Anger flares in my chest. Not at her, but at whoever made this woman believe she was undesirable. At whoever taught her to hide herself in baggy clothes and downcast eyes.
“That’s a lie,” I say flatly. “And our deal was for honesty.”
Confusion clouds her features. “What? No,” she argues. “I’m being honest, Raffaele.”
“Come here.”
She hesitates, clutching the blanket tighter around herself.
“Alina.” My voice drops. “Come. Here.”
Reluctantly, she rises from her chair and approaches me. When she’s standing directly in front of me, I reach out and roughly grip the edge of the blanket, yanking it away from her body in one swift motion.
She gasps, hands flying down in a futile attempt to cover herself. But it’s too late. I’ve already seen the soft curve of her hips and the shape of her thighs. And thanks to the white see-through panties, the nest of red curls between her legs perfectly matches the hair on her head.
“Fuck me,” I mutter, my cock so hard now it’s almost painful. She’s more beautiful than I imagined—all lush curves and creamy skin that begs for my hands, my mouth.
Before she can retreat, I grab her wrist and pull her onto my lap so she’s straddling me. The fabric of my sweatpants does nothing to hide my arousal, and I know she can feel the hard length of me pressing against her core when I pull her down on me.
Her eyes widen at the contact, a small sound escaping her throat—not quite a gasp, not quite a moan.
I hook a finger under her chin and force her to look at me. “All you have to do is ask,” I tell her, my voice rough with desire. “And I’ll kiss you.”
She draws in a sharp breath, her pupils dilating until there’s just a thin ring of blue around the black. Her lips part slightly, and I can feel her pulse racing beneath my fingertips.
“Ask me,” I croon, brushing my thumb across her lower lip.
“P-please,” she stutters, her voice barely audible. “Please k-kiss me.”
I don’t hesitate. The moment those stuttered words leave her lips, I’m capturing her mouth with mine. I start soft—a gentle pressure, a taste, a test—but that restraint lasts for all of three seconds before something primal takes over.
Her lips are even softer than they look, plump and yielding under mine. She tastes like whiskey and surrender, and I want to devour her whole.
Alina freezes initially, clearly shocked by the sensation of her first kiss. Her inexperience is evident in the tentative way she responds, but what she lacks in skill she makes up for in enthusiasm once the initial surprise fades.
When my tongue traces the seam of her lips, seeking entry, she opens for me with a small gasp that sends all the blood rushing straight to my cock. My hand moves to the back of her neck, fingers tangling in the soft strands of her hair as I hold her firmly against me.
The grip isn’t painful, but it’s possessive—a clear message that she’s not going anywhere until I’m done with her.
She whimpers into my mouth, the sound so fucking sweet it makes me growl in response. The vibration of that sound passes between us, and I feel her shiver in my arms.
I deepen the kiss, my tongue stroking against hers, teaching her the rhythm. She’s a quick study, mimicking my movements with increasing confidence.
When I nip gently at her bottom lip, she makes a sound somewhere between surprise and pleasure that has me doing it again, harder this time.
Her fingers clutch at my shoulders, nails digging into my skin in a way that only fuels my desire. God, she’s responsive. Every touch, every taste seems to electrify her.
I imagine how she’d react to my hands on other parts of her body, my mouth between her thighs, my cock buried deep inside her tight channel when I take her virginity.
Fuck.
My hips roll upward instinctively, pressing my erection against her core. Even through my sweatpants, the contact is enough to make me hiss with pleasure. I can feel the heat of her against me, and I want nothing more than to strip away these last barriers between us.
The kiss turns messier, more desperate. Her breath comes in short pants between each press of our lips, her chest rising and falling rapidly against mine. One of my hands slides down to her ass, gripping the soft flesh and pulling her more firmly against my straining cock.
That’s when I notice it. She’s moved so she’s hovering above me, her weight balanced on her knees rather than fully sitting on my lap. Despite the pleasure clearly coursing through her, despite the way her body responds to mine, she’s still holding back.
I break the kiss, both of us breathing hard. “Why are you holding yourself up?” I ask, my voice rough with desire.
