Page 77 of Christmas Vows with the Devil

I shove him away from me—hard. He looks shocked for a second but throws himself in my face again.

“Don’t you dare, Dante!” I scream, pounding his chest with my fist. “Don’t you dare risk your goddamn life and say it’s for me. You’re not a fucking martyr. We’re supposed to be handling this mess together.”

My face is on fire, the anger coursing through my veins, threatening to turn into tears. I spin away from him, trying to compose myself.I will not fucking cry right now.

Dante grabs my arm a little too hard, pulling me back to face him. His finger stabs into my chest, his face dark and threatening.

“I would die for you, Gia. Don’t you understand that?”

“And I, for you,” I slap his hand away, staring him down—even though technically, I’m glaring up at him. Why is he so damn tall? I rise on my tippy toes, hoping to close the gap and make myself a little more threatening.

There’s silence between us for a moment, the tension stretching taut. We’re both panting, shaking with rage and irritation. In a split second, the atmosphere shifts and the pull ignites—like someone struck a match and set the room on fire.

I don’t even process what’s happening when he grabs me and hoists me up, but my legs wrap willingly around him. His eyes, dark and wanton, burn into mine as he walks forward and pins me against the floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse.

I gasp in shock as the cool glass hits my bare shoulders, a chill creeping through my flimsy tank top. Dante takes my surprise as an opportunity to capture my lips with his, slipping his tongue inside my mouth. For a second, I’m lost in a heady paradise of sensation.

His warm hands move from my waist to cup my ass, pulling me closer to him. I wrap my arms around his neck, grippingtight, willing him to stay here with me forever. Then I remember how angry I am at him and pull away.

I slap him hard and we both freeze. I’ve never slapped anyone before and I stare at my palm in wonder as it starts to burn from the force of the contact. Dante chuckles, low and dangerous, and with the devil in his eyes, he licks my palm slowly, seductively.

I’m frozen in the moment, holding my breath, waiting for what comes next. He slips one hand out from under me and uses it to grab both of my wrists, pining them above my head.

“Gia, Gia, Gia,” he whispers, nuzzling into my neck. “You don’t want to hurt me. And I don’t want to hurt you.”

I gasp for air as he nips my neck, sucking and kissing his way across my collarbone. He’s hard already, pressing into me through my shorts. I grind on him involuntarily, savoring the cold at my back and the heat at my front.

“That’s better,” he laughs darkly, moving to the other side of my neck. My arms are starting to tingle from being pinned up and I squirm, which just makes him laugh again. He faces me again, placing a gentle kiss on my lower lip.

“Want me to put you down?”

I nod, then shake my head. I want the freedom to move, to tackle him to the ground and rip his clothes off, but I’m also enjoying the lack of control. He laughs for real now, throwing his head back, the rich sound bouncing off the walls around us.

With the sun setting behind me, he’s illuminated in shades of orange and red, looking very much like his namesake,Il Diavolo. A shiver runs through me, lust spiraling into fear and back into lust again.

Suddenly, my feet hit the floor and my tank top is ripped off my body. I watch it float to the floor and he nudges me forward, my bare breasts hitting the cool, smooth glass. My nipples instantly harden and I moan as he traces my curves from behind me.

Sex with Dante is always fantastic. But it’s also usually emotional, gentle.

This. This is something else entirely.

“Spread your legs,” he purrs behind me, slipping my shorts off in a smooth motion.

“Dante,” I try to protest. “The window! People can…”

“No one can see us up here,” he brushes me off. He grabs my chin roughly, twisting my face towards him, and skims a kiss against my temple. “And if they can, good…I want them to see this.”

A hard smack lands on my ass and I jump. “Now spread your legs like a good girl.”

A shiver runs up my back and I comply, bracing myself against the glass. I have a clear view of Manhattan below me. Shops, restaurants, and cafes line the street below, and it's flooded with people making their way home after work. The setting sun, like a crown, rests along the skyline.

If I can see them, they can see me.

Suddenly, Dante’s soft tongue glides up my thigh, his strong hands gripping my hips. All thoughts of an audience go out the window and I melt into his touch, moaning and begging for more. I hear a dark chuckle behind me as he traces my other thigh with his tongue.

“Still worried about the windows? Want me to stop?” he asks, sliding his thumb along my pussy, landing right on my clit.

“Don’t you dare.”

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