Page 64 of Taboo Flames

“I’m not going to be able to wait for you to go all the way home, Aurora.”

She pauses. “Are you saying you miss me, then?”

“I’m on my way to the studio,” I tell her, pointedly ignoring her question.

“Why?” she asks suspiciously.

“There’s something I want to show you.”

She snorts. “I’m not falling for that, Gio. You hurt me. Don’t for a second think showing up and bullying me to forgive you is going to cut it.”

I take in a deep breath, knowing she is right. If I want her, I have to give an inch.

“You want to know about me, don’t you?” I ask her quietly.

“More than anything,” she replies immediately. “I’m not asking you to bare yourself completely to me, but you cannot continue to lock me out, Gio.”

I swallow hard. “There’s something about me you need to know, but I can’t say it over the phone. You need to see for yourself.”

I can hear her hesitation when she says, “You’re scaring me. Why can’t you say it over the phone? If you’re into cannibalism or something?—”

“It’s nothing like that, I assure you. There are just certain parts of myself I never let anyone see. They’re unconventional and even taboo to the common folk. But I’m learning to get there with you. Please let me, Aurora. Let me show you the messed up parts of me.”

“Fine,” she finally says, her tone laced with doubt and skepticism.

“I’ll be there shortly,” I say and hang up, grabbing my car keys on the way out. As I make my way to my car, I make a quick call to arrange for a special activity for her.

Aurora is waiting in front of her studio, and she glares at my car as it pulls up. She’s in a dark blue dress that doesn’t seem like her style, and it’s confirmed when she grumbles, “I had to buy a dress from around the block because of you.”

“You’ll look perfect even in a potato sack.”

I mean it too. She’s the most lovely thing in the universe, and she affects me like nobody else on earth ever has.

Just one glance at her, and I can already feel the familiar stirrings of hunger within me. If only she knows what she does to me, then she’ll know just how much power she has over me.

“Flattery won’t win you any points today, Giovanni.” She says my whole name and shakes her head at me, but I can clearly see her cheeks turning a little pink.

I hold the car door open for her and smile without a word. I have a year-round reserved suite at Chattel, a five-star hotel that caters to high-profile guests and gives provisions for discreet services.

From the corner of my eye, I can see Aurora shooting me curious glances during the drive. She looks like she’s itching to ask me things, and I wonder how many hundreds of questions are playing through her head.

At that moment, I’ll give anything to be able to read her mind. I consider telling her to just spit it out, but I’m not sureI’m quite ready to dive into the dirty, gritty details of how I became who I am today.

When we get to the hotel, I toss my keys to the valet and go around to open the passenger side door for Aurora.

“Why are we here?” she asks, stepping out of the car carefully.

“To make it up to you.”

“I thought you said you were going to show me something?” she comments, arching her brow.

“I am. Just trust me.” I twine my fingers through hers, which makes her look up at me in surprise, and lead her into the building, straight past the receptionist and toward the bank of elevators at the back.

I press the button for the topmost floor, and we ride up to my suite. Just before I type in the code for the door, I turn to face her.

“I want to try something with you, and if at any point in time you’re not comfortable, all you have to do is say so,” I tell her with a serious expression.

“What?” She frowns.

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