Page 38 of Kiss of Ruin (Brutal Empire)

“Whatever it was, I couldn’t be the one to take it away from you. And letting Carlos and Andreas kill Luis would have done that, so I agreed to leave and keep my eye on Luis.”

I trace my thumb over the back of her hand, and she leans into me.

“Well, yes. I don’t know what I would have done. What I don’t understand is why you would leave.” She shakes her head, “Why not stay and watch Luis more closely from home?”

I take my grip and tug her out of the chair and into my lap. “I couldn’t bring myself to stay and watch you play devoted wife to a man who had cheated on you countless times, when I really I wanted you all to myself.”

She runs her hand down my face. The light touch, while gentle is having anything but a gentle reaction in my cock. She wants to talk and I need to listen and not ravage her like a soulless heathen. “You could have told me. I might have chosen you.”

I flatten her hand against my cheek. “I thought about that when I was driving around. And I doubt that would have happened considering you hated me at the time.”

“I only hated you because I thought you hated me. You treated me like I was unworthy of being Luis’ wife.”

“Never were you unworthy of Luis. He was always unworthy of you. I’m sorry I left earlier.”

“You were upset,” she says like it isn’t a big deal. She pushes off my lap and stands up, holding her hand out to me. “Have you eaten anything?”

The way she changes the subject doesn’t sit well with me. “I won’t let you risk your life again.”

“I know.” She waves her hand at me again. “Now, lets see what Camila has down in the kitchen.”

I give her my hand. She obviously doesn’t want to talk about it. It didn’t take much convincing to get Carlos and Andreas to abandon her idea. I let her lead me from the room and to the kitchen where Camila is waiting with full meals for both of us.

Each day in Miami, I can tell the waistline of my pants is starting to fit again. The weight I lost from the stress of worrying about Scarlett is coming back. I don’t even bother going upstairs before following Scarlett to her room. I don’t plan on either of needing clothes for the rest of the night.

I shut the door behind her and press her tight against it while I devour her lips beneath mine. When I lift my head, I stare down into her gorgeous eyes. “I can’t lose you again. I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe. The same as I always have.”

“Thank you.” She kisses me again and I scoop her into my arms and carry her over to the bed. I lay her down and crawl over top her. “Thank you for always watching out for me.”

I bend down, taking her lips once again. I taste her slowly savoring the way her lips feel against mine. Rushing her is the last thing on my mind. She’s exquisite beneath me.

“We have too many clothes on?” I say against her lips.

I sit back on my knees, taking her with me, so I can reach the zipper of her dress. The zipper glides down with ease. I feel her hands at my belt buckle and let her remove it from my pants.

She shivers when I slip my fingers into the neckline of the dress, slipping it down her shoulders, revealing the creamy skin that would tempt a saint. Surrounded by women of Spanish decent, her pale skin is a refreshing change.

I lean forward, running my tongue along the line of her shoulder. A sigh leaves her lips. My cock is throbbing beneath my pants, but I refuse to move any faster. Tonight, I want to make us both wait to reach our climax, driving us both insane with need.

When I reach her neck, I suck the skin into my mouth. Not hard enough to leave a mark, just enough to make her tremble beneath my fingers. I tug the fabric from her arms and press her back into the pillows.

“You are fucking stunning with your hair spread all over the pillow like that.”

Her eyes sparkle. I help her slip the dress down her legs, making sure my fingers touch her skin at every possible spot. The dress falls to the floor on the side of the bed.

Scarlett pulls my shirt from my pants and slips her hands beneath it, running her fingers over my nipples. My pec twitching in response.

“Take your shirt off,” she demands.

The command takes me by surprise. Used to being in charge in the bedroom, hell in life, I don’t know how to handle people telling me what to do. My dick surges in my pants and I decide I like being told what to do by one person, and one person only.

I sit back and finish unbuttoning my shirt and toss it on top of her dress. I cover her body with mine once again. Her fingers slip into the short hair on the back of my head, her nails digging into my scalp when I suck her nipple into my mouth.

“Feel different,” she says, running her fingers along my hair.

I look up into her face. “Should I grow it back again?”

“Why did you cut it in the first place?”

---