Her eyes flicked to my mouth.
Just once.
But it was enough.
I dipped my head, slowly, like I was giving her time to pull away. Her breath hitched. Her lashes fluttered.
And when our lips finally brushed, every nerve in me lit on fire. She let out a gasp, pulled back for just a second, and I wondered if I’d misread her intent, but she slammed her lips against mine, her hands clenching into my shirt like she would drown if she didn’t kiss me.
And fuck. She was the very air I needed.
My hand slid into her hair, fingers threading through those waves as I pulled her in. She let out a moan, and I groaned when her hands reached for the back of my neck.
My thumb dragged across her jaw, holding her in place as I kissed her like I’d been dying to do since the moment I first saw her in that damn satin top.
Her breath hitched again, and she spoke against my lips. “Federico…”
I kissed her deeper.
Harder.
Because that was the first time she’d said my name like that.
And I wanted to hear more of it.
Chapter 18 - Autumn
His mouth was fire. Hot, rough,hungry.
The moment our lips collided again, it wasn’t tender anymore—it was feral. Federico kissed me like he was trying to take me apart from the inside. His teeth scraped my bottom lip, then he sucked it between his like he couldn’t get enough. I moaned, biting back, grabbing at his hair, pulling him closer as his hands roamed—everywhere. Possessive. Greedy.
One of his hands slid down my spine, slow and steady, before he gripped my ass and squeezed hard. I squealed into his mouth, the pressure sending a bolt of heat straight between my thighs. My hips bucked into his instinctively. There was no thought left—no hesitation. Just sensation.
My body remembered him—every touch, every sensation from that night I’d sworn was a mistake. But this didn’t feel like a mistake.
It felt inevitable.
His tongue swept against mine, demanding and hungry, and I matched him kiss for kiss, bite for bite.
My fingers dug into his shoulders, and Federico groaned against my mouth when I nipped at his bottom lip. The hand not on my ass was everywhere—sliding up my spine, tangling in my hair, gripping my waist like he was afraid I’d slip away.
I tugged him closer, my nails scraping along the nape of his neck, and he shuddered against me.
“Autumn,” he breathed against my mouth, “Fuck…Autumn.”
Just the way he said my name told me he wanted more. He needed me, like I did him.
Both hands cupped my ass now, and when he lifted me slightly, I instinctively wrapped my legs around his waist, my skirt riding up my thighs. He lifted me off the floor, and I squealed at the sudden move but instantly bucked into him, feeling his hard length press against my panties.
Fuck. He felt so good.
“I’ve wanted this,” he confessed roughly, teeth grazing my earlobe, “since the moment you walked away the first time we had sex.”
He put me down. Kissed me again.
Then walked me backward, not breaking the kiss for even a breath, until the backs of my thighs hit the edge of the desk. With one hand on my waist, he lifted me up effortlessly, setting me down on the table while I fumbled with his buttons like a woman starved. I needed him. Right now. In every possible way. My fingers shook with urgency.
“Too many buttons,” I muttered with frustration as I struggled with each one.