Page 117 of Guarded

Truth, in its rawest form, can look like this.

Maybe I should be sad, but I’m not. I shake my head and loop my arm in his. My silent pack with the devil.

He leads me back down the stairs, where Nero glares at me from the bottom as Preston and I descend. Our never-ending show of love and devotion. It’s amazing how little fucks I give in this moment. Preston’s words echo in my mind.

“Is it going to be a problem?”

Not at all, hubby dearest.

Chapter 34

Ariella

The drive home is quiet.

No, it’s deathly still.

A part of me feels like I should explain why I lied about the purse, but Nero wouldn’t give a shit. Not when he’s been glaring at me like a predator about to attack its prey. The permanent scowl on his face has deepened since he saw me walking down the steps with Preston.

When we get to the hotel, he trails behind me silently. Tension only grows thicker when I open the penthouse door.

It’s impossible for me to continue with the silent treatment. Lucky for me, I don’t have to stay quiet for long when I hear his husky voice from behind me.

“Are you done with the games, Ariella?”

I close my eyes and let out a hard sigh.

“Nero-” the words die in my throat when he grabs my face and pushes his lips into mine.

My body reacts the only way it knows how. Melting into him the very way he’s trained it to do.

I open my mouth, and our tongues clash with each other. Kissing Nero is always an experience, to say the least, but this was something more.

It was deep and dominant. The mere way he pulls my bottom lip in, sucking and biting it. A metallic taste explodes in our mouths, but it doesn’t stop us. We’re consumed with one another. Blinded to the toxicity that exists between us.

My hands fly to the back of his head. I push him deeper into me like a mad woman. He releases me and removes his suit jacket. His fingers work deliberately to unbutton his shirt until his broad and naked chest is bare.

The ink swirling all over his body was a map of images I love to trace with my eyes. I’ve memorized every image and every word. My lips part at the thought. I pull the straps of the pink silk dress down, letting it fall to my feet. I bend to undo the straps of my heels, but Nero stops me.

“Heels stay on Maniká.” He commands.

There’s no way in hell I can resist him when his voice shifts to the authoritative one. When he becomes Sir, and I become his good girl. I want so badly to be his good girl right now.

My whole body ignites, and like magnets, we find each other again. My mouth crashes back into his. Rough calloused hands slip beneath my thighs as he lifts me.

I wrap my legs around his sculpted waist and moan into his mouth. The feel of hot skin on mine makes me want to crawl inside him. Will this ever be enough?No. Never.

He slams me into the wall and grinds his erection into me. Growling into my mouth before he walks toward us to his bedroom. We move wildly, banging into furniture and walls. My mouth refuses to cut off our animalistic kiss. In this very moment, nothing matters.

Not my engagement.

The emotions suffocating me.

Or the chaos that surrounds us.

None of it matters.Only him.

He kicks the door open and drops me to the bed. He wrenches his lips from mine. Our foreheads press together as we catch our breath.

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