Page 4 of Beautiful Desire

What have I done?

Bile rises up my throat as I take in the massacre before me. My best friend sits slumped in a chair with his head facing the ceiling. You’d almost think he was sleeping if it wasn’t for the puddle of blood covering the concrete floor mixed with chunks of brain matter. Seeing Massimo’s lifeless body will haunt me for the rest of my life.

When my father claps me on the back, I turn to see his joyous face.

“Congratulations, my son. Welcome to la famiglia!”

The mask that was in place is slowly slipping away as the metallic scent of blood fills my nostrils. Unable to hold it back any longer, I bolt from the warehouse. I need air. I run as fast as my feet will let me and as far as I can get from myfriend. I feel sick to my stomach, with the image of Massimo seared into my brain as the only thing I can see.

Finally reaching the door, I swing it open and run into the empty, dark parking lot.

I need air.

As soon as I’m far enough away from the warehouse, I stop and take a deep breath, but all I smell is blood. Looking down at my clothing, I see that I’m covered inhisblood. I can’t hold it in any longer. Hunching over and placing my hands on my knees, I retch. Over and over until there’s nothing left.

Iwillget out of here. As soon as I can get everything in order and a new plan in place, I’m gone. I willneverdo this again.

“Mi dispiace, Massimo. Ti prego, perdonami.”I’m sorry, Massimo. Please forgive me.

CHAPTER1

ELLE

As Dand I slam into his hotel room, our lips are locked, kissing frantically while our hands roam each other’s bodies. Pulling back, he looks at me. Our chests are heaving and we’re both breathing heavily.

His magnetic blue eyes bore into mine when he says, “I’ve been wanting to do that since the second I saw you during the ceremony.”

“The ceremony?” I ask.

He nods, a small smile appearing on his face.

He was at the ceremony?!

I definitely would have remembered seeing him during Peter and Christine’s vows, because he for sure would have stood out. His eyes alone would have had everyone in the room looking his way, not to mention the way his tall, muscular body hugs his fitted suit like it was specially made for him.

Nodding, he says, “As soon as I walked into that room and began looking around, my eyes were automatically drawn to you. Haven’t been able to take them off you since.”

I don’t know what to say in response to that, so I stand there and say nothing. He’s the first person to have rendered me speechless. Both of his hands frame my face now as he moves his lips closer to mine once again.

My gaze flicks back and forth between his mouth and eyes. I should push him away. Tell him to stop. It goes against my rule of never sleeping with anyone from work. I used to date a guy I worked with, and…well, let’s just saythatblew up right in my face. But in this exact moment, I want nothing more than for this man to do whatever the hell he wants to me.

My hesitation breaks as my hands quickly find their way into his short dark hair. I hear a quiet moan from D as my fingers run through his hair, increasing the wetness pooling between my thighs. His hands move, and before I know it, he’s lifting me up off the ground. My legs automatically wrap themselves around his waist, and I feel a smile cross his lips as he pulls back.

“If this isn’t what you want,L, you need to tell me now. I need you to tell me you want this.”

My eyes flicker back and forth across his. “I do. Iwantthis. No names, no numbers. Just sex.”

I may be willing to break one of my rules by sleeping with someone at a work-only wedding for my boss, even though I’ve never seen him at work or even in the building before, but I won’t break my other rules of exchanging names and numbers and having to deal with the awkward goodbye in the morning.

He looks at me in confusion. We technically did exchange “names” at the wedding. I blame my too-loud and buzzed work friend, Beth, for that one. She told him my name was Elle, and he thought I had just given him the first letter of my name, so he did the same and told me his name wasD. I’d be lying if I said I haven’t secretly been trying to guess his name all night.

When he doesn’t protest, I lean in, and our lips smash together once again as he begins to walk. After a couple of seconds, I hear a door being kicked open. He interrupts our kiss once again to find the switch and turn on the light, showcasing the master bedroom.

As he makes his way over to the king-sized bed, I notice a set of French doors that lead out to a balcony overlooking the ocean. Another door sits slightly ajar in the far right of the room, which I’m assuming is the bathroom.

Once we make it to the foot of the bed, D trails hot, hungry kisses along my neck as he lowers us down on top of the bed. I feel the mattress dip as he moves his hands to hold himself up while he hovers over me and continues his assault on my neck.

He slowly moves his mouth as he makes a path down between my breasts, moving one hand to grab on to my hip. “I need to get this fucking dress off you. You’re killing me.”

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