Page 114 of Dangerous King
His eyes are dark pools. But all I can focus on is him stopping me. "Don't you… want me?"
"Fuck, Cat, I want you more than I've ever wanted anything. Trust me. I want to be all your firsts, but not here. Let's do this right, okay?"
What is he saying?
I stare at him.
"Stolen kisses will have to do. Mamma is right, and I respect you too much to take you on the kitchen counter like some back-alley secret," Enrico finishes, his voice a low, rough whisper that vibrates against my skin. "You're not a quick fuck, Cat. You're the woman I'm going to marry. And when I take your mouth for the first time, it's going to be in a bed, with your hair spread out on a pillow and your eyes on me. It's going to be slow, and deep, and mine."
I should be embarrassed.
But instead, I feel… powerful.
Wanted. Revered.
Like I'm not just some pretty thing to be used, I'm everything he's ever craved and never allowed himself to have. A strange knot loosens in my chest, one I didn't even realize I'd tied there. His hands are still holding me gently beneath the arms, and I lean into them now, wrapping my arms around his neck and breathing him in.
"Okay," I whisper.
He brushes his lips across my forehead. "You're going to kill me, Cat."
I smile against his chest. "Good."
He laughs softly and kisses the top of my head. Then, reluctantly, he steps back. "I'd better go. Before I fail both your honor and my restraint."
I pout, just a little, which makes him groan like I've stabbed him. He grabs my face and kisses me one last time—soft and devastating—then backs away toward the hall.
"I'll see you in the morning," he says.
"I'll be dreaming of you," I tease.
He winks. "Then let's make sure I give you something worth dreaming about."
He scoops me up like I weigh nothing and carries me up the stairs. Where Eliza stands, hands pushed into her hips. "Right in there, and right back out." She orders.
"Si Mamma," Enrico smirks, carrying me to bed, kissing me gently and chastely on the lips. "Good night, mi amore."
And just like that, he walks out of the room, leaving me dreamy-eyed and trembling alone.Mi amore. I turn over, grab the pillow, and hug it tightly to my chest. Mi amore, he called me. I listen to the echo of his footsteps fading down the hall. I can still feel the ghost of his kiss on my lips. Still feel the warmth of his arms around me.
My heart does a little somersault.
Shadow thumps his tail and whines from his crate. I walk over, open it, scoop him up like Enrico scooped me up, and take him to bed.
"We're in so much trouble," I whisper into his warm, furry body. He sighs and flops over dramatically, like he agrees.
I pull the covers up to my chin, the soft scent of Enrico still clinging to my skin, to my hair. Everything feels charged, like the whole world shifted on its axis. I stare up at the ceiling, smiling in the dark, because I'm starting to realize something: This might be real. And I might be falling in love with this man. A mafia boss. A ruthless killer. Everything I despised at the Giordano house now feels… normal to me.
The next day…
I finally have some time to play catch-up in my office. Silvano is poring over some emails in the corner, while I check all the ones I didn't deem important enough during the last few days. My morning goes from bad towhat the actual fuckwhen my private line rings and the caller ID is blank. Not unknown. Not restricted.
Just… blank.
I answer. "Speak."
Silvano looks up.
A pause, a silence so deep I almost think it's dead air. Then, a voice like dry ice slides into my ear. "This is a courtesy call," hesays, low and calm, layered with a faint European accent I can't quite place. "Something I've never done before. Consider it... a professional respect."
