Page 78 of King of Obsession

I flicked a towel at him even as my soul lurched at his utterance.

Then, my logical mind kicked in.

All he was doing was tossing out words.

He was probably so used to mesmerizing women that this was one of his ploys.

‘You think you’re charming, don’t you?’ I said, crossing my arms over my chest. ‘With your brooding personality and your sexy Italian prose.’

Alessio’s scoffed, a gleam in his eye. ‘I don’t think, cara. I know.’

‘Please,’ I countered with a snort.

He threw the dough over, folded it, and pounded it. His posture relaxed like he’d been baking for years. ‘You like it, no matter how much you resist.’

I rolled my eyes. ‘Please. I’ve met plenty of men like you before. All talk and no substance.’

‘Ah, but you’ve never come across a man quite like me,’ he countered, his voice low and seductive. ‘I’m one of a kind, bella. And I intend to prove it to you.’

God, he was insufferable, I thought, even as a shiver ran down my spine.

Why did he have to be so damn fuckin’ sensual?

Why did his muscles bulge as he kneaded, and why was his body too tight and lean?

I almost moaned.

I turned away from him, busying myself with stirring the stew in the pan.

‘You’re all talk,’ I said, my back to him. ‘I bet you say that to all the girls.’

Without warning, his presence ghosted behind me, his breath warm on my neck. ‘Not all the women,’ he murmured, his rasp sending shivers through me. ‘Only the special ones. Those who make me feel alive.’

I whirled around, finding myself face to face with him, our bodies only inches apart. ‘I’m not special,’ I said, just above a whisper. ‘I’m just a girl with a messed up past and a lot of baggage.’

‘You’re also a woman who desires love, who craves me.’

Again, this man’s balls had to be gilded, given how much golden bullshit he was spewing.

‘Alessio, my mind knows the difference between wanting what I can’t have and craving what I shouldn’t. And I shouldn’t want you. I don’t deserve passion or you.’

Alessio reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

Flour from his sinewed hand sprinkled all over my nose.

I didn’t fuckin’ care.

He slid a powder-dusted hand to my nape and pulled me close, and my body pressed to his freakishly raw powered length.

‘You’re wrong, mia sola,’ he rasped, his eyes holding mine. ‘You’re one badass woman who’s fucking adorable at the same time. You’re worthy of the world laid at your feet. And I’m going to make you see that, in the short time we might have together, perhaps even forever.’

Damn, he was fast-forwarding this show, and I was not ready for it.

Still, the words he used wormed their way into my keening soul.

Forever, I thought, my heart skipping a beat. A dangerous word.

Gazing into Alessio’s eyes, I couldn’t help but wonder if an endless love was my portion after all.

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