist to embrace me.
    “ Take me away, Antonio. We
will go far away to a place no one will ever find us.” I closed my
eyes as his face nuzzled against my hair.
    “ It is impossible. We would
be found. Besides, this… this is my home.”
It was my home, too, but I was willing to
leave Venice and never look back again. “I have some money. We can
make a new home somewhere. Please. I cannot take another night like
that, not with him. Kill him if you must.”
Antonio turned me around to face him,
burying my pleas beneath his warm lips. He pulled my body into his,
keeping me close. Protected. The shame stayed, but somehow it faded
a little when we kissed. My lover accepted what I had to do to
maintain the lie. This made me realize, despite how perverse it
felt, I would do anything or anyone if it meant I could be with
Antonio.
    “ Do you think he suspects
us?” He asked, briefly removing his mouth from mine.
    “ No.” I whispered, once
again avoiding his eyes.
    “ Look at me.” The words
didn’t form a question, but an order. I forced myself to do as he
asked. “We have a month, maybe longer, to live and love as we
please within this room and any other secret rendezvous spots we
find around the city. Forget everything else, but the time we have
together right now. Can you do that?”
I was unsure if I could, but I nodded.
“Yes.”
His hungry mouth touched mine again and he
picked me up, carrying me across the room to the bed and lying me
down carefully. On the boat, the need had been urgent, hasty, and
passionate. This time, he attended to my needs in a way my other
lovers never had. With the softest touch of his tongue and stroke
of his hands along my hips, I reached a plane of existence I never
knew was real. As I rode out each wave of pleasure, I struggled to
push his face away. It was too much. But, after each plea for
respite, I begged for more to counter the request.
By the time he was done, I collapsed and
sank into the covers beneath me like they were a fluffy cloud.
Antonio slid up from where he’d been working his magic between my
thighs and lay beside me. When I moved to return the favor, he
placed a hand over my stomach and held me in place. All he did was
hold me. He asked for nothing else. No man had ever done that
before. My job required me to fulfill fantasies, but this was not
work. This was love and I never wanted to give it up.

A whisper made me clench my closed eyes in
protest. “Evelina.” The forbidden, deep voice spoke again. If the
man were a dream, I didn’t want to wake up. His strong hand gave me
a little shake and I finally opened my eyes.
    “ Antonio.” I sighed
breathlessly and smiled. “Mm, it was real.”
He smiled in return, placing a tray over my
lap when I sat up. “You have slept late. The first meal of the day
has already been served.”
    “ Sorry. Did you stay with me
all night?” I asked, using a silver spoon to gather some of the hot
soup. Also on my plate was a portion of pasta, meat, and something
to drink I had never had before.
    “ Until morning, yes. There
were some things I needed to attend to.”
My attention, still on the drink, caused me
to barely listen. I picked up the cup with both hands and inhaled
the scent. The smell equaled heaven and my mouth watered. “What is
this?”
    “ Chocolate. It is worth more
than gold or silver. No one else here knows about it. Another
secret between you and me.”
A tiny bit anxious, but intoxicated by the
scent of the foreign chocolate, I lifted the drink to my lips and
cautiously took a sip. It was the beginning of yet another love
affair. One that would never end. The chocolate, rich and thick,
tantalized every taste bud. It would have been