Page 67 of Devious Kingpin
After all, our parents’ sins became ours. Their enemies became ours. The people who had it out for my family could come after him too. A sliver of fear breathed into my lungs. I didn’t want anything happening to him—not because of me.
He caught my gaze, studying me for a moment, then turned back to the road. “Juliette, I don’t give a shit who your parents are or were. I marriedyou. I’ve wanted you from the moment I saw you dancing on top of that bar at The Eastside dressed in those ridiculous Irish flag colors with your friends.”
My eyes widened. “Not in the casino?” I rasped, unable to form a full sentence.
“No. You were shaking your ass on top of your father’s bar wearing a sparkly orange minidress. When I saw you again in my casino, the deal was sealed. You were mine.”
His answer was a silent admission. There was one thing I couldn’t take away from my husband. He was honest, despite him telling me he’d already lied to me once. I was no angel in that scenario either. He didn’t bother with feigned emotions or niceties.
He pulled into the driveway of his mansion ten minutes later and something about it feltright. Something abouthimfelt right. Nerves danced in the atmosphere. Heavy tension had settled in the space between us.
He leaned over, his minty breath like a breeze against my skin. “Am I scaring you, Juliette?”
My pulse fluttered. The pressure built. I swallowed, battling all these emotions and cravings within me. I was starting to realize that maybe the last two years with him had been a sort of foreplay, and we were always meant to get to this point.
My body wanted this man. My mind resisted him.
But I was quickly losing this battle. Each breath I took pulled me in the opposite direction.
Confusion grew. My breaths were labored. My heart thundered. It scared me that I wanted to experience it all with Dante knowing where it all led. To him on top of me. It’d find me cornered and my ugly fear would rear its head.
“Juliette?”
Something pounded in my chest. I couldn’t distinguish whether it was fear or something else.
“How many women have you had?” I breathed out, adrenaline buzzing in my ears. His eyebrows rose and I swallowed, averting my eyes. His thumb brushed across my lips and down my chin, until it followed the vein in my throat.
“Look at me.” My eyes immediately obeyed. Satisfaction washed over his expression. “Your pulse is racing,” he remarked. “Are you scared of me, Wildling?”
I scoffed softly. “No.”
His full lips curved into a smile. “Good,” he drawled. “That means you’re excited.”
His thumb swept over my fluttering pulse. My lips parted and our gazes locked. A heavy weight settled between my legs and another one in my chest, pounding. I pressed my thighs together and Dante’s eyes flickered to the movement.
“I can smell your arousal,” he rasped in a deep voice.
A breath escaped me and I leaned into his touch. He applied pressure against my pulse—not hard, but just gentle enough to feel him. None of this made sense.
“Do you want me, my wildling?” he purred. I swallowed hard, then nodded. “Because I want you so fucking much that the thought of living without you makes me want to end it all.” A sharp intake of air into my lungs filled the small space between us. Letting myself drown in his darkness, I stared at him. My husband. The man who I’d avoided for the past two years. “You and I, Wildling, we were meant to be together.”
Then slowly, painfully slowly, he closed the distance between us. He captured my top lip between his, kissing me with the sweetest pull. Then he pulled back. His face was barely an inch from mine, yet it was too far away.
My heart fluttered like it had wings and my pulse skidded to a stop.
Time stilled. My mouth tingled. And he waited.
He wanted me to decide what the next step should be.
My heartbeat danced lightly for the first time in such a long time. I wanted to see it through. It was scary. It was thrilling.
A tremor ran through me and I leaned forward, our breaths intermingling. My eyelids fluttered and a strong need pulsed through my veins again, never stopping. My lips brushed against his softly.
A single word vibrated through my bloodstream.Mine.
He parted his lips and I slid my tongue inside. A groan came from deep in his chest and his hand came around my nape, gripping it tightly. I moaned, my fingers finding themselves around his neck. He sucked on my tongue. I licked every inch of his mouth.
His hand cupped the back of my head while his kiss turned rougher. More possessive. My blood drummed in my ears, but it wasn’t in fear. It was in pure desire, fueling something deep inside me.
