“Now who’s the romantic?” Enzo teased.
“What if the first time together was a fluke?” Seven said with a smile. “What if we have terrible chemistry in bed?”
“That’s impossible. I’m amazing in bed,” Enzo countered around a laugh.
Enzo tackled him onto the mattress as Seven said, “And humble, too.”
Enzo kept himself dead weight, and Seven sighed contentedly. For a while, the two just laid there, absorbing each other’s warmth, Seven’s fingers playing in his hair.
“What if it turns out I’m not into the whips and chains stuff?” Seven asked quietly. “Like, what if we try it and I hate it?”
Enzo folded his hands on Seven’s sternum, then dropped his chin on them, watching Seven watch him. “I know all evidence points to the contrary, but I don’t need to hurt you to get off. I don’t evenwantto hurt you. I want to make you want to obey me.”
Seven stiffened. “I’ll never be obedient.”
“I’d be disappointed if you were,” Enzo said. “The reason I only played with ‘well-trained subs’ was because they were easy to forget. I prefer mouthy, pushy, bossy little brats who are just dying to be put in their place. I want you to fight me. I want to punish you. I want to spank you until you cry, but only if that’s what we both want. We didn’t do any of that stuff that night and it was the best sex I’ve ever had. Because it was you.”
“Really?” Seven asked, a little breathless.
“The day we met, I jerked off three times just thinking about your bratty little attitude and the way your eyes went all hazy when I put you in your place. I knew you were dangerous from the jump. Maybe that’s why I started throwing down barriers right away. You were too perfect.”
Seven made a noise of derision. “Yeah, that’s me. Totally perfect.”
Enzo frowned, lifting his head to look at Seven. “Don’t say it like that. You’re pretty fucking perfect.”
Seven’s face became a storm cloud, his tone bitter. “Not according to my father. He thinks I’m the biggest mistake he ever made.”
Enzo hurt for him. “That’s mighty bold of him considering just how many mistakes that loser’s made. Your dad is a narcissist. When he doesn’t get what he wants from people, he lashes out. You don’t cower. You don’t cater to him. He hates that because deep down he knows he’s the mistake and the world would probably be a nicer place without him.”
“Yeah,” Seven mumbled.
Enzo kissed the top of his head. “Near as I can tell, the only good thing to come from that man isyou. But I’m gonna give Neith all the credit for that.”
He rolled onto his side and took Seven with him, tucking him beneath his chin. This conversation was going everywhere, but maybe it took something big to jog loose all the things that usually went unsaid.
“You act like you know him,” Seven mused.
“I do know him,” Enzo said. “I told you that the day we met.”
Seven groaned long and low. “Pleasetell me your firm doesn’t represent him.”
Enzo snorted. “If we did, he wouldn’t be sitting in prison…again. Though, it is sort of impressive how he’s never been charged with murder.”
“Neither have I,” Seven reminded him.
Enzo moved back enough to uncover Seven’s face. “Sometimes, I forget that my pouty little brat is a killer,” he teased.
Seven schooled his features into one of mock seriousness, dropping his voice to say, “This is the face of a killer, Bella.”
Enzo slow-blinked, struggling to process what just happened. “Did you—Did you just quoteTwilightto me?” he asked, shaking his head like a disappointed dad.
“Don’t judge me,” Seven shot back. “If you’re so disgusted, how did you even know it was aTwilightquote in the first place?”
Enzo froze, his pulse skyrocketing to the moon as his brain raced to find an answer Seven might believe. “The…triplets made me watch it with them.”
Seven stared at him, disappointment radiating from him. “Wow, I can’t believe you’re going to blame your teen girl movie obsession on your sisters.”
“My—My what?” Enzo stammered, his hand gravitating towards his chest, like he was reaching for his imaginary pearls.
