Page 11 of Blood Lust

“Do you go to a lot of these signings?” I asked her.

She laughed lightly. “No. This is actually my first. My friend invited me because we hadn’t seen each other in forever. Let’s just say I needed a getaway.”

“Well, for the record, I’m glad you decided to come.”

“Me too,” she replied before dropping her gaze to her hand that was folding a napkin repeatedly. Then her woodland eyes lifted to mine, and the corner of her mouth kicked up slightly.

The waitress brought our drinks, and Lee took a huge swallow before setting it down and taking a deep breath. She let it out in a rush. “Look, Gabe, I need to be honest with you. I’m not from here, so I’m not looking for more than tonight. If that isn’t what you’re interested in, I should probably let you go while you can still salvage part of the night.”

Her frank honesty left me speechless, and that wasn’t something that happened often.

For several heartbeats, I simply blinked at her. Not that I wasn’t used to women throwing themselves at me, but they usually knew who I was and wanted something from me. That, or they wanted to brag that they’d fucked me.

“Your cabin or mine?”

“Yours. I’m staying with my friend.”

“Mine it is,” I told her as I stood up and held out a hand to her.

She gently placed her delicate hand in mine and got to her feet. Ruby red lips that matched her dress parted as she blinked up at me. In her black heels, all she would need to do is tip up her chin and her lips would be on mine.

Though we both now knew where this night would end, I was enjoying her company enough that we took a leisurely stroll along the water. The lights from the resort and surrounding properties reflected off the dark water. We paused to appreciate the beauty of the night.

“This is a really cool place. I don’t think we have anything like this back home,” she murmured as she leaned into me.

“Where’s home?” I asked, curious, though I knew this was a one-night thing.

She took a deep breath, then let it out. Her beautiful hazel gaze locked on mine. “Does it matter?”

I chuckled. “No, not really.”

Reaching up, I trailed my knuckles over the gentle curve of her cheek. Never had I felt such soft skin. My fingers itched to touch her everywhere, but I settled for following her jawline back to her chin so I could grip it gently. Lifting it up, I lowered my head and allowed myself one small sampling.

It was a mistake.

Because that one sweet temptation wasn’t near enough. As one, we opened to allow the other access. Our tongues twisted and swirled with each other’s. I could still taste the sweet wine she’d drunk earlier, and it was divine.

She clutched the front of my shirt and stood on her tiptoes to kiss me deeper, and I moaned, pulling her soft curves into my harder planes. The breeze blowing off the water caught the soft scent of her perfume and lifted it to tease my senses.

With a groan, I speared my fingers into her thick, dark hair and used it to slant her head so I could deepen the kiss.

“Oh my God,” she gasped when we broke for air.

“My thoughts exactly. So unless you want me to lift that dress, bend you over against that tree, and fuck you until you scream my name for the whole resort to hear, we should go.”

Her pupils went huge, and she wet her kiss-swollen lips. Judging by the time it took for her to answer, I knew she was considering it.

Unfortunately, no matter how appealing that actually was, I couldn’t risk the exposure if we were caught. A man in my position had to be careful. Heart slamming against my rib cage and my dick trying to bust through my trousers, I grabbed her hand and we hurried along the path.

The cabin next to mine was dark, but I saw Pietro sitting in one of the chairs on the deck. He gave me a subtle chin lift aswe passed, which I returned. Not for a second did I slow down, however.

“Right here,” I quietly directed as we reached the sidewalk to my cabin. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught the cherry of a cigarette from where Vittorio’s man sat outside Vittorio’s cabin.

We climbed the stairs, and I let her inside. “Make yourself at home. The bathroom is back that way,” I told her as I closed the blinds.

She nodded but stood in the center of the room, nervously twisting her hands together.

Once I had shut the outside world out, I went to stand before her. “Have you changed your mind?”

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