Page 43 of Forced Bratva Bride

She answered by pressing closer, her hands sliding to curl around my neck. My hands spanned her waist, feeling the warmth of her through the thin fabric of her dress. She made a small sound against my mouth, something between a sigh and a moan, and rationality began to slip away.

I backed her against the stone balustrade, my body caging hers as the kiss grew hungrier, more desperate. Her fingers threaded through my hair, nails scraping lightly against my scalp in a way that sent electricity down my spine. I trailed kisses along her jaw, down the column of her throat, feeling her pulse race beneath my lips.

“Giovanni,” she breathed and the sound of my name in her voice was nearly undoing me.

Reality crashed back as I remembered where we were—on my brother's terrace, with my entire family just inside. I pulled back slightly, resting my forehead against hers as we both caught our breath.

“We should stop,” I said, the words painful to voice.

“Why?” Her eyes were dark, pupils dilated with desire. “You always do this—get me wound up and then pull away.”

I swallowed hard. “Because you deserve better than being taken against a stone railing in full view of the garden staff.”

What I didn’t say was,you’re also a virgin.

“I don’t want you to regret anything,” I added, softly.

She laughed, the sound slightly breathless. “Stop treating me like I’ll break,” her hands tightened in my shirt. “I know what I want, Giovanni. I'm twenty-five, not fifteen. The virgin thing isn't a big deal.”

My breath caught. “It is a big deal. To me.”

She studied my face, her expression softening. “Because you respect me, or because you're afraid?”

“Both,” I admitted. “I've taken enough from you already.”

“You haven't taken anything I haven't given,” she said quietly. “And I'm tired of you deciding what I can handle.”

I brushed my knuckles against her cheek, marveling at the softness of her skin and the determination in her eyes. “What do you want from me, Larissa?”

“I want you to finish what we’ve started,” she said, her voice steady despite the flush on her cheeks, “and not leave me hanging this time.”

The boldness of her request sent heat coursing through me. This was madness—she was the sister of men who would kill me if they knew I'd touched her, let alone taken her virginity. She was younger, innocent in ways I'd never been, and somehow still saw something in me worth wanting.

“Your brothers would have me gutted,” I said, a last, weak protest.

“Oh, they’re probably going to do that either way,” she said, in that sassy way of hers with a roll of her eyes. And then, she pulled me back into a searing kiss.

Chapter 14 - Larissa

His mouth claimed mine with a hunger that left me breathless, my back pressed against the cold stone balustrade of the balcony. The night air kissed my bare shoulders, but I barely noticed the chill; not when I was wrapped up in Giovanni Lebedev’s arms and he cupped my face like I was something precious.

I felt the hard evidence of his desire against my hip, and a girlish giggle escaped my lips before I could stop it, my inexperience showing through the cracks of my attempted sophistication.

Gio pulled back slightly, his whiskey-colored eyes dark with want. “Oh, you want to play, Larissa?”

His voice made me curl my toes, and I bit my lower lip. “As I said, I want you to finish what we’ve started.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Here?”

I gave him a single nod of my head.

A slow smile spread across his face, transforming his handsome features into something boyishly charming. “In a house full of my family? You're braver than I thought.”

The next thing I knew, he took me by the hand and we were rushing through the corridors, our hurried footsteps echoing off the walls. My heart hammered in my chest, and the anticipation of what was to come was making my entire body tremble.

“Gio!” I whispered as loudly as I could, without us being overheard. “Where are we going?”

Gio turned and slammed into me until my back hit the wall, nipping at my ear. “To my old bedroom in the East Wing. This used to be our family home before Dante inherited it.”

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