Page 35 of Depths of Desire
“God, you’re arrogant,” she says.
“Confident,” I correct. “And let’s not pretend you don’t like it.”
She stares at me, eyes burning. “I hate it.”
“Lie better.”
Her eyes drop to my mouth, and that’s all I need. I move in—slow, deliberate, giving her time to bolt. But she doesn’t. Her lips part like a dare. And I take it.
The kiss isn’t soft. It’s not careful. It’s fire and fury, teeth and tongue, a clash of control neither of us wants to give up. Shetastes like red wine and pure defiance. Like the kind of mistake I’d make over and over again.
She kisses me back like she’s angry about wanting it. Like hating me makes her want me more. And I let her. When we finally break apart, she’s breathless, her pupils blown wide.
“I should slap you,” she mutters.
I raise a brow. “But you won’t.”
She glares. “You’re insufferable.”
“And yet…” I let the words hang in the air, just to watch the color rise in her cheeks.
She shoves out of her chair and turns to walk away—but not before I see it. She’s smiling.
CHAPTER TWELVE
What the hell is wrong with me? I pace the length of the bedroom, my hands balled into fists, my skin still tingling from where Nico touched me—where he kissed me. And where I kissed him back.
He touched my shoulder and I wanted to lean into his strength like a sunflower follows the sun. He spoke calmly, but seductively to me, and I wanted more.
He kissed me, and I burned for him.
I groan and press the heels of my palms against my eyes like I can rub the memory out of existence. But it’s useless. His mouth is still on mine. The feel of his hands. The scent of him—dark spice and sin. It’s all still there, crawling under my skin like a curse. What am I doing?
Kissing Nico is exactly the kind of mistake I don’t get to make. I’ve spent my entire life learning how to survive in a world run by men with blood on their hands. Getting involved with one—especially Nico—isn’t just reckless, it’s suicidal. Once he finds out the truth—well, it doesn’t bear thinking about.
I blow out a breath and roll my shoulders.Focus, Luna.I need to escape quickly. Get set up somewhere and wait for Pippato call me. I sure as hell hope Royce Dunbar’s yacht is not too far away. I have hours, not days, before this whole world comes crashing down.
Nico’s voice reaches me. I cock my head. I can’t make out what he’s saying. Why is he still up? It’s after midnight. Doesn’t he ever sleep? I creep over and open my door a crack. Nico is going down the stairs and he’s talking on the phone. I close the door again.
Damn him. I try and block out the memory of the kiss one more time. He’s seductive, sure. Infuriatingly sexy with that smooth arrogance and the kind of jawline that makes rational thought a challenge. But he's also dangerous. And not just in the whole “he could tear a man’s throat out” kind of way. All the Valdici men are like that, deadly. No, Nico Valdici is dangerous because he makes me feel things. Unsafe things. Things I can't afford to acknowledge, let alone feel.
Hope. That’s what Nico makes me feel. Hope that I won’t have to marry Malrick. Hope that he’ll step in and save me since my parents won’t. Hope that maybe someone like him could protect me. I scoff at my own stupidity. I used to think I could have a normal life somewhere else. If recent events have taught me anything, it’s that I will never have a normal life. I need to escape and then disappear. I will be looking over my shoulder my entire life, but it’s better than being married to a vampire.
I let out a sob. There’s no protecting me against Malrick. He’s not even human. There can be no hope. There is only reality. I need to run. Once Nico and his brothers find out the truth—that my father is owned by Malrick Comescu, that he’s been feeding him information about the family for years—they’ll kill him. And maybe me too. And honestly? I wouldn’t even blame them.
I grip the edge of the dresser, my breath coming fast. The old Luna—the girl who still believed in loyalty and blood ties—she’s dead. If watching my father taught me anything it’s that I amon my own. Gone is the girl who believed in family. The woman standing here now? She knows the only person she can count on is herself. And she’s getting the hell out of here.
I cross the room in three quick steps and grab the bag I packed earlier. It’s heavy, but manageable. Clothes. Cash. Passport. Toothbrush. The essentials of a woman who’s on the run from everything she’s ever known. Shit. The phone is in the library.
I slip the straps of the backpack over my shoulders, then cross to the door. I ease it open, my ears straining for any sound. The house is quiet, which is both reassuring and terrifying. If Nico or one of his men come looking, I’m screwed.
I move down the hall, my feet silent on the hardwood. Into the library. The scent of old books and cedar hits me like a memory. A small lamp is lit on the desk, creating a small halo of light. I quickly go to the shelf and pull out the book. I grab the phone and glance at the screen. Nothing. No new messages. Fuck. I guess it was too much to hope for that Pippa would’ve reached out already. I tuck it in my pocket.
I put the book back in place and slide out of the library to the staircase. Down the stairs. Slow. Careful. Every creak of the floorboard feels like a gunshot in the dark. I stop at the bottom and listen. Nothing. Carson must have gone to bed. I slip through the kitchen and dining room, out the back door onto the balcony and into the night.
The air hits me like freedom—cool and sharp and bracing. The Mediterranean breeze whips at my hair, and for a moment, just a moment, I feel the kind of clarity that only comes when you’ve got nothing left to lose.
I move fast, staying within the shadows. I don’t have a plan beyond getting off the property. Once I’m out, I’ll figure it out. There’s always a way. There has to be. Cameras are top of my mind since that’s how I got into this mess. I keep to the treeslining the driveway and try to avoid any cameras I see. God only knows if I’m successful, but I’m hoping that Nico’s security guys are expecting trouble on the outside of the gates, not inside.
