"What kind of question is that?"
"If we don't go through with this marriage, your father will kill me."
"That's not the agreement?—"
"You think your father gives a shit about an agreement made over five years ago?He will make the case that my family didn't keep their end of the bargain with the marriage and ask for the blood debt to be paid another way—a son for a son."
Her eyes drop to the grass below as the implications sink in.She's intelligent enough to understand the politics of our world, to know that her father's word is only as good as his current mood and interests.
"I don't wish death on anyone, but that's not my problem."
"So you do want me to die."
"I never said that."
"Then what are you saying?"
I lift her chin with gentle fingers so her eyes can meet mine.I want to look into them as she condemns me to death, because I know better than she does that my father is in no position to save me.His influence has greatly diminished since Leo's death.People don't trust him.People barely listen to him.He's only still alive because he's a made man, and there's a code about that sort of thing.
"Gabriel—"
The way my name drips off her lips makes me stiffen behind the zipper of my tuxedo slacks.If she only understood the power she has over me.I’d be in serious ass trouble.
"Yes, Jo?"
"Did you tell my father where to find me?"
Her face is pained when she asks the question, and God knows this was the one thing I wish she didn't ask because while I may be a lot of things, and some of them not so good, I’m not a liar.
So, instead of giving her an answer that will destroy whatever trust might be building between us, I kiss her.
It's the only thing I can think to do, and I've been wanting to do it since the moment she came back to town any fucking way.
Her eyes flutter shut as I crush my lips against hers, pouring years of pent-up longing into the contact.She makes a startled noise in the back of her throat, but after a moment, her lush frame melds against mine like she was made to fit there.Her hands come up to cling to the lapels of my tuxedo jacket as I deepen the kiss, tasting the sweetness I've been craving for so long.
Fuck yes.
My tongue teases the seam of her lips, seeking entrance, and she parts them with a soft moan that goes straight to my dick.I explore her mouth thoroughly, claiming her in the most primitive way I know how.
I walk us backward until she's pressed up against one of the massive oak trees, the rough bark contrasting with the delicate fabric of her dress.My hands roam her curves possessively, learning the dip of her waist and the flare of her hips.She's all woman now, her body ripe and tempting in ways that make my teenage fantasies seem tame by comparison.
Pulling back from the kiss, I trail my lips down the slender column of her neck, breathing in the scent of her perfume mixed with the faint saltiness of her skin."Josephine," I murmur against her pulse point."I knew you'd fucking taste like this."
"You did?"she gasps out, tilting her head to give me better access.
I nip at her pulse point before soothing it with my tongue, feeling her shiver in response.My hand finds its way underneath the tulle of her dress and slides up to caress the silky skin of her thigh.
She shivers under my touch."Gabriel...we shouldn't..."
"But we are."I capture her lips again in a bruising kiss as my fingers inch higher, grazing the lacy edge of her panties.
Fuck me.She's already wet, her body responding to me in ways that make me feel like I might lose control right here in public.
Josephine arches into me with a whimper, desire overriding propriety and common sense.I lift up the layers of her skirt and cup her pussy through the thin fabric barrier.She's hot as hell.
For me.
"You want this?”I growl approvingly, rubbing firm circles over her clothed clit."Do you want me to fuck you right here where anyone could see?"
