Page 41 of Forbidden Vengeance

The moment the elevator doors close, Elena whirls on me. “What the fuck were you thinking?” Her voice shakes with rage. “You just threw away everything—all our intel, all our plans—because what? You got spooked?”

“I gotspooked?” I advance on her. “You’rethe one who opened a fucking unmarked envelope like some amateur. What happened to all that security protocol you’re so proud of?”

“Don’t you dare lecture me about protocols.” She backs up until she hits the window, Manhattan’s lights creating a halo around her fury. “You just declared war on Seamus O’Connor. Do you have any idea what he’ll do to you?”

“Better than watching you get yourself killed! Christ, Elena, you could have—” The words stick in my throat. “The baby could have?—”

“Oh,nowyou care about the baby?” She jams a finger into my chest, color flooding her too-pale face. “This isn’t about me or the baby. This is about your ego. Your need to control everything, to?—”

“Myego?” I grab her wrist before she can poke me again. “You think I left O’Connor because of my fucking ego? I left because the thought of you in that hospital, of not being able to get to you?—”

“I didn’t ask you to come charging in like some knight in bloodstained armor!” She tries to yank her hand free, but I hold tight. “I had it under control.”

“Under control?” My laugh is sharp and bitter, the sound cutting through the tension between us. “You could have died. And for what? Some half-baked plan to?—”

She doesn’t let me finish. With a fierce growl, she surges up on her toes, her lips parting like she’s about to unleash every fiery accusation bottled inside her. But before the words can escape, I’m done waiting. I claim her mouth with mine, crushing her protests under the weight of everything I’m too afraid to say aloud.

The kiss is wild, untamed, a collision of anger and desperation. Her teeth nip at my bottom lip, sharp enough to sting, drawing blood that mixes with the taste of her, sharp and intoxicating. A low growl rumbles in my chest as I retaliate, driving her backward until her spine meets the cold glass of the window with a soft thud.

My hands travel down her sides, fingers splayed wide as if I need to map every inch of her, anchoring her hips against mine. She lets out a sound—half-gasp, half-moan—as I press closer, the heat between us scorching. Her fingers knot into my shirt, pulling me even nearer, her nails scraping my chest as if she’s trying to find some way to crawl under my skin.

She breaks the kiss only to drag in a ragged breath, but I’m not done. My mouth moves to her neck, finding the soft, sensitive hollow just below her jaw. I nip at it, earning a gasp that makes my blood sing. Her hands are in my hair now, nails raking my scalp as I tease that spot again, pulling another breathless moan from her lips.

“You drive me crazy,” I murmur against her skin, my voice rough with emotion. I let my teeth graze the delicate line of her throat, savoring the way she shivers against me, the way shearches into my touch like she can’t stand even a sliver of space between us.

My hand threads into her hair, gripping gently but firmly as I tug her head back to expose more of her throat. The way she looks at me, her lips parted, her eyes dark and glassy with a mix of fury and need—it undoes me.

Her body molds against mine, pliant and demanding all at once, and I press harder, the cold glass behind her a stark contrast to the heat between us. The sound she makes—a raw, desperate cry—ignites something primal in me. I kiss her again, harder this time, pouring every ounce of fear, relief, and hunger into it.

When we finally break apart, we’re both gasping for air, her lips swollen and her cheeks flushed. Her eyes are locked on mine, daring me to look away, but I don’t. I can’t.

“Don’t you ever,” I rasp, my voice like gravel as I press my forehead against hers, “open another unmarked envelope.”

“What can I say?” Her lips curve into that smile that drives me fucking crazy. “I like to live dangerously. Why do you think I’m sleeping with you?”

The sass in her tone makes my blood boil. I silence her with another kiss, this one harder, more demanding. She responds instantly, melting against me even as she fights for control.

My hands slide down to cup her ass, lifting her against me as I start walking us backward toward the bedroom. She clings to me, her legs wrapping around my waist, her lips never breaking from mine except for the occasional gasp.

“Besides,” she murmurs against my mouth, her voice a teasing whisper, “your security protocols could use some work?—”

That’s enough of that. I pin her against the cool surface of the hallway wall, her gasp swallowed by my mouth. She squirmsin my grip, half-hearted in her resistance, and I press my hips harder against hers, reminding her exactly who’s in charge.

We stumble into the bedroom, her breath hitching as I finally let her feet touch the floor. The room is massive, bathed in soft moonlight streaming through floor-to-ceiling windows. The city sparkles below, a sprawling sea of lights that fade into the inky horizon. The bed dominates the space, its oversized frame dressed in crisp white linens that look almost too clean for what’s about to happen.

But I’m not interested in the view.

I’m on her in an instant, my hands tugging at her coat, sliding it off her shoulders and tossing it carelessly aside. She laughs breathlessly, the sound turning into a soft moan as I unbutton her hospital gown and drag it down in one smooth motion. It pools at her feet, leaving her standing before me in nothing but her bra and underwear.

And she’s breathtaking.

Her body trembles slightly, whether from the cool air or the intensity between us, I don’t know. My gaze sweeps over her, lingering on the soft swell of her stomach where her baby grows, a tiny curve that makes my chest tighten.

“Beautiful,” I murmur, my voice low and reverent. My hands find her hips, tracing the curve of her waist with my thumbs before sliding up to cradle her stomach. She watches me, her lips parted, her eyes wide with a mix of vulnerability and heat.

“Mario,” she whispers, her voice trembling as she places her hands over mine, holding them against her belly.

I can’t hold back any longer. My lips crash into hers, fierce and claiming, as I back her toward the bed. She falls onto the soft mattress, her hair fanning out around her like a halo, and I follow her down, intent on showing her just how much she drives me crazy—how much I need her.

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