I dig my finger into the batter and then bring it up to his lips. He eyes it for a second and then parts his lips. But before he can wrap them around my digit, I pull back and pop it into my mouth.
“Mmm.” I moan. “Tastes good to me.”
His eyes narrow, and then he shocks me when he reaches into the mixing bowl and scoops up a good amount of batter.
“Matteo,” I say slowly, taking a step back. “What are you doing?”
“Getting a taste.”
Before I can escape, he pulls me into him and runs his batter-covered finger down my cheek.
And then … he licks my cheek.
Licks. My. Cheek.
“Mmm.” He moans the same way I did. “So damn sweet … just like you.”
I squirm in my spot, his touch causing my body to ignite, and he must notice because he smirks like the devil he is and then swipes some more batter onto his finger.
“Another taste?” he offers.
I narrow my eyes, and he grins coyly, telling me he’s up to no good.
“Just one more,” he insists. “To make sure it really is good. You wouldn’t want to give me a shitty cake for my birthday, would you?”
Reluctantly, I lean in to lick it off his finger, but he pulls the same move I made. Only instead of licking it himself, he swipes it across the seam of my lips.
“Seriously?” I groan. “Didn’t your mother teach you not to play with your food?”
“I never was good at doing what I was told,” he says seconds before he leans down and captures my mouth with his.
I’m so shocked by the turn of events that I don’t move as he sucks on my bottom and then top lip. And then his tongue glides across the seam of my lips, and I wake the hell up because, holy shit, Matteo is kissing me.
I part my lips, and his tongue slides in, finding mine. The taste of him, mixed with the chocolate cake batter, sends a wave of dopamine straight to my lady parts.
“So damn good,” he murmurs, pulling back slightly.
His eyes linger on my lips, and I internally pout, wanting more, wondering if this is all I’m going to get. A kiss … a damn good kiss. But instead of it quenching my thirst for Matteo, it’s only made me thirstier.
“We shouldn’t be doing this,” he mutters as he lifts me onto the counter and spreads my legs open so he can step between them.
“You’re off-limits,” he says as he reaches for more batter and runs it along the curve of my neck.
He leans in and licks and sucks the batter off my flesh, causing my thighs to clench.
“Matteo,” I breathe, unsure what I want to say, but knowing if he walks away now, I’ll never recover.
My last time was with a man I despised, but with every kiss and lick and suck, Matteo is reminding me how good it can be.
“Shh,” he says, taking my batter and painting my lips with it. “I promised myself I wouldn’t touch you.”
He eyes his handiwork, and I’m sure I look ridiculous with chocolate smeared across my mouth, but the way his eyes are burning with desire has me not giving a shit.
I need this man more than I need my next breath, and from the way he’s looking at me, I think he needs me too.
“I wanted to keep that promise.” His tongue darts out and wets his own lips, like he’s imagining what it would taste like to lick mine. “I’m not good for you, Dani. I can’t give you what you deserve.”
My heart lurches in my chest because he doesn’t understand what a catch he is. All he sees is that he’s his family’s weakness, a failure …
