Page 40 of Of Desire And Deception

“You good?” Zach asked, brushing past me with a tray for one of the servers. “You look startled.”

“Fine,” I answered absently. He grumbled something I didn’t catch. A customer called out, freeing me from the conflict in my mind. The sounds around me came rushing back, and my racing heart slowed. “Yeah, what can I get you?”

I took and filled order after order until sweat trailed down my temples, and Zach reminded me I needed to take a break. Shouting my thanks, I pushed through the doors to the back and sighed when the thumping bass faded away. I was a sweaty mess. Making a beeline for the back door, I burst through, breathing in the chilly night air and letting it burn my lungs as a cold mist coated my overheated flesh.

With one foot propping the door so it didn’t close and lock me out, I leaned against the brick and closed my eyes, letting my muscles relax for a few minutes. When my nose felt cold, I pulled my phone out and checked the time. After one in the morning. Not much time left on shift, then. I was ready to climb into bed and sleep for a solid ten hours after the long week.

Nudging the door open, I checked my messages as I returned to the front of the house. When I found nothing new, I slipped my phone into my pocket.

A large black-clad figure appeared before me, and a palm cut my scream off as my body whipped around. The scent of leather and cleaner filled my nose as I was pulled through a dark doorway. Cosimo. There shouldn’t have been a feeling of safety in his actions, but I relaxed against his hold.

“Shh,” he shushed me, removing his palm and pressing his finger to my lips. I couldn’t see him in the dark, but his body anchored me against the wall in his office. “I couldn’t wait until tomorrow to touch you again.”

“You fucking scared me,” I hissed, narrowing my eyes and trying to focus on where his face should have been.

His breath warmed my neck, and his nose brushed the delicate skin before his tongue followed. “Your fear is fucking delicious.”

Maybe the darkness kept me from caring about the red flag that slipped from his lips, or perhaps it was the overwhelming arousal. Warmth shot from where he tasted me to my core, and I squeezed my thighs together against the sensation. Cosimo’s hand brushed down my side, then around to the front of my jeans, pressing where I ached and nearly lifting my feet from the floor with the force of his grip.

“Don’t fight it,” he growled, nipping at the lobe of my ear. His lips settled gently against mine as his hand began rubbing in circles, finding my clit through the layers of fabric. “Breathe with me, Wynn. I’m going to fucking own your orgasm.”

“Cosimo—” His name turned into a long, low moan as he found the spot I’d been about to beg him to touch. Without my sight, my other senses were heightened. It was as if he had surrounded me. There was nothing else but Cosimo’s overwhelming presence. His scent, the lingering taste of lemon on his lips, his rough touch between my legs, and our synced breaths.

My core tightened as he drove me toward release, and I reached out, raking my fingers down his shirt before fisting the material, desperate to anchor myself to him.

“Give it to me, Wynn,” he demanded roughly, wrapping my long braid around his free hand and grasping the back of my neck to hold me in place. “Fucking come for me.”

And I did. My body shook as my orgasm hit, and Cosimo’s lips locked onto mine in a bruising kiss, swallowing my scream and sucking the air from my lungs. He left me breathless and boneless, his knee replacing the hand between my legs to support me against the wall.

My nails dug in, clawing through his shirt as I realized he wasn’t letting me breathe. As suddenly as he’d grabbed me in the hall, he released me, and I stumbled, barely catching myself.

“Fuck,” he rasped, opening the door and bathing us in the fluorescent hall light. His dark eyes were wide, almost wild, and his lips were red and glistening after what I could only think of as his attempt to suck my soul from my body. “You’re fucking beautiful when you’re mine, goldilocks.”

Pushing off the wall, my legs wobbled as I gravitated toward the light. Whatever we’d shared was more than a quick release. It was intense, dark, and I didn’t know how I would ever forget it.

“Public,” I choked out. Clearing my throat, I threw out the only thing I could. “The date has to be in public.”

Cosimo smirked and reached his hand out to brush against my lower lip. The pad was dotted with red, and I tasted iron as his tongue lapped up my blood. He groaned and nodded. “In public. Though, do you really think other eyes on us will stop me from fucking you six ways on a Sunday?”

The intimate and unhinged action startled me, and my face heated at his insinuation that he’d fuck me soon. I turned and rushed away because I shouldn’t have felt desire rekindling as Cosimo tasted my blood. I shouldn’t want him to fuck me.

His dark promise echoed through the hall after me. “I can’t wait to taste you again, goldilocks.”

Chapter Thirteen

My heart beat erratically as the phone rang, and I waited for my twin to pick up. I breathed in through my nose and out through my mouth, drumming my fingers against my thigh.

“Hey, Cos,” Niccolò’s tired voice filtered down the line.

“How’s the coast treating you?” I asked dutifully. Small talk was usually a waste, but I cared about how my brother and his wife fared. And my unborn niece or nephew. Feeling so protective over a tiny being I hadn’t even seen was strange.

“Uneventful, which is just how I like it,” he responded. “Mia is doing well, and the baby is healthy.”

“Good.” What else was I supposed to say about that? I knew nothing about pregnancy. Or marriage, for that matter.

“How are your extracurricular activities coming along?” he asked cautiously, saving me from having to talk about baby shit.

Torture and death were much more within my comfort zone. “Still finding men and conducting interviews. It’s turning into a long-term process. Not ideal, but better than nothing.”

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