Page 35 of Naughty and Nice
“No, tesoro, you’re not.”
Tesoro—treasure, something or someone of value.
Nick didn’t blink as he took another step toward me.
As much as I wanted to stand my ground, I found my feet moving backward. Each step he took forward, I took one back until I ran out of room. My shoulders collided with the wall. “Nick?” I didn’t know what I was asking, but I was asking.
He came to a stop in front of me, his one hand going to the wall, caging me, while his other came gently to my chin, his calloused thumb caressing my cheek.
I stared into the depths of his dark orbs.
His deep voice reverberated through my shattered nerves. “I don’t want to marry you to get Em and Jano off my ass.”
I swallowed. “You don’t want to marry me.” My nostrils flared. “I understand. I’m damaged.”
He forcibly lifted my chin, pinching it between his thumb and finger. “I want to marry you, Liliana. I don’t give a damn about pleasing Em or Jano. I want to marry you because I want you to be mine. I don’t give a fuck about your past. You’re not spoiled. You’re a fighter, and I want to feel the heat of the fight that burns deep inside you. It’s a fight to survive, to live, and to love. I want to feel it every fucking day of my life. I want to fall asleep next to you and wake up beside you.”
“You said no sex.”
“I’ve changed my mind.” His palm slid to my cheek as his lips crashed down on mine.
His kiss was possessive, firm, and bold, the striking of a match igniting buried embers I’d thought were long dead. I lifted my hands to his chest; his heart drummed beneath my touch. The hard planes of his body pressed against me, yet my only thought was that I’d never been kissed like this before.
Never.
Ever.
It was intoxicating and suffocating at the same time, like a supernova, a powerful explosion setting off detonations throughout my nervous system.
Nick splayed his long fingers in the small of my back, pulling me closer, flattening my breasts as his erection prodded against my stomach. My head snapped back as he twisted my braid. The nerves sent electricity from my scalp to my nipples, turning them from hard to diamonds and flooding my core.
He took a step back as I panted for air. “I fucking want you, Liliana. You’ve been right in front of me for years, and I finally opened my damn eyes.” His thumb ran over my lips as he grinned. “I like seeing your lips bruised from my kiss. I want to see the way your skin reddens as I lick and kiss you.”
I met his gaze. “You don’t scare me, Nick Ruiz.”
He dipped his head, his lips coming to the sensitive skin of my neck. The whoosh of his breath filled my ears. “Like here.”
Goose bumps bloomed over my arms and legs as he nuzzled and licked.
“And here.” His lips lowered down my chest.
I reached for his cheeks, my palms pushing with all their might. When he relented, his eyes met mine. “Marry me first.”
“Is that a yes to my proposal?” he asked.
“Yes, Nick. It’s a yes.”
“This won’t be in name only, Liliana. I want you to know that you’re important to me. You mean something to me. You’re not alone, and you would fucking be missed. I’d burn down the damn world for you.”
Tears filled my eyes. “I don’t…deserve?—”
Nick’s finger came to my lips. “You deserve more than I can ever give you.”
“Sex?”
His grin broadened. “Gerardo doesn’t get to live rent free in your head any longer. I’m fucking evicting him this minute. You’re not afraid of sex.” He inhaled and smiled. “Tesoro, I smell you. You’re wet. Tell me I’m wrong.”
My chin lowered as more warmth filled my cheeks.
