Page 175 of Sin & Sapphire

She laughed and relaxed, closing her laptop before she stood up.

“A man who wants to take care of his angel.”

Her breath caught, but she didn’t protest, just squeezed her fingers where they curled around my bicep. “Do I have time to change first?”

My cock instantly hardened at the thought of my angel naked, water running over her body, getting pretty for me.

“Fuck yes, angel,” I growled at her, only for her to stop in her tracks.

“Alone, Angelo,” she said, her voice dry, even if her posture was stiff as a board.

When Ana walked out fifteen minutes later, she took my breath away. She’d drawn her long blonde hair back into a French braid and wore a pretty green sundress and sneakers. Her skin glowed, and she looked younger and more carefree than I’d ever seen her before.

“Angel,” I rasped as I stood and held out my arms, thanking god when she walked straight into them, allowing me to wrap her in my embrace and run my nose over the top of her head, inhaling the citrus scent of her shampoo.

“You’re beautiful,” I whispered against the side of her head.

I loved this woman so fucking much.

The words stuck in my throat as I stared at her.

I loved her.

I loved her, and I had to find a way to convince her to stay.

Ana let me tangle my fingers in hers, holding her hand in the elevator. I opened the door to the waiting SUV for her, and she blushed, refusing to meet my eyes. My fingers itched to reach over and buckle her in. I resisted the impulse for a moment, then gave in, reaching over her to snap her seatbelt into place.

When my fingers brushed against the bare skin of her shoulder, satin and warm, she gasped, and I looked up to find her lips parted and her eyes wide, cheeks flushed the prettiest fucking pink I’d ever seen.

“Angelo,” she murmured as I dragged the seatbelt across her torso, my knuckles scraping along the fabric of her dress, absorbing the radiant heat of her body before sliding along her thigh until the buckle latched into place.

I stood up, leaving one hand on her hip, no longer pretending this was anything but my desperate need to touch the woman I loved. She placed her hand on top of mine, holding me in place with her gentle touch.

Unable to resist, I cupped her cheek, stroking my thumb over her cheekbone and wanting nothing more than to lean in and kiss her. She licked her lips and fuck. I had to resist. She left me. She wanted space. And even if every cell in my body was screaming for me to slam the door shut and chain her up so she would never leave me again, she’d just escape. I had to convince Ana shewantedto stay.

Fuck! The Russo kid was the one with the charming words.

I leaned my forehead against hers, relishing the contact between us as we shared breaths, short and shallow, both of us aching with need.

When I pulled away, her fingers tightened over mine before releasing them suddenly, as if she’d realized she was holding onto me, and didn’t want to.

“Bene,” I muttered, adjusting my pants to accommodate my hard-on.

A moment later, I slid into the seat beside her and gave the name of the restaurant to the driver.

Ana looked at me with surprise, but her lips curved into a soft smile, and I knew I’d made the right choice.

We sat in silence, inches apart from one another in the back seat, my fingers itching to reach out to her, to touch her and drag her against me and remind her who she belonged to.

Me.

Valentin.

And the Russo whelp.

She kept glancing at me sideways, as if I weren’t paying attention to every movement and wouldn’t notice. I loved it.

I loved that she missed me, even if she would never admit it.

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