Page 101 of Devil's Tulip

“You’ve had me all tied up in knots ever since I saw your fucking picture. Then I met you, and suddenly I barely have space for myself in my own damn head. All I think about is you. When next I can be with you. What you’ll say. How to make you smile—because when you do, you look at me with that softness in your eyes, and I?—”

Fuck. I don’t even know how to finish that sentence.

“I fucking threatened a woman with my gun tonight for daring to come close to me—because I was so goddamn irritated she wasn’tyou.”

Her breath hitches.

The words pour out, unstoppable now. “And the worst part? No matter what I do, you keep holding me at arm’s length. Yourefuse to let me in,reallylet me in.” My chest heaves as I stare down at her. At the emotions swirling in those amber eyes.

“Michael…” she breathes, digging her fingers into my chest. My name sounds different on her lips now—softer, heavier. Like it means something more. Then, slowly, her free hand comes up, cradling my face.

The anger eases out of me, but something just as intense takes its hold as I realize just how much I’ve revealed. I never—never—let my emotions get the best of me. Yet she’s got me unraveled in just a few short weeks. “Fuck.” I start to spin around, to retreat behind my walls, but she stops me.

“Do you realize how crazy you sound?” she asks, her voice impossibly gentle as her thumb traces my brow, playing with the ring there. “We just met. You can’t feel so much for me in so little time.”

I hold her gaze. “Then I guess I really am crazy. Crazy foryou. And I’m going to do everything in my power to own you completely and make you half as insane for me as I am for you.”

“Michael, I–I–” Words fail her, eyes searching mine like she’s trying to find something. Then she rises onto her toes, tilting her head up towards me.

My heart slams against my ribs when I realize her intent.She’s going to kiss me. And this time, on the lips.

I could lean down, make it easier for her, but there’s something sacred in watching her reach for me of her own volition. This is the first time she’s initiating, and I want it to be all her.

When our lips finally connect, a sigh of relief escapes me like a prayer answered. Her lips move over mine, soft and uncertain at first.

I let her take the lead, my hand only coming up to rest at her waist, barely touching, as if she might spook and run.

But when she grins into the kiss and deepens it, her tongue stroking the depth of my mouth, that’s it. My restraint snaps like a live wire. I seize control, plunging my fingers into her hair as I devour greedily, tilting her head just so.

She moans into my mouth, and goddammit—just like that, my semi I’ve been fighting turns into a full-blown erection that grates on my nerves. My hands reluctantly abandon her luscious hair to trail down the elegant curve of her spine. She shudders into me, and I cup her ass, pulling her flush against my cock.

Feel what you do to me. Feel how much I want you.

“Michael,” she gasps, breaking the kiss just enough to speak. “The cameras. Who watches them?”

Fuck.

My men might not live in the compound with us, but they have access to the feeds and, in fact, work in shifts to monitor them, making sure everything is in order.

No way in hell I’m sharing this moment with any of those bastards.

I tear my mouth away from hers, chest heaving as I lift her up into my arms, wrists locked beneath her ass. She squeals in surprise, clutching onto my neck, her eyes twinkling with desire.

With her wrapped around me, I secure my grip and I carry her out of the living room, up the stairs, and into our room. Only when the door closes behind us do I let her go, making damn sure my cock drags across her body on the way down.

By the time her feet touch the floor, she’s trembling slightly, her chest rising and falling in quick, shallow pants. Her pupils have dilated so wide that only a thin ring of amber remains.

I watch her for several long moments as unfamiliar emotions crash over me in relentless waves. Is this what it feels like to have a wife, or is it just her that’s making me feel all these things?

She shifts nervously under my scrutiny. “What?”

I don’t answer. I can’t speak past the sweet ache in my chest and the lump in my throat. So I do the only thing I can—I dip my head and capture her lips hungrily, pouring every unspoken feeling into the kiss.

She kisses me back just as hard—if not harder—and I groan as pleasure lances through me, my fingers sinking into her hair. Keeping our lips fused, I walk her backward towards the bed. Her feet fumble, tangling together like a newborn fawn’s, and a breath of affectionate amusement bubbles up unexpectedly.Adorable.

I chuckle as I break the kiss and turn her around, pressing her back to my chest so she can see as I guide her. My hands can’t stay still, roaming all over her.

Caressing her neck, tangling in her hair, tracing her lips.

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