Page 23 of Dark Desire

Vincenzo's body seized at the mention of La Lama. His eyes had gone vacant, as though he was trapped in some kind of memory.

“Did I say something wrong? I mean, you’re not La Lama, so this shouldn’t matter.”

“I'm not who you think I am, Riley. Before you give yourself to me, you need to understand you’d be giving yourself to the Devil.”

"Would you stop saying that?" He pushed up from the table, knocking a chair to the floor. The sound reverberated through the kitchen, causing me to jump.

“Vincenzo…” I jumped up and ran after him.

“Vincenzo…” her footsteps beat against the floor as she chased me down the hall. “Wait. Please.”

“You should arrest me now.” I shoved my fingers through my hair.

“Jesus Christ. Can you just stop for a minute?” I turned, causing her to bump into me. My arms instinctively wrapped around her to prevent her from falling on her ass. “Why are you running from me?”

“I am the monster you think I am. Can you accept that you’re in love with a murderer?”

“Who you were years ago doesn’t matter to me. What matters is who you are right now.”

I narrowed my eyes, my eyebrow arching with my words. “I’ve killed men, Riley. As recent as last week.”

Her eyes cast down, her forehead creasing with confusion. “Oh.”

I slipped my finger beneath her chin, lifting her eyes to meet mine. “Dmitri came after my family. He killed Miguel Angel’s sister and tried to pin it on me. And if that wasn’t enough, he tried to kidnap my sister and then succeeded in taking Antonio. The men I’ve murdered were his lackeys—but the law doesn’t care. Being with me would mean turning your back on everything you stand for.”

“Look. I know this," she jerked her finger between us. ,"Doesn't make any sense. But I can’t stop how I feel.”

“Do you understand what it will mean to be with me? I won’t change who I am, and my family will always be my family.”

“I won’t ask you to change.”

“Riley.” I curved my hand behind her head and tilted it back. “There will come a day when you'll have to decide. I don’t think you understand that.”

“Can we just worry about what’s happening now? If today is all you can give me, then talking about tomorrow is pointless.”

Her lips crashed into mine as she pushed me into the bedroom. My hands went to her ass, yanking her off her feet and taking control. I walked us to the bed and laid her down, this time intending to take my time. My body covered hers as our mouths fought for dominance. I broke the kiss and pushed off the bed.

“Hold still.” I walked to my closet and retrieved several ties. “Strip off your shirt, Riley.”

I watched in awe as she stood and pulled her shirt off, tossing it to the floor. She was bare beneath the top, smiling as she climbed back onto the bed. Her skin was flushed a beautiful shade of pink, the red striped prominently on display. I ran my fingers down the lash marks, making her skin pebble beneath my touch. I tied the silken fabric around her wrists and fastened them to the corner posts. I repeated the same actions with her feet, spreading her legs wide. Her pretty pink pussy glistened with her desire, begging to be touched.

“Please.” Her plea drifted through the room, sending a bolt of need to my cock.

“I’m going to show you what being mine is like.” I pressed my hands to her thighs, massaging the marked flesh in my hands. My fingers danced down her legs, pushing them further apart and shoving my fingers into her core.

“This pussy belongs to me.” She whimpered, pulling against the restraints. “Say it, Riley. Say this pussy is mine.”

“It’s yours. My pussy is yours.”

I dove in, licking and sucking her tender folds into my mouth. Her flavor assaulted my senses as my tongue lapped at her center. I could feel her body quivering at every touch. And when I finally slipped in a finger, her walls contracted around my digit as if not to let go. “Let go, Tesoro.”

I drove my fingers in and out, sucking on her clit. Her tiny bundle of nerves set off a chain of quakes, signaling the release she was chasing. Using my teeth, I applied a small amount of pressure to her bud, driving her over the edge. She screamed out, her orgasm washing over her. I eagerly lapped her juices, biting her flesh as she cried out in bliss. Nipping at her thigh, I climbed her body, placing kisses on the marks I’d left previously. “I cannot tell you how sorry I am for doing this to you, Riley.”

“Stop. Don’t do that after giving me a mind-blowing orgasm, Vincenzo. I know you didn’t mean it. Now…” she tilted her head up and held my gaze. “Are you going to fuck me or not?”

I pressed my hands to her chest, pinching her pert nipple. My hand cupped her pussy, my fingers dipping back between her folds. “I plan to worship your body as long as I have you, Tesoro.”

I pulled my fingers out, licking them as she watched. My fingers wrapped around her neck as I lined my cock up with her center. “Hold on, baby girl. It’s about to get rough.”

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