Page 34 of Desire and Revenge

My legs immediately go around his hip, and with our mouths still connected, he begins to walk deeper into the gazebo.

I clutch at his shoulder tightly when he tries to drop me, and he makes a frustrated sound.

“Damn, Princess,” he says in a low voice, “do you know how hot it is to see you so needy for me?”

I blink at him, unable to move my mouth to give him a response. My mouth feels like it’s been branded with a hot iron, and I can’t help but reach up and touch it.

Nero’s wet hair falls over his face in an endless mess of curls. His jaw is more stubbled than before, and his shirt clings to his body. Plastered to every inch of him, outlining every curve of his bulging pecs.

My gaze drops down to where the shirt follows the grooves and ridges of his stomach.

“I—” I stutter, trying to find my words.

A dark chuckle draws my attention back to his face. “Are you about to tell me that we shouldn’t be doing this?”

I swipe my tongue over my lower lip, chasing the memory of our kiss. “Why did you stop?”

“I don’t know.” The way he says it, almost as if he’s in pain, makes my heart ache. His dark eyes lock onto mine, and despitemy best efforts, I can’t look away. I’m fixated, knowing I’ll never be satisfied until I’ve had my fill.

“I didn’t want you to stop, Nero.”

“Sofia, we can’t. I can’t. I’ll ruin you.”

“Then at least you have my permission.”

His nostrils flare, and he goes from man to beast right in front of my eyes. I should be afraid, I should be terrified of how his eyes are so dark, all traces of white disappeared, but instead, the only thing I can think of is that I want him to kiss me forever.

A foolish thought, of course.

“Screw it. I’m going to hell anyways,” he groans.

Nero takes my mouth in his again, and I slide my palms under his shirt till I can feel the hard, warm skin of his abdomen.

He immediately grabs the hem of his shirt and breaks the kiss just for a second to whip it off. I catch a hint of ink curling over his shoulder before he’s on me again, licking into my mouth like a man possessed.

I kiss him back with all I have, secure in the bubble that is us, where the rest of the world doesn’t exist. Wild horses couldn’t pull us apart.

And then his palm covers my breasts over my dress.

Oh. I moan into his mouth, my legs around his hip tightening.

“Oh God,” I gasp when his mouth begins to move down the corner of mine, then down to my jaw, up to lick around the shell of my ear. He nips at my earlobe before continuing down, leaving open- mouthed kisses down the column of my neck.

The hand cupping my breast moves to the pearl buttons, keeping my collar closed together, and he deftly undoes them.

My body is on fire, and the only thing I can do is hang on and feel.

Grabbing one sleeve of my dress, he pulls it down my shoulder and arms till my white lace bra is exposed. With onelast nip on my collarbone, he drags his mouth away to stare at my lace-covered breasts.

“Nero…”Please, is the unspoken word.

“Tell me to stop.”

“I-I can’t.”Don’t stop. Never stop. Please. Please.

“Tell me you don’t want this,” he breathes. “That this is wrong.”

“It doesn’t feel wrong.” It feels so right, like his hands were made to touch me, like his mouth was made to kiss me and rob me of all breath.

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