Page 21 of Mob Boss's Second Chance

I can’t see her eyes, the radiance that I know they possess, but I can feel it.

“I saw the way he behaved with the other women, but I still walked up to him and asked if he wanted something to drink,” she murmurs. “Maybe I did it because I hoped he’d black out faster and everyone would be rid of his presence.”

The last statement sounds like an afterthought, and my lips curl at how deviant it sounds. It looks like she’s not all sunshine and rainbows, after all.

“Anyway,” she sighs. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” I say, just as we pass a building with bright lights. The lights streak through the window, briefly illuminating Natalie, and our eyes meet. Something sizzles in the moment and a smoldering heat pulses through my veins, stoked higher with every passing second I continue to stare at her.

The sound of heavy breathing fills the car, mine and hers mingling in the thick, charged air. My throat tightens as her wide eyes meet mine, questioning and vulnerable.

The space between us feels like a fragile thread, and all it would take is one move, one reach, to cross the line and quiet the ache that’s been clawing at me for weeks.

My fingers dig into the seat’s leather, and my knuckles whiten as I wrestle with the pull.

Rationality claws at the edges of my mind.Don’t. The warning echoes sharply.You kiss her, and you won’t stop.

The thought hits like a cold wave, jerking me back to reality just as I begin to shift away. But before I can fully retreat, the car jolts over a bump, and Natalie lurches forward.

“Ouch!” she gasps, her hand flying to her head as she winces.

“Paul,” I bark, my voice cutting through the tension like a whip. “Lights.”

The interior is instantly bathed in light, and I’m already moving toward her, taking her hand in mine. Her skin is soft and warm.

“It doesn’t hurt that much,” she says, gently pushing my hand away, but I can see the lie in her strained expression.

“You’re hurt,” I say, low and firm, brushing her hair aside to examine her head. My thumb traces her temple as I look for any sign of an injury, though part of me knows I’m lingering longer than necessary.

“It’s fine,” she insists, her voice unsteady, and her breath fans my face.

I look at her, really look, and my resolve wavers.

My hand stays on hers, unwilling to let go, even though I know I should. She pulls her lip between her teeth, biting down as I trace her temple some more, forcing myself to focus on her and not the lust curled around my chest, suffocating me.

But the sight—the way her lips part, the faint flush creeping up her neck—it’s too much. I lose sight of my intentions as my fingers caress her cheek, and my thumb brushes over her upper lip.

Natalie sighs shakily as the faintest shiver runs through her, and her eyelids flutter. It’s like a match to gasoline.

I don’t think. I don’t hesitate.

My restraint snaps as I lean in, capturing her mouth with mine in a brutal, searing kiss. The moment our lips meet, it’s heat and fire, a hunger that burns through me and spreads into her.

Natalie’s hands grip my shirt, pulling me closer as I press her back against the seat. My fingers thread through her hair to tilt her head just right.

I deepen the kiss, tasting her, losing myself in the intoxicating softness of her lips and the way she sighs against me. My tongue thrusts into her mouth as she whimpers, searching, seeking, claiming. Myteeth graze her lip, and she moans, pulling me even closer and dragging her fingers down my back.

I can feel her nails through my shirt—the insistence in her touch fuels me.

Heavens.

The scent of her, the heat radiating from her skin, the way her nails drag lightly across my chest-it all sends my pulse racing, my breath short and ragged.

Her mouth moves with mine, matching my intensity, her body arching toward me as if closing the distance will somehow sate the wild, insatiable need consuming us both.

Pulling her roughly so she’s straddling me, I yank her dress up until it bunches around her waist. My hands grip her thighs, and I dip my head lower, running my tongue down her throat.

I can feel every curve of her body molding perfectly to mine—her soft breasts pressed against my chest, her warm thighs wrapped around my legs, and the dip of her waist moving under my touch.

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