Page 39 of Twisted Embrace

“You don’t appreciate the truth.”

“I don’t take kindly to being dissected by someone who’d spent a few hours around me.” She enjoyed the game as much as I did.

“Hmmm… I’m right,” she insisted.

I finally opened the bottle of vodka. “This will sting a little. It’s all we have at this point.”

“I’m a big girl. I can take it.” She grabbed the bottle from my hand, taking a swig then returning it. The light touch of our fingers forced her eyes to open wide. I poured the remaining liquor on her injury, tossing the bottle into the trash after finishing.

She flinched slightly, her grip on the edge of the counter white knuckled, but she refused to moan. When I was finished, I grabbed a towel, patting her knee dry. “How are your palms?”

As she lifted them for me to inspect, she had an entirely different smile on her face. It was full of compassion, as if she could possibly understand what I’d gone through as a child. If I told her a third of what I’d been required to endure, she’d have nightmares for weeks.

“Wash them well but I think you’ll be fine.” She grabbed the washcloth, leaning over and rinsing it out in the sink. Then she pressed it against the area near my eye. “I’m sorry I almost bashed your head in.”

Her touch was entirely too gentle, her apology genuine. “I deserved it.”

A smile curled in the corner of her mouth as she continued rubbing. “Yes, you did. There. Much better.”

I glanced in the mirror, yanking the towel from her hand then tossing it on the floor. Being this close was far too intoxicating. When I started to pull away, she wrapped her hand around my arm.

“Thank you, Enzo. For saving my life and for caring about me. I’m sorry I didn’t trust you enough. For what it’s worth, I think you’re a very good man underneath your bruising bravado.”

If anyone else had said that to me, it would set me off with the desire to prove them wrong using their own flesh and bone. Right now, I just wanted her writhing underneath me, screaming my name.

Still, I overreacted, dropping my hands on the counter beside her, moving between her legs then using my body to force her back to arch. Her expression didn’t change except her mouth pursed as she ran a finger along the vines covering my neck, slipping the tip under the collar of my shirt.

“You should be very frightened of me, Joy. I’m not your savior nor will I be that good man you want me to be.”

“You don’t scare me, Enzo.” She lifted her chin on purpose, our lips almost touching.

“Maybe you should reconsider.”

“No. I’m done with being scared of you. If you’re going to kill me then I won’t be able to stop you. Will I?”

Why was it that the single word she issued in a whisper was enough to tighten my balls? I loved a woman with fire in her belly but her sudden belief that I wouldn’t hurt her was as annoying as it was arousing.

“Besides, I want to see more.” When I lifted an eyebrow, she laughed. “Of the ink. Is your body covered in colorful designs?”

She simply refused to take any of this seriously. I had blood covering my shirt and she acted as if it was nothing more than paint that could be washed away easily.

The way her finger was determined to trace the ink was far too arousing. “I’ll warn you one last time, Joy. Be careful what you ask for.”

“Maybe I don’t want to be careful. Maybe I want to feel alive.” She leaned forward until her lips were just touching mine.

The temptation was far too intoxicating to resist. I wrapped my fingers around her long strands of hair as I captured her mouth, holding her lips in place for a few seconds. She did nothing more than push her hands against me at first, her fingers digging into my shirt. Then as the kiss became more passionate and I thrust my tongue inside, she yanked at my tie, arching her back more than before.

Before the hard fucking had been all about controlling her, providing a lesson in how powerful a man I was. This was entirely different, a building need that refused to be denied, the kind of hunger that would eventually destroy me. Fuck it. At this moment, I refused to think about anything but wrecking her world another time, taking what would soon enough belong to me in holy matrimony. Besides, a single taste of her hadn’t been enough.

As she fought to remove my tie, her body wiggling in my hold, I explored every delicious crevice of her mouth. The taste of her was somehow sweeter than before, my needs only increasing as I swept my tongue back and forth.

She mewed into the kiss and I captured the sound, holding her heated breath in my throat. Maybe I should force her lovely lips around my swollen shaft. That would come soon enough. For now, I needed to shove my cock deep inside.

As she started to tear at my shirt, her fingers struggling to unbutton it, I pulled away. Wasting no time, I jerked her sweater over her shoulders, tossing it aside then ripped the tie away before yanking my shirt over my head.

The way she laughed indicated nervousness, but her eyes shimmered in the light, her expression of need undeniable. When she placed her fingers against my chest, my heartrate increased. Her touch wasn’t just electric; her fingertips somehow managed to sear my skin. I cupped her breasts, squeezing them through the blushing pink lace of her bra.

She was beautiful in every aspect, her aristocratic features and lush mouth giving way to a long neck begging to be marked by my teeth. She had curves meant for a man’s hands. My hands.

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