Page 40 of The Consequences of Love and Vengeance

The plate makes a sharp clank as the porcelain meets the hard granite surface. The smell of fried pig wafts into my nose, pulling my eyes down. My mouth waters as my stomach growls again. Without waiting for an invitation, I snatch a strip up, taking a bite of the warm piece. The salty goodness practically melts in my mouth, eliciting a soft moan from my lips.

“Good?” he asks.

Swallowing, I snap my eyes back to his. “It’s bacon,” I deadpan. “What’s not good?”

He smirks.

“Something funny?” I tear into another piece, barely chewing before I swallow it down. Jeez, I’m hungrier than I thought.

“Funny? No. Remembering? Yes.”

“Remembering what?” I ask curiously.

“The way you moaned last night in my bed.” His eyes light up with amusement, his smirk deepening.

I pop the last piece of bacon into my mouth, buying myself time. Chewing slowly without taking my eyes off him, I simply arch an eyebrow.

“You do remember last night, don’t you?” He braces his palms on the edge of the counter, making himself appear larger than his already sizable frame. “You remember I fucked you, right, detective?”

“No, actually.” I shake my head lightly, laughing internally. It’s an honest answer. Although I wish I did remember it. Not that I’m going to tell him that. “But no worries. If being naked in your bed hadn’t given that away, I would’ve come to that realization upon taking the first step out of it.”

His boyish smile plummets and before I can process what he does next, he rounds to my side of the island. My coffee mug is plucked from my hand, and after Drago sets it down and away from me, he turns me around, facing him, and then picks me up, placing me on top of the cold granite surface.

“What in the wor—”

“Are you hurt?” He isn’t looking me in the eyes. No, he’s scanning me all over instead. “I was too rough with you, wasn’t I?”

I’m speechless as he opens my arms then his warm hand glides down the length of both. Next, he runs his palms up my calves, which only makes my body tingle and heat. When he rounds my knees and starts for my inner thighs, I stop him as quickly as my hands will move.

“Okay, enough of that. What in the hell are you doing?” Dear God, I’ve got to get out of here.

His head snaps up, and dammit, his dark brown eyes are a complete contrast to the hard ones I know I saw last night. Now they’re warm, soft—concerned.

“Where do you hurt?”

“Did I say one thing about being hurt?” Where the hell is he getting that conclusion?

“So you’re not?” He looks me in the eyes now, and from where I’m sitting we’re at eye level with one another.

“I haven’t had sex with anything more than my vibrator in quite a while. I’m sore, Drago. Not hurt.” His eyebrows are pulled in as he stares back at me. “Okay?”

Finally, his head nods slowly, accepting my words.

“Trust me, Acerbi, if you’d hurt me in any way, I’d have kicked your ass myself.”

He breaks out into the biggest smile I’ve ever seen on a man. And lord have mercy, he has dimples. Who would have ever thought dimples were sexy?

“That’s cute.”

“What’s cute?” Now I’m confused.

“Thatyou think you could beat my ass.” He chuckles through each word I don’t find funny.

“Oh, trust me, buddy, I can. I’m the last person you want to underestimate.” But then if he wants to see a woman put him on his ass, I’m glad to do it.

“Bri,” he says, trying not to laugh. I already know I want to choke him before whatever else he says comes out. “I’m nearly a foot taller than you are, and I have at least a hundred pounds on you. C’mon, babe, be realistic.”

“Do you want to puke up your balls this morning?”

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