I set down my glass and study his face—the sharp angles of his cheekbones, the way his jaw is tight with restraint, the hunger in his eyes that he’s not even trying to hide anymore.
“You liked watching me kill him,” I say.
“Yes.” No hesitation, no shame. “I liked watching you become what you’re meant to be.”
“And what’s that?” My heart is thudding so loudly I’m surprised he can’t hear it.
“Dangerous. Powerful.” His voice drops to almost a whisper. “Absolutely fucking irresistible.”
The words envelope me, and I can’t take it anymore.
The tension that’s been building between us, the way he looked at me in that club, the admission that he finds my darkness attractive rather than terrifying—it all coalesces into pure want.
I cross the remaining distance between us and kiss him.
This time there’s no hesitation, no gentle exploration.
This kiss is hungry, desperate, full of adrenaline and desire and the intoxicating knowledge that we’ve finally stopped pretending we don’t want this.
Alessandro responds immediately, his hands tangling in my hair, pulling me closer as he kisses me back with the same desperate intensity.
When his tongue sweeps against mine, I make a sound that’s part moan, part surrender.
“Bianca,” he murmurs against my lips, my name sounding like a prayer and a curse all at once.
“Don’t stop,” I breathe, pressing closer to him. “Please don’t stop this time.”
He groans—the last of his careful control finally snapping.
His hands move to my waist then slide up to cup my face as he kisses me deeper, harder, like he’s been holding back for years and can’t do it anymore.
“Are you sure?” He pulls back just enough to search my eyes.
I laugh. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
That’s all the permission he needs.
Alessandro lifts me easily, my legs wrapping around his waist as he carries me toward the bedroom, our mouths never breaking apart.
Our tongues battle for dominance as we enter the bedroom and he lowers me onto the bed, my legs dangling over the edge of the mattress.
His hazel eyes glitter as he looks me over, mapping my body before his hands trail down to where the hem of my skirt meets my legs.
His right hand disappears beneath the fabric, sliding up the inside of my thigh, his callused fingertips pausing at the edge of my underwear where he makes slow circles against my skin.
I gasp when I feel his fingers scrape at the crease of my thigh, where my leg meets my body.
Alessandro groans. “I’ve been wanting to do this for so long.” In a flash, I’m off the bed and he has my backside pressed against his chest so I can feel every hard inch of him.
It takes everything in me to not move against him.
My chest heaves as Alessandro’s hand disappears under my skirt again.
“I was so fucking hard watching you tonight,” he whispers into my ear, tongue tracing the shell. He kisses the side of my throat as he ghosts his fingers across my underwear. His chest rumbles against my back, his breath quickening into pants against my ear. “I wanted to take you right there.”
Fuckinghell, I can’t believe this is happening right now.
Especially when Alessandro’s fingers slide beneath the crotch of my underwear and through my slick folds.
