Page 11 of The Boss's Revenge

“Be careful,fratello mio, around that woman. She’s not a good match for you. You’d kill each other before your first anniversary. Be on your guard,” he said quietly, standing up, and clapping a hand on my shoulders. “Most importantly, prove her liar, and don’t embarrass the family. You have our honor in your hands,” he reminded me needlessly, before turning and striding out.

CHAPTER 8

Kira

When Rocco returned to the VIP, his mood had shifted dangerously. He was quiet, his dark eyes studying me in a way I didn’t know what to do with. I was agitated.

“Why don’t you have a drink?” he goaded me.

I swallowed hard, scrambling around to keep up with my lies. “I’d rather dance,” I lied. I’d hate to dance, but I couldn’t sit here under his hot scrutiny much longer without cracking.

I stood up. Rocco watched me and then nodded to Alberto to go with me. Ok, so it looked like I was going to be dancing alone. Thank god. I couldn’t take Rocco’s body pressed against mine right now. The will not to confess my sins to him was hanging by a thread, and my better sense warned me that Rocco wouldn’t put helping me above the reputation of the Lucianos. I had to keep my mouth shut, just a little longer.

The dancefloor was packed, and I eased in between the bodies. Alberto, my shadow, seemed to send people stepping back because even in the crush, I could breathe. The music was low, with a languid, thumping beat that made the crowd move as one, swaying with the sensual melody. I started to dance. It felt awkward at first. I hadn’t danced in a long, long time, not since I lived in Moscow and my father sent me to a pretentious finishingschool that was mostly made up of criminals' daughters. Now, I let my body move to a completely different beat. The memory of Rocco’s mouth on me earlier filled me with a steady simmering heat. I brought my hands above my head and let my neck fall back, my hair shining across my shoulders, as I rotated my hips. Alberto stood like a stone beside me, keeping other dancers back.

“Aren’t you going to dance with me?” I pressed him.

He swallowed, keeping his eyes off my body and focusing on the crowd. “It wouldn’t be appropriate.”

“Why not? I’m not Rocco’s girl… ask him yourself.” I stepped closer to him.

Alberto flinched. “Yeah, well, I haven’t survived this long doing dumb things. I’ll pass.”

“Can I dance with someone else?”

“They’ll pass too,” he said gruffly.

“You’re no fun,” I muttered and swung to look up at the VIP section. A dark figure leaned over the railing, watching me. Rocco.

I gave up trying to rope someone into dancing with me and sank back into the sound. With his eyes on me, I felt less alone. Throwing myself into it, I let the tension I felt, the fear and anxiety for the future, every single little thing that kept me up at night, flow through my limbs and out onto the dancefloor.

I lost track of how long I danced, maintaining the slow, steady writhing movement that felt good, despite the changing music, until another slow song came on. This one was even more sensual than the first, and I slowed my movements even more, just as my back came up against a hard body.

“Finally,” I said turning around and stopping, heart jumping into my mouth. Rocco towered over me and pressed into me at the same time. “I thought you were Alberto.”

“He wouldn’t dare dance with you,” Rocco said and put his hands on my hips. “If you want to dance, you’ll do it with me.”

His leg slid between my knees, and I felt his firm thigh rub against my core. I was wearing leather trousers and was already hot as hell. The feeling of Rocco’s body against mine threatened to send me up in flames. He pulled me ruthlessly against his chest, rotating hard hips against my middle, dancing with me in an effortless play of carnality. The memory of his mouth against me immediately returned, and I squirmed against him.

His mouth was against my temple. “Be careful, Kira. If you keep moving like that against me, I’m going to think you want to be taken into my office and fucked hard.”

Oh god. I hated his words and I wanted them at the same time. I should be scared of him. He could force me to tell him the truth at any moment, and yet, I just couldn’t be. It was that kindness he’d shown me when we met. Now, it was softening my heart, an organ that had been encased in ice for longer than I could remember. I spun around and leaned my back against him, sure that if I didn’t, I could come from his thigh, rubbing between my legs, and I couldn't stand that. Coming on the dancefloor, surrounded by people, without even his hands on me.

I arched my back, pressing my ass against his hard-on and he sucked in a hard breath.

“Fuck, Kira,” he muttered, taking my hips in his hands and pulling me more purposefully against him, rubbing up and down the curve of my behind, fitting his long length against my leather-covered cleft. Heat stormed through me, like a gale blowing from the desert. I was undone. He was unwinding all my protections and leaving me with nothing to hide behind.

Why can’t you have this, just for now? Just for once?A voice I wasn’t used to hearing spoke in my head. A voice that whispered that once in a lifetime, it wasn’t so wrong to just wantsomething for yourself. A night with a man I trusted… a man who wanted me, even with all my hard, sharp edges. A man who knew how terrible and pitiful I could be, and yet, wanted me. That was a powerful, heady feeling, and at that moment, in his arms, I wanted nothing more than to burn in his fire. As he rocked against me, one hand roaming over my stomach, I twisted my neck to see him. His face was right beside mine, and I brushed my lips along his jaw, to the corner of his mouth, and pressed a kiss there. It was chaste as hell, considering how our bodies were moving together, and yet, it stilled Rocco. He seemed to sense my shift in mood, and all that was unsaid with the small, and simple kiss. It might be a tiny, inconsequential thing, but it was also the very first time in my life I’d ever initiated intimacy. I’d built my walls so high, and kept my veneer so tough, that everyone had stopped coming close. I’d kept myself safe that way, and I’d also kept myself alone.

Tonight, just for tonight, I didn’t want to be alone.

“Come on,” Rocco said, sliding his hand into my grip. His fingers slid between mine. He tugged and I followed.

He led me from the dancefloor, and down a quiet hall. The tension between us was rising, higher and higher with every second. A door appeared and he unlocked it and pushed me inside. A soft light glowed in the corner, illuminating a desk and chair. It was a spacious office, with a glass wall, tinted for privacy.

“No one can see,” Rocco said behind me, closing the door.

I moved to the desk and turned to look at him. Silence fell between us. Things I wanted to say rose and died in my throat. He was leaning against the door, waiting for me to make my mind up. I felt his impatience, and desire in my bones. With a deep breath, I reached down and toed my boots off. The sudden movement made the silence deeper. Here it was. Guidedby desperate want, I brought my hand to my leather pants and undid the button, sliding the zipper down.

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