Page 148 of Wicked Rivals

I had to do what Stefano had done. I had to choose to live authentically, to honor my heart, to trust him with the truth.

“Whatever you want me to do, whatever you need to hear me say. I’ll do it,” I said.

He shifted his weight after realizing he’d been crushing me.

“I want action, not words.”

Action, yes. I knew what he wanted, so I reached between our bodies to unfasten his slacks and take him in my hand.

He grabbed my wrist to stop me, then he got off the bed.

A little mewling whine moved from my throat onto my lips.

A cocky smile tugged at his mouth.

“Don’t worry, Val. I’m not going far.”

And he didn’t. He stood beside the bed and stripped off his shirt. Next went his slacks, and just before he stepped out of his black boxer briefs, I totally gaped at the deliciousness of his V-shaped abs and the sexy, muscular grooves alongside his hips.

My breath stopped at the sight of his erection, the sheer size of him. Kind of hard to believe, but he fit inside me.

I bit into my bottom lip.

“Umm… maybe this shouldn’t be about rewarding me.”

“Nice try, sweetheart. Now come here.” He pointed to the floor in front of him. “On your knees. Show me how sorry you are for what you did.”

God, the way he ordered me around, how my body instantly responded, proving he was the man for me. The only man I ever needed.

I went to him, raising my arms to wrap them around his neck. I wanted to kiss him, to start at his throat and move down his tattooed chest, to take my time on his tight abs before finally kneeling on the floor to take him into my mouth.

Stefano grabbed my wrists and pushed me back.

“Uh-uh, little girl. I didn’t give you permission to do that. I said, get on your knees.”

“But… I was just going to… taste you?”

Heat burned my cheeks. Why the hell was I blushing?

Because he liked it, that was why.

He bent his neck, lifted my chin with a finger, then sealed his mouth over mine. His tongue pushed against my lips, and I opened to let him in. He deepened the kiss, a hint of whiskey on his tongue, and I fell into it, losing myself completely.

He broke the kiss way too soon. I wanted more. I lifted onto my tiptoes to kiss him.

“That’s enough,” he growled.

I squinted. “No, let me apologize. Let me kiss you and get on my knees and worship your cock. I’ll do it.”

The corner of his mouth lifted into a subtle smile.

“That sounds good, but that’s what you want. I’ll decide your penance, and now I’ve changed my mind. You’re going to turn your pretty little ass around and lie on your back with your head hanging off the bed. Then do you know what happens next?”

I stared at him.

He stared back at me just as hard. To see if I understood the man before me was the real Stefano. To see if I understood how it would be for us moving forward. And to see if I liked it.

After all, I had asked him for that.

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