Page 103 of Sweet Deception

His brows lower at my comment. “Why do you say it like that?”

“Dude. She’s been trying to get in your pants since you stepped in with her ex-boyfriend. You’ve been her hero ever since.”

It’s Rafael’s turn to snort. “Her ex went too far. I would've intervened for anyone in that situation.” He shakes his head, turning his attention back to his documents.

Kylie’s laughter floats into the room, pulling my gaze to the door.

“Jesus, Luca. Just go to her. You’re no good to me right now.”

Rafael stands to gather his papers and I don’t have it in me to insist we finish. I throw my pen down on the desk and take his suggestion.

When I step into the living room, I stop and place my hands on my hips as I stare at Kylie and Gio. They’re slouched down on the couch with a large bowl of popcorn sitting between them. Neither are aware of my presence, as they're both trying to throw popcorn into each other's mouths. When Kylie catches hers, she shrieks in celebration and then busts out laughing as Gio’s popcorn bounces off his nose and lands in his beer.

Shaking my head, I move to sit next to Kylie.

“I swear, whenever you two are together, you turn into children." I maneuver Kylie onto my lap, not bothering to hold back a smile at her infectious giggling. When she turns her face to mine, I lean down and kiss her, swiping my tongue over her lips. "Mmm, salty butter." I go back for more, sucking on her lip.

"Aaand, I'm out." The couch moves as Gio stands.

"As am I." Rafael murmurs as he walks out of the office.

Cradling Kylie's head, I alternate between sucking and biting her lips. They're one of my favorite spots to focus on because of their plumpness.

I refused to take her the first few nights after the attack. She needed the comfort of my arms more than she needed my dick. I may have needed it as much as she did because the image of her as Rafael carried her out of that apartment will forever haunt me. I swore then and there no one would ever hurt her again.

As much as I want Kylie, I want to clarify a few things first. Initially, I wanted to give her space after the attack, but I can't rest until she agrees to my plans. So as much as I want to lay her down on this couch and fuck her until she can't think straight, I pull back instead.

Kylie, with her eyes closed, tries to follow my retreat while tugging my head back down. I give in and kiss her before pulling back again. Her brows pucker in the most adorable display of frustration before she opens her eyes to search my face. They zoom in on my smile and her eyebrows relax as she lays her head on my chest and traces my lips with her finger.

"Why are you stopping?"

I grab her hand and hold it to my chest to keep her from distracting me further. "I want to discuss a few things with you."

Her gaze snaps to mine, and her body tenses.

"Only good things. I promise." I kiss her nose, making her eyes cross.

"Okay." She nods. "I'm ready."

I shake my head. "You've been spending too much time with Gio. He's rubbing off on you."

"You want me to stop spending time with Gio?" She glares.

Shaking my head, I chuckle. "No, Angel. That's not what I want to talk to you about. You can spend as much time with Gio as you want, even if he is corrupting you."

"I'd like to think I'm corrupting him." She says in all seriousness.

"I have no doubts that you are, Angel." A smile tugs at my lips.

She beams as if I paid her the greatest of compliments. It's no wonder I fell for her. She's the breath of fresh air in my life I never knew I needed.

That we all needed.

I've seen a change in the guys, more Gio than Rafael, but for her to even have the smallest impact on Rafael is a minor miracle.

Kylie's smile dims and her gaze lowers to the button on my shirt where she plucks at it. "So …"

"I want to break the contract."

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