Page 20 of Dirty Little Sins

Suddenly the raging need for answers gave way to an entirely different desire. A surge of blood rushed south as I entered the room without her knowledge and stalked close.

I needed her against me skin to skin. If I didn't get a taste now, there would be no holding the beast back this time.

"Zia." Her name in my broken voice was the only warning she got before I pressed against her, cock to ass. It didn't matter that there were two layers of clothes between us. We might as well have been naked as the heat sizzled across my nerves.

My head nearly exploded from the sensation of our bodies pressed together. Hard and soft. Sweet and not.

"Vincent!" Her breathless cry fueled the fever raging inside of me as I slid my hands around her waist and held onto her as if my life depended on it.

Maybe it did.

She'd come into my world on a whirlwind and left it just as suddenly, but she'd left a mark. A nagging, annoying almost desperate need to be with her again kind of mark. The kind that refused to go away no matter what I did.

I was beginning to think I should have taken her earlier when I had the chance. We needed some time away from our lives for just the two of us.

"I haven't stopped thinking about you since you left me." The growled words came out rough and I didn't care. I'd let her see the kind of man I could be in Italy and for that one night she'd embraced it. That had to mean something.

"We can't—"

"We can. And if you'd given me a chance to finish what we started, you'd already know that. One time wasn't enough."

I slid my right hand up her side and cupped her breast through the thin material of her dress. Her nipple was already hard before I pinched it tight between my fingers as I leaned over her and pressed my mouth to the back of her neck.

"We aren't done, beautiful. Not even close. In fact, we were just getting started."

Before she could respond, I released my grip on her nipple and listened to the sweet sound of her gasp as the blood rushed back to her tip. A low rumble formed in my chest as I bucked my hips against her backside.

"You always respond so beautifully to me, my Zia," I said, emotion beginning to fill my voice. She wasn't the only one affected in this situation.

As suddenly as she responded to me, her body stiffened and I stilled in response. I didn't know exactly what was going through her head, but I had a pretty good idea.

I'd sent her thoughts back to Italy and instead of finding her way back to the pleasure, she'd been reminded of what she still considered my betrayal. A fresh wave of anger surged through me and I had to bite back the harsh words threatening to come out.

"You aren't going to let this go." It wasn't a question, but it might as well have been a bomb if the look she gave me over her shoulder was any indication. Hurt filled her eyes for a moment before I saw them shutter closed.

"This is my life we're talking about," she said, her voice growing stronger with each uttered word. "Those pictures threaten everything. It's probably only a matter of time."

"And I told you I had nothing to do with them. You know that and I shouldn't have to keep repeating myself."

Before she opened her mouth to respond I saw the momentary flash of disbelief. It was enough to sober me as I stepped away from her on shaky legs. Not an easy task when a solid part of me insisted I take what I wanted no matter the consequences.

In fact, that instinct was so strong I couldn't promise it wouldn't happen the longer we stood here. When she slowly turned to face me, the need only got worse. Her face was flush with desire, her hard nipples poked at the flimsy fabric of her dress and her breaths seemed more labored than usual.

She wanted me as much as I wanted her. Our chemistry simply couldn't be denied.

"I'm not sure what it is you want from me, but I probably can't give it to you. That night ripped my life apart and I can't just forget that. At this point fault doesn't really matter. So whatever you were hoping to accomplish with this party isn't going to work. I don't trust you. Hell, I don't trust anyone right now." The huff of breath that accompanied her last statement made me want to turn her over my knee and spank the truth into her.

"I never wanted to hurt you. Not in the way you are thinking. But how many times will I have to say that to make you believe it?"

She dropped her head for a moment before she lifted it again and met my eyes.

"It doesn't matter what I believe. I screwed up. I went to Italy looking for some kind of escape and instead I made everything worse. Those are the consequences that I have to live with. Now I need you to let me put them behind me."

"No."

"Excuse me?" Her eyebrows climbed and her eyes widened.

I removed my suit jacket and smoothed the front of my trousers before I took a step toward her.

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