He smiled against my neck, clearly entertained by my weak attempt to escape.
“A mistake, Valentina?” His voice was sweet, edged with irony as his fingers traveled up to my breast, gently brushing over my already hardened nipple and pulling a low moan from me that I desperately tried to suppress. “A mistake wouldn’t still taste so sweet on my mouth. I don’t believe you. And neither does your body.”
“Enrico… this can’t happen again,” I insisted, my voice shaking, my mind fighting for survival as my traitorous body pressed closer to his, craving more contact, more closeness.
He lifted his head, his dark, intense eyes locking onto mine. The playful smile still lingered on his lips as his face drew closer.
“You don’t sound very convinced,” he murmured, pressing his lips gently to mine, stealing my breath—and any chance I had left to resist.
His mouth moved with devastating tenderness, as if he had all the time in the world to explore every inch of my lips.
I could feel how satisfied he was, how completely certain he was of my surrender, as my resistance slipped through my fingers, replaced by an absurd, overwhelming need for more of him.
My mind screamed for help, begging me to push Enrico away, to put distance between myself and this dangerous man who threatened to tear down every defense I had built so carefully.
But my body had other plans.
My hands slid up his broad, firm back, pulling him closer, my fingers tangling in his dark hair in a possessive gesture I couldn’t control.
A soft moan escaped my lips as his tongue brushed mine, melting me completely, my mind going blissfully empty as I gave in to the kiss.
“See?” he murmured with absolute satisfaction as he broke the kiss briefly, his voice low and thick with pleasure as he looked at me. “We’ve already wasted too much time on pain, love. Too much time,” he repeated, brushing the tip of his nose against my cheek.
“Enrico, I—”
He pulled back just enough to meet my gaze.
“I know I’ll never deserve you. I know I’ll never be worthy of calling you mine,” he interrupted, his hand gripping my chin, forcing me to keep looking at him. “But I’m too selfish not to take advantage of the fact that your body doesn’t care about that.”
“I love you, Valentina,” he said bluntly—and chaos exploded in my chest. “Every day I spent away from you felt like walking dead. Finding you again, seeing you, meeting our daughter… it was like breathing after almost five years underwater. I don’t have the right to ask you not to take this away from me—but I’m asking anyway. Give me a chance. That’s all I want. One chance. You don’t have to love me back. You don’t have to forgive me or trust me. Just give me the chance to show you I can still make you happy.”
His words cut straight through me, crashing into my chest like an unexpected storm, ripping me violently out of the haze of pleasure.
My God.
This couldn’t be happening. Not like this. Not now. Not after everything.
I blinked repeatedly, struggling to regain clarity, trying to breathe normally while the wordyesscreamed at the tip of my tongue, threatening to escape without my permission.
But I needed to be rational. I had to remember everything I’d been through—every reason this was a terrible idea. I needed to cling to reason before it was too late.
With monumental effort, I gently pushed Enrico away and got out of bed quickly, my feet hitting the cold floor in a sharp collision with reality.
I began pacing the room, naked, shaking, trying desperately to organize my thoughts and regain control over my body and my emotions.
“Valentina…” I heard Enrico call softly, his voice filled with concern as he also got out of bed and moved toward me.
My heart jolted again, knowing that if he touched me, any chance of rational thought would vanish. I raised my hand quickly, stopping him before he could come any closer.
“No, Enrico. Please, don’t come closer.” My voice came out low, almost pleading as I looked at him seriously. “Every time you touch me, I forget why I was angry.”
“And that scares me more than any betrayal. If you touch me now, I’ll lose all rationality. And I need it—right now.”
He hesitated, then respected my boundary. The confident, teasing smile faded from his face, replaced by something serious and uneasy.
“Love…” he started.
I closed my eyes immediately, letting out a long, deep breath, fighting to stay steady.
