Page 36 of Sinful Pleasure

We just stood there, locked in this strange silence. The sounds of the party downstairs felt distant like they belonged in another world altogether.

He clenched his jaw so hard I feared it might break, but eventually, his hands dropped to his sides, a brief nod acknowledging my presence.

I swallowed hard, and with shaky legs, I closed the distance between us. The sound of my heels echoed in the silence, amplifying the tension in the air.

I stopped just in front of him, and his scent invaded my space, intoxicating me more than any alcohol could. With trembling hands, I reached for his tie, fingers fumbling slightly as I tried to work it loose.

I kept my eyes away from his, attempting to ignore the weight of his intense stare—trying to ignore the way he smelled so good, the closeness of him, how tall and muscular he was, how freaking handsome he looked tonight.

God, am I drunk? I must be.

“S-so…” I started, my voice shaky. I couldn’t stop myself from feeling the heat of his gaze burning into my face.

“You decided to come to the party after all?”

“Not by choice.”

“It’s your sister’s party”

He scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“It’s something she does regularly.’’

My hands, once so skilled at working with ties, suddenly seemed to forget how to move. It wasn’t working.

Why the hell can’t I do this right? I usually did this with my eyes closed.

“I thought you were supposed to be my bodyguard for tonight,” I muttered,the words slipping out in a near-whisper.

I could’ve sworn I felt his body stiffen at the sound of my voice.

“You have Angelo. You don’t need me.”

I made the mistake of looking up, and the moment our eyes locked, I was lost.People usually get lost in the color of someone’s eyes, in the emotions they express, or in the warmth they carry.

Me? I was lost in the depths of his darkness. I was drawn into the blackness of his gaze, as two daggers pointed directly at me, pulling me deeper, making me feel like I was falling… falling…

His stare never wavered, and I could feel him studying my face up close, motionless like he was in a trance. My hands tightened around his tie, fighting the urge to pull him closer, even though every part of me wanted to.I glanced down at his lips for just a moment, and in that fleeting second, my mind wandered into forbidden territory—thoughts I couldn’t even admit to myself.

I didn’t know what I was doing. Hell, he didn’t seem to know either. But we weren’t pulling away.

His lips were so close, that I could almost taste them. The air between us felt thick, charged, as if the world around us had disappeared, leaving only this strange, electric tension.

‘‘Don’t,” he whispered, his voice laced with a warning so dark, it seemed to vibrate in the space between us.

But it wasn’t working. The little bit of alcohol in my system must have been enough to cloud my judgment.

Why couldn’t I find the strength to pull away?

Why couldn’t I stop reaching for him when every rational part of me screamed that I shouldn’t?

I didn’t even like him.

I was promised to his brother. We will be family soon.

Then why did it feel so right to be so close to him? Why did I feel this electricity in my body, an undeniable spark, when all I’d ever felt from Angelo’s touch was cold, distant… unwanted?

Before I could gather my thoughts, the door swung open, making us both snap apart like we’d been burned.

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