Page 54 of If Tomorrow Never Comes

At least…not right now.

He’s comforting me.

There isn’t any indication he’s getting satisfaction over this, especially knowing there’s no one standing in the way of him and I.

“It’ll be alright. I don’t blame the guy for wanting to protect you. I’d do the same damn thing. The problem is you specifically asked him not to, knowing the risk.”

“That’s not why he did it. He let his jealousy get to him,” I shrug. “He thinks I have feelings for you.”

Diego goes still beneath me, his fingertips grip my hip more firmly. “Do you?” His voice is full of gravel and vulnerability.

Those enchanting eyes of his zero in on me, but I’m too much of a coward to look up at him. “I don’t know what this is, Diego,” I shrug. “I shouldn’t feel a damn thing about you. You kidnapped me. You fuckingdruggedme.”

Eventually finding the courage to look up at him, my eyes find his, and for a moment it steals my breath away. They are the most royal shade of blue I have ever seen. Diego’s beautiful eyes search mine. His body vibrates beneath mine, radiating so much intensity and hope.

Suddenly, I’m way too hot in this thin fabric. Heat scorches across my cheeks and chest, traitorously dipping lower between my legs. Memories are playing like a reel in my mind.

“You chained me up to the ceiling,” I continue, “and stripped me of my clothes…” I trail off, realizing I’m verbalizing said visuals and not heading in the direction I wanted this to go.

Proof of his arousal presses hard against my side.

“Go on…” His minty breath fans my face, prompting goosebumps to spring up along my arms.

“I don’t hate you.”

He lowers his face so that his nose is inches from mine. “No, you don’t.”

“But I don’t like you, either. I love Liam.”

“So you keep saying,” his voice is smooth, no more than a sultry whisper. “What did I say about lying to me,Mariposita?” Our noses touch as his hand curls around my hip, adjusting me so that I’m lying back on the lounge chair.

Diego grips my legs, spreading them and pulling me closer so that they wrap around his sides. I gasp at the sudden change in his mood. My nightgown rides up over my thighs, exposing my black satin underwear to him. He leans over me, grazing his length against the flimsy fabric.

His closeness stirs something in me.

Okay his impressive cock pressing up against my most sensitive spots is what really stirs something in me—if we are being candid here.

Something I wish I didn’t feel. A reaction that Liam knew I’d have. The reason why he was so upset.

This is fucking wrong. So wrong.

Liam just left. God knows where we even stand. I was just bawling my eyes out. What the hell is this shit with Diego?

He leans over to whisper in my ear, resting on his elbows so that our bodies barely touch, yet the heat radiating off him feels like a sensual caress. “I do believe you love Liam. But I don’t think you were ever expecting me. And that scares you. Because I make you feel free. I make you crave a man who doesn’t treat you like you’re glass, but a diamond…precious and rare…created by intense heat—” he runs his lips along the shell of my ear, “and pressure,” his hand slinks down my neck, gripping it lightly on the sides. It’s overwhelming my senses, making this energy between us feel heightened and exhilarating. Instinctively, I grip his hand, not out of fear, the way Geraldo instilled in me.No. Out of lust and desire to hand over my need for control.

I want to scream at myself for feeling this way. Especially given the fact that Liam just broke up with me.I think.

Who the hell am I anymore ? I don’t even know—and that’s what scares me the most. What if the woman I’ve become isn’t the woman Liam fell in love with? Butterflies and uncertainty assault my stomach at the thought.

My mind spins and my pulse hammers against his fingers as his smooth lips approach mine.

Fuck. Fuuuuck. Push him away, Madison!

“Remember, all you have to do is ask,” he reminds me as his words brush over my lips. Once again, he changes direction, leaning back and extending a hand to help me up. I accept it shakily, letting out a silent breath.

Maybe even slight relief.

A prayer.

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