Page 33 of Beautiful Enemy

I jump at his touch. It’s too intimate. Too… sensual.

“There.” He undoes the final button and opens the back of my dress. “No bra? I’m shocked, Nadia. That seems a little naughty.”

“I’m small chested,” I whisper, my face in flames.

“I want to see that. Finish taking your dress off.”

I start to slip the ripped sleeves down my arms but Dante stops me.

“I want you to face me,” he instructs. His tone is deep and heavy. Gruff. There’s desire in his voice. I’ve never heard it directed at me but I’ve heard it from men in movies or sometimes when Erik speaks to Anya.

But Dante is talking to me with that tone.With desire. None of it makes any sense. He’s made it clear that I’m his enemy. Why would he feel any sort of desire for me?

That only makes me fear him more.

With a deep breath in and out, I turn around to face him. He stands there in his dark suit, looking dangerously handsome. My brain becomes cloudy.

“Nadia.”

I push my dress down until it pools at my feet. My hair is long enough to cover my breasts and my underwear is covering my lower body from his view. He doesn’t ask me to take off my underwear.

He takes a step closer to me until we’re chest to chest. Silently, he pushes my hair over my shoulders, exposing my breasts to his eyes. I’m trembling. A fire is working its way through my body – a fire I don’t understand.

“I knew it,” he murmurs.

“Knew what?”

“Your body is as beautiful as your face.” His fingers trace over the top of my chest. So close to my breasts and yet, he doesn’t go there. “Fuck, your body is delectable. I want to taste it.”

My lips part. He places his fingers on my open lips, his thumb slowly moving over the bottom one.

“You didn’t pull away when I kissed you before. Why?”

“I didn’t think I could.”

“Is that the truth?”

My cheeks burn hotter. The truth is that I enjoyed our kiss. The truth is that it made something in my body wake up. The truth is that if Dante kissed me again, I wouldn’t push him away. I might even pull him in closer.

“Tell me, Nadia. Tell me the truth.”

“I enjoyed it.”

Something flares in his eyes. “I’m surprised. You’d enjoy a kiss from your enemy?”

“It just felt good not to be so afraid for a moment.”

“Oh, Nadia. I think that is the saddest thing I’ve ever heard in my entire life.”

“If you feel bad for me, then let me go. You don’t have to do this.”

“But I have to.” His fingers skim over my neck and down to my upper chest again, before moving between my breasts, leaving a trail of goosebumps behind as he reaches my stomach.

His hand is right above the waistband to my panties. He could so easily take them off me. The urge to run away and move even closer to him at the same time is pounding through my body. His touch is electrifying. I’ve never known touch like this.

“I wonder what you look like down here,” he muses, running his finger along my waistband. I hold still. “Hair? No hair? Did you get waxed for your wedding day? Wanted to be perfect for Viktor?”

I did, in fact. Anya took me to get waxed, saying that without hair in the way, Viktor would be able to show me more pleasure.

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