Page 60 of The Marriage Contract

I’m not sure how much time passes, but when I hear footsteps behind me, I somehow know they’re him. Maybe it’s their heaviness or their urgency.

I stand, turn, and run across the room to the door. Dario stands out in the hallway, his eyes wild, his hands trembling as he reaches for me, closing the door behind me. “I did some bad things tonight,” he grits out, “to bad people. I killed people, Elena.” He presses his hands into my hips, squeezing tightly, the sensation sending electric tingles dancing over me.

“I don’t care,” I whisper, realizing it’s true. “I just learned something about my family.”

He leans close, his breath caressing my face. “Tell me.”

I tell him quickly, then say, “I don’t want to talk about it. It’s in the past. The only thing that matters tousis that Aunt Rosawon’t stop us. We can be together.” His expression darkens, and I hint, “Now, tonight, we canbetogether, Dario. Don’t you get what I’m saying?”

He lets out a groan as he moves closer for a kiss. He pauses with our noses touching, the sensation tempting us to sink even deeper. “Is my perfect woman saying what I think you are?”

“Hmm,” I nod, my core flaming hotly, my clit feeling so sensitive as it rubs against my underwear. “I want you. I need you.”

“I’ve needed you since the moment I saw you,” he growls. “It was all supposed to be a game, an act, a scam, whatever you want to call it. But the second I saw my shy, sassy woman with flushed cheeks and a perfect smile, I knew I had to have you.”

He wraps his arms around me, lifting me off my feet and carrying me like husbands carry their wives over the threshold.

“I don’t want to think about tomorrow,” I say, throwing my arms around him. “The future can go to hell. It’s just me and you.”

“Me,” he groans, “and you.”

We kiss as he holds me effortlessly in his arms, making me feel weightless as I drag my hand through his hair, trying to get as close to him as possible. My nipples ache as our bodies rub together like something primal and savage is trying to fuse us.

“We need a bedroom,” he says passionately.

Nerves threaten to overtake me, but they have no place here, standing between us. “I was just thinking the same thing. Just don’t drop me,” I tease as he turns away, hurrying down the hallway.

“You don’t have to worry. I’m never going to let anything bad happen to you. I’m going to keep you safe, Elena, forever.”

The wordforeversparks more passion in me, even if it might be a lie, even if this might end tomorrow.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

DARIO

When I lay her down on the bed, she sits up on her elbows, her hair falling beautifully onto the bed, her breath coming quick and making her chest rise and fall, highlighting the sumptuous curves of her breasts. She’s wearing loose-fitting PJs and no bra. Her perky-as-fuck nipples poke through the fabric.

“Is the door locked?” she whispers.

“It’s like I told you in the limo,” I groan. “Nobody gets to see you like this. Only me.”

“Like what?” She sits up. “Naked, you mean?”

“Oh. My. God.”

My voice wavers as she stands up, pulling her shirt over her head. She bites her lip as if anxiety is warring with her, but then she grabs her shorts and wriggles out of them. She stands in front of me naked, her wet haven glistening, her thick thighs tempting me.

“Your turn,” she says, her old sass back with full force.

My hungry flesh couldn’t be harder. I tear my shirt off, buttons popping, then grab my pants and yank them down. My lust springs up, precome flinging from the head, making her gasp. Then I move closer, my tip stroking against her stomach, smearing precome over her perfectness.

“You’re the only woman I ever want,” I groan. “The only one I’ll ever need.”

“There’s noeverhere,” she murmurs. “Just now. Just us. Kiss me, Dario.”

As if I need any goddamn encouragement, I slide my hands around her naked body and sink against her, gently pushing her onto the bed. She whimpers in a ball-tingling way, causing my length to jerk.

Reaching down between our bodies, I bring my hand to her core, stroking her tender folds and then pushing my thumb against her quivering nub. She breaks off the kiss with a warm gasp, her eagerness driving me to more lust. I rub her quicker, with more pressure, with more attention.

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