There’s only one thing I’m thinking about, and I was moments away from it before she insulted me like a child.My gaze drifts to her mouth now, the lips whose taste I can’t forget.Would they taste the same now?
Her throat works before she asks, “What were you thinking about?”in a soft, unsure voice.
I was thinking about the way she effortlessly pushes my buttons, how great her ass looks in those shorts, and how my entire life depends on tasting those lips again.
A soft gasp is all she manages before I give in and let myself have what I want.Strawberry.I was right.And they’re firm and full, and her bottom lip slides so easily between mine, so I can suck it softly before covering her mouth again, tilting my head to deepen the kiss, sliding my tongue against hers.So sweet.
With a muffled groan, she pulls her head back, her hands pressed against my chest.“Wait.Just wait a second.”
Then all at once, she gathers my shirt in her fists and pulls me back down for more.
Oh, fuck, yes.
With one hand gripping her hip, I wind her ponytail around the other and hold her head in place for me to invade.But she’s invading me too.Her teeth clash with mine, and she’s going to tear my shirt soon as she fights for control.Everything has to be a matter of getting the upper hand.
Good luck.She’s going to learn who’s got the upper hand in this marriage.I’ll consider this the first lesson as I pull her tight against the erection growing in my shorts.Let her feel it.Let her know what she’s doing to me.
A deep, guttural moan vibrates in her throat.I break the kiss to drag my tongue over the soft skin of that long, slim column.“Oh fuck,” she whimpers, then shudders when I scrape my teeth over her skin next.Her fingers dance through my hair, and the feeling sizzles through me, pooling in my balls, making me go rigid.
When was the last time I was swept up in something like this?It wasn’t this good then—nothing ever has been, either.I can’t remember hanging on the edge of desperation this way, ready to tear off her clothes and pound her until she screams.
And she would scream too.
She’s grinding against me now, urging me on.“Dante…” she whispers before turning her face to give me her mouth again.
Before I take it, I open my eyes.Those aqua orbs meet mine before they close, and she seeks out my kiss.
Fuck.I wish she hadn’t done that.I wish she hadn’t shown me, without words, how easy it would be to lose myself in her now.To drown in those eyes, to take a step I can’t take back any more than I’ll be able to take it back when I inevitably break her heart.It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve taken a good, innocent heart and crushed it.
“That’s enough.”I have never been less sincere, shaking my head when she strains upward, fighting for more.“I mean it.That’s enough.This isn’t the place.”
God, she is so confused.Maybe even hurt, her eyes darting over my face like she’s waiting for the punchline.“I mean it,” I insist, running my hands through my hair when I would rather be running them under her clothes, peeling them away, making her knees shake.
“But, I thought we…” Her chest heaves with every ragged breath.
“This isn’t the place, and I’m already running late.”And you will thank me.Trust me.I’ll only hurt you.
I would tell her to find out for herself, but the girl who would know best has been in the ground for a long time.
I have to leave.I can’t spend another second in this room with Sophia, witnessing her confusion.Turning on my heel, I force myself to walk away from the first woman I’ve wanted so badly in a long time.
It’s the right thing to do.
Ican’tfuck this up.
Though the ache in my chest when I remember the wounded look in her eyes makes me wonder if I already have.
8
SOPHIA
I’m trying.I really am.
Sitting on the back patio with Guilia and Emilia, I can’t help but reflect on something I heard a long time ago—every challenge holds a lesson in it.I didn’t think there was much more I needed to learn about myself.I’m twenty-five, an adult, someone who has seen things in this life I wish I could forget.
However, I didn’t realize until my marriage how challenging it is for me to step out of my comfort zone.It took conscious effort to force myself to go up to the patio and have lunch with the girls the way they usually do at least a handful of times a week.It would have been easier to stay inside, to exist in my cocoon of streamy movies and catching up on the pile of books I’ve downloaded but never had the time to read.As uncomfortable as this entire situation is—really, it sucks balls—I have managed to carve out a narrow path of comfort.
But I can’t spend the entire rest of my life behind closed doors, meaning I pushed myself to put on something pretty and soak in the sun’s rays.I’m sure so many girls would roll their eyes and laugh if they knew I had to force myself to spend a pleasant hour or two with people who genuinely want to know me.
