Page 51 of Blood Lust

He turned back to me and helped me into Gabriel’s bed. Then he rested a hand on my cheek. “You’re going to take a nap, and you’re going to feel better. Everything is under control, and Gabriel will be back to his old self before you know it. You have no worries from today.”

I sighed, and my eyelids grew too heavy to keep open. As I nuzzled into the pillow, I breathed in the scent of Gabriel’s cologne and wondered if it was really only this morning that we’d been snuggled up here.

Then I dozed off.

Icould hear the thump of music coming from the back of the penthouse. Loosening my tie, I followed the sound. It was obviously Alia, but I’d never heard her playing music so loud before.

The tapping of my heels echoed as I made my way down the hall, but with the volume turned up, there was no way she heard me. The door was cracked, and I tried to peer in without making myself known. I couldn’t see anything, so I carefully made the opening wider.

What I saw brought an unbidden smile to my face.

Dancing in front of the bookshelves, wearing one of my T-shirts and a pair of silky underwear that had the bottom of her cheeks showing, was a goddess. Her dark hair was in disarray around her shoulders and flew wildly when she began to headbang to the chorus of Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation.”

When she spun around, I chuckled when I realized she was using one of my books as a microphone. She must’ve heard me, because she dropped it with a squeal and her wide eyes met mine.

Realizing it was me, she relaxed. The brilliant grin that tipped up the corners of her luscious mouth was heart-stopping. Or maybe it was simply her—because while my dick might’ve been hardening, something happened to my chest that made my lungs seize.

“Gabriel! I thought you said you were going to be late,” she breathlessly stated. She wasn’t wrong. I was supposed to be at a meeting with a certain bakery owner. Except I was like a drug addict, desperate for my fix. But my drug of choice was her. So I’d sent Vittorio in my stead and gone home.

In an effort to get control of myself, I walked over to the mini bar by the windows and poured two fingers of my favorite whiskey. I knew she was behind me before she said a word—my body recognized hers on a cellular level.

And like a wolf scenting its prey, I could smell her.

“This is pretty,” she murmured while circling the diamond-shaped top.

“It should be. It was one of only sixty bottles produced.” And it cost me almost two-hundred-and-fifty grand.

“Can you imagine if this was real?” She tapped the diamond set in the silver collar.

The corner of my mouth kicked up. “It is.”

Her jaw dropped, and I dipped a finger in the premium whiskey. Before she knew what I was doing, I painted her lowerlip with it. The tip of her tongue rolled over the whiskey I left behind.

“Mmm,” she hummed appreciatively.

My gaze dropped to her chest to find her pebbled nipples showing through the white cotton. Then I met her gaze again and lifted the tumbler to take a drink. But I didn’t swallow—I leaned in to brush my lips against hers. When she opened to me, I gave her the shot from my mouth. She gave it back to me and I swallowed, then dipped my tongue into her mouth. When I did, she swirled hers along mine, and I tasted the expensive liquor that lingered.

The kiss we shared was slow and sensual, like the drink we’d shared. She slipped her hands into my open jacket and smoothed her palms over my chest. There was something about her that drove me mad. I speared my fingers in her wild hair and gripped it tightly in my fist before I devoured her. My momentum and the few steps I took to bring myself closer, propelled us to the window.

“Gabriel,” she gasped when we broke for air, and I tilted her head to expose the column of her throat. My teeth scraped her skin as I nipped and sucked at her flesh. Hooking the back of her neck with my free hand, I held her in place, my thumb sweeping over her pounding pulse.

“You’re a siren, Lia,” I murmured as I rained kisses along her jaw. A whimper escaped her when I reached her earlobe and sucked it, following with the sting of my teeth.

Fire licked through my veins, and my hands dropped to rip the shirt she’d stolen from me, up and over her head. I cast it aside and pushed her sexy panties down. The scent of her arousal filled my nose, and I fought back a groan. Desperate to feel if she was as turned on as I was, I cupped her pussy and teased the slit with my finger.

“Jesus Christ, you’re dripping wet.” I pushed a finger in and slowly stroked her.

Her reply was a shuddered exhale, and her fingers rapidly worked the buttons of my shirt. When she reached the bottom, she frantically tugged the tails of my custom-tailored Ermenegildo Zegna shirt from my slacks.

“Need you,” she panted. A frustrated growl left her kiss-swollen lips when she realized my tie still held my collar closed. Before she could reach it, I loosened it and pulled it free. She shoved my shirt and jacket over my shoulders. I had to quickly pull my hand from between her legs so she could push them off and let them fall to the floor. The second the fabric cleared my fingertips, I drove my middle finger back into her, followed by a second.

“Fuck,” I moaned when she squeezed my fingers as I curled them against the spot guaranteed to drive her crazy. As I unbuckled my belt and unfastened my pants, I ground out, “Your tight little cunt belongs to me, Lia.”

“Yes,” she gasped as I worked her pussy like a pro. As I finger-fucked her, she rode the heel of my hand, searching for her release. Right before I knew she was going to come, I pulled my hand free, and she whined in disappointment.

Lowering myself to my knees, I grasped her hips in a bruising grip and put my nose to her shaved mons. I inhaled deeply, then exhaled with a satisfied hum.

“Say it, Lia,” I demanded as I looked up at her.

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