Page 28 of Devious Vows

His thumb rubs along my clit with each sure stroke of his hand, my own fingers pulling his face closer to the skin of my neck as a low moan leaks from my lips, drowned out by the surrounding noise. I feel the burn in my belly, the strain in my toes, as I lift even higher so he can hit that perfect angle.

I fall apart with the soft grind of his hips, his hand unlinking our fingers to clap over my mouth seconds before the sounds sneak out, lips pressing along the column of my throat as he tilts my head back further, continuing our dance as the song comes to an end. His palm falls from my lips, hand slowly sliding from my skirt, fingers leaving a wet trail along my rib cage as he keeps me close. My heart is thumping against his palm, hard shutters that pound my head out of the clouds, dropping me back down to the ground with a bone-crushing thud.

I just let Remy finger me in the middle of this club.

A new song is starting but I don’t want to dance anymore. I turn in Remy’s arms, blink when his fingers come up to trace along my cheekbone. “This was a mistake.”

I can’t see the honey of his eyes, but I know it’s there, can imagine the gold flecks circling his irises as his eyes brush along my face, cling to my lips. “No, it wasn’t. Nothing we do is ever a mistake.”

“We?” His thumb runs along my bottom lip at the question, lightly pressing into the plump flesh before he cradles my face in his palm.

“We.” The word brushes along my skin, soft and sweet. “I make mistakes all of the time, but anything that I do with you?Never.”

My foolish, needy heart thumps, a warmth spreading throughout my limbs that I’ve only ever felt around Remy. A feeling that I’ve been getting a lot more lately. “You shouldn’t say things like that. You might convince me you actually like me, Remy Luciano.”

I don’t hear it over the music, but I can feel it, that deep hum that bubbles out of his chest. “If you’re not convinced yet,cuore mio, I apparently need to step up my game.”

Chapter Eleven

There’s a heavy pitter-patter as rain falls along the glass roof of the conservatory, the sound of thunder rolling off in the distance accompanying the earthy smell of wet grass that blows through the open window on each small gust of wind. Pulling my fingers from where they’re wrapped around my warm coffee mug, I flip the page on my book. After a long day of wedding planning with my mother and Francesca, it’s beyond nice to finally have some peace and quiet. Gaze shifting from my book to out the window, I watch the trees just outside of the yard sway, the leaves of the ivy draped across the top windowpane fluttering in the chilly breeze.

The conservatory has always been one of my favorite places to read. It’s peaceful here among the plants and usually warm regardless of the season. There is a calmness in the space that always helps be unwind from the day. Not to mention, one of the few places neither of my parents ever bother me in. Something I’m thankful for since I’m staying at their place for the night. Eyes falling back on my book, I grab my tea once more, sipping while I read. Lost in the world of angels and demons, I almost don’t hear the light clicking of the side door open. If not for the sudden gust of wind, I probably wouldn’t have looked.

Remy stands just inside the door, clothes sticking to his skin and rain dripping from his hair as he shuts it behind him. My heart thumps a rhythm it has no right to beat at the sight of him, a clap of thunder booming above us as I set my cup and book down on the iron table next to me.

“You weren’t at home,” he comments, watching me rise from my chair, golden eyes tracking my movements. He reaches behind his head, pulling his wet shirt up and off as I watch. It lands with a soggy plop onto the floor, the sound settling into my bones as he stalks forward. “I figured you’d be here when I didn’t find you there.”

He stops just before me, inked skin glistening with residual rain and dampness from his discarded shirt.

“You could have just called,” I joke to break the feeling of seriousness in the moment, the intensity in his stare making my limbs tingle.

There’s a darkness in his gaze that I can’t place, a stiffness in his muscles as he stands before me, close enough for me to smell the warmth of his skin but not touching me. Although wet, his hair stands in a disheveled mess like he’s been running his fingers through it, a hint of tobacco on his breath. Tension strums between us, nearly as thick as the fog starting to settle over the glass. The light above us dims, the timer set to turn them off after ten o’ clock.

I hadn’t even realized how late it had gotten.

Another roll of thunder cracks within the sky, a quiet rumble that competes with the pounding in my chest.

“I had a shitty fucking day,cuore mio,” Remy finally speaks, the deep baritone in his voice strumming over my skin, softly stroking like the caress of his fingers.

My breath stutters, eyes blinking when his hand rises to my cheek, damp and warm. “This feels a little like déjà vu.” His hum rumbles beneath my fingers, my palm pressed to his chest as he inches closer. “Have you been drinking again?”

“No.” The single word caresses my lips, the heat of his tongue swiping along my bottom lip in a kiss that’s more of an exploratory taste.

“And you still came here?” My face turns from his next kiss, but he doesn’t care, his hot mouth trailing over my cheek to suck on my earlobe. “To me?”

One of his hands runs over my arm, his fingers wrapping around mine on his chest. His heart thumps beneath my palm, strong and steady.The complete opposite of mine.My eyelids shutter as I look past him out at the storm, his breath whispering at my ear, “Do you feel that?” He waits for my slight nod, his fingers tightening around mine. “As long as it’s beating, I’ll always come for you.”

It’s taken me some time to realize it but I am falling for this man.

Or maybe I always have been, tumbling toward my own destruction from the first flash of his dimples.

My heart thuds in my ears, my fingers lightly digging into his flesh, the steady strum below my palm vibrating through me. His face rises to mine, honey browns nearly black as he looks down at me. I swallow, lips parting as I gaze up at him. “I don’t think I hate you anymore, Remy.”

His hands come up to cup my face, thumbs stroking along my cheeks as he leans in close, the taste of his lips a breath away. “Ineverhated you.”

The truth in his words strum along my skin, my heart thumping in my ears at the anticipation of feeling his lips on mine. Unable to resist any longer, I press into his lips with a soft kiss, my palm still pressed to the beat of his heart. He uses his fingers to brush the hair from my face, running his thumb along my cheek and jaw. Breaking away, he presses kisses to my neck and back to my lips, his tongue stroking my skin, tasting ever part of me he can. His grip tightens as he tugs me closer, my chest pressed against his as he silently asks for more.

I let him deepen the kiss, tongue stroking mine, the soft groan that escapes our tangled lips warming my gut. He guides me backward, one step, two steps, three. Until my back presses up against the cool side of the glass wall, the soft sound of raindrops sliding past my head. My kisses grow bolder, my hands sliding over his skin to feel each hard ridge and scar.I want to feel all of him.I’ve never wanted anything as much in my life as I’ve wanted this.

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