I'll have to face the fact that I’ve just broken every rule I set for myself.
I'll have to face the fact that I'm in love with Antonio Conti.
And that, I realize, is the most terrifying thing of all.
He finally stirs, lifting his head to look at me. His eyes are soft, the raw hunger replaced by something gentler. Something that looks a lot like affection.
He brushes a strand of hair away from my face, his fingers tracing the line of my jaw.
"Hey," he says, his voice a low rumble.
"Hey," I whisper back.
A slow smile spreads across his face, and my heart does that stupid little flip-flop it always does when he looks at me like that.
"You okay?" he asks.
"I'm better than okay," I say, and it's the truth. I feel light. Free.
For the first time in a long time, I feel whole.
"Good," he says, and he leans in to kiss me. It's deep and consuming and takes my breath away. We sink into each other again, neither of us in a rush to move.
When we finally come up for air, he's still inside me, still half-hard, and the feel of him, the intimate connection, sends a fresh wave of arousal through me.
He shifts, but I tighten my thighs around his hips.
"Stay," I say, my voice a needy whisper.
He stills.
I don't know what I'm asking for. Another round. A few more minutes. A lifetime. All of it and none of it.
"I don't want to crush you," he says gently. He is a big man, all muscle and bone, andhe is lying on me.
I tighten my legs, holding him in place, my heels digging into the small of his back. I'm not ready to let him go. I don't think I'll ever be ready to let him go.
He rests his forehead against mine, and I can feel the gentle puff of his breath on my lips.
"Elsa," he murmurs, and the sound of my name on his lips is a caress.
"Don't leave," I whisper, and I hate how vulnerable I sound.
"Never," he says, and he kisses me again, a soft, sweet kiss that promises more.
He starts to move again, a slow, lazy rhythm that has me arching against him, my body eager for more.
"I'm not going to break you, Elsa," he murmurs against my lips. "I just want to ruin you for anyone else."
His hips rock against me, and I feel him harden fully inside me.
"You already did," I say, and it's the truest thing I've ever said. "Since that first night. Before I even knew who you were."
ChapterThirty One
Antonio
She says it so simply, so matter-of-factly, but the words feel like a punch to the gut. Before I even knew who you were.
