Page 21 of My Sweetest Temptation

I paused, locking eyes with him. The silence stretched between us, heavy with tension.

When he realized I was not moving, he let out a long sigh. He tucked his hands into his pants pockets, suddenly looking less intimidating. “I promise you, Winter, no harm will come to you or your friends.”

A warm, disarming smile broke across his face. I could feel my resolve wavering, the weight of his gaze breaking down my defenses. Against my better judgment, I nodded, the movement slow and uncertain, but it was enough to signal my compliance.

“Your name is Winter?” Enzo’s question brought my attention back to him. I cleared my throat, trying to steady myself. “Yes.”

“Not tonight, you ain’t.”

What the hell does that mean?

He stepped aside, motioning for me to ascend the stairs while he remained behind me like a shadow.

Nico’s gaze fell upon me as I approached with my drink, my hands slightly trembling as I walked up the stairs. The room unfolded before me with inviting leather sofas sprawled throughout the area. The deep, rich colors and luxurious textures of the furniture created an intimate and upscale ambiance that could be found in the pages of a fancy magazine. A polished bar gleamed in one corner, and a bartender skillfully mixed cocktails with practiced ease. Meanwhile, a server moved gracefully among the guests.

When I reached Nico, he turned to the girl grinding on his lap. “Your time’s up,” he told her in a demanding tone.

She furrowed her eyebrows, fluttered her fake lashes, and ran her hands up his chest. “Are you sure? I thought you wanted me to?—”

He whacked her hands away. “Fuck. Off.” The girl quickly slid off his lap.

Nico looked up at her. “Why the fuck are you still standing here?”

She muttered something under her breath, gave me a dirty look like it was my fault, and scampered away.

A second girl sat beside him with her legs crossed. She was beautiful with her long red and black hair, big boobs that were about to pop out of her tight-knit top, and blood-red lipstick. Her green eyes could turn me to stone with the way she was glaring at me.

Was she his girlfriend? And if she was, was she okay with another woman on his lap?

Unless maybe she was into ménage à trois?

Nico turned back to me. “You’re a long way from home, sweetheart.”

Yes, I know.

“Name.” Nico’s deep and rich voice snapped me out of my lust trance. When I didn’t respond, his lips curled into a predatory smile. “What’s your name?” He said it a little slower this time.

My heart beat against my chest with fear and desire as I stepped closer. “My name is Winter.”

His deep laughter filled the air, causing the others to look in our direction.

“What kind of name is that?” the girl sitting beside Nico scoffed, but he ignored her remark.

I took a step back, but his hand, covered with mazelike tattoos, reached out and gently but firmly grasped my waist, pulling me closer to him. His eyes traveled up and down my body, and his jaw ticked.

I opened my mouth to ask him to stop touching me but was distracted by his thumb brushing my hip. Then he grabbed my ass with both hands and pulled me onto his lap, making me squeal.

My mind raced as I struggle to maintain my composure. My instincts urged me to flee from this dangerous and sexy man. But another part of me wanted to grind on his lap.

What the hell was going on with me?

He stared at me with blue eyes that reminded me of the deep sea, full of darkness and secrets. It was unsettling yet captivating, and I found myself drawn to him. An impulse surged through me to trace his sharp jaw and the scar over his right eyebrow with my fingertips and press my lips against his plump ones while running my hands through his thick black hair. No one had ever stirred such feelings within me. Nico unlocked a part of me that I didn’t know existed, awakening a need that excited and terrified me. It was as if he held a mirror to my soul, revealing desires I’d kept buried deep. Yet there was the angel inside me that the world thought me to be, whispering to step back and consider the consequences of giving in to this attraction. On the other hand, a devilish temptation urged me to lose control and dive headfirst into this connection.

“What’s an angel like you doing in a club like this?” Nico’s words snap me out of my dazed and confused state.

I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly going dry. “It’s my friend’s birthday.”

Nico studied me for a moment, his expression unreadable. “This doesn’t seem like your kind of scene,” he said.

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