“Because once I start, I’m not stopping at a fucking kiss,” he groaned. The words slammed straight through me. My pulse fluttered wildly.
Leo lowered himself slightly closer until his body almost fully covered mine. The weight of him pressed me deeper into the mattress, all hard muscle and dangerous heat. God. He felt incredible. And he still wasn’t really touching me. That was the worst part.
Every movement stayed barely restrained. Barely controlled. Like Leo was fighting himself with every second he stayed above me without giving in. The tension became agony.
“Leo,” I whispered again.
His eyes snapped shut. “Stop saying my name like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like you already know exactly how to make me lose my fucking mind,” he hissed.
A nervous little laugh escaped me. Leo’s eyes opened at the sound. And something about the way he looked at me changed. Softer for one dangerous second. Then darker and so much hungrier.
“You’re enjoying this,” he muttered.
“You’re enjoying it too.”
A rough smile pulled at one corner of his mouth. “That’s the problem.”
My hand slid slowly upward before I could stop myself, fingertips brushing over warm skin and dark ink across his chest. Leo went completely still.
The tattoos fascinated me. Sharp black lines disappearing beneath moonlight and shadow while hard muscle flexed beneath my touch. Beautiful. Sinful. Mine to touch. The realization sent another wave of heat through me. His breathing changed again.
“Chiara,” he warned softly. But I didn’t stop. I let my fingers drift higher, tracing the strong line of his shoulder before sliding around the back of his neck carefully.
Leo groaned quietly. That sound wrecked me.
“Fuck,” he muttered against my mouth.
Then his hand gripped my thigh hard enough to make me gasp. Not painful. Possessive. The heat of his palm burned through the thin fabric separating us.
“You keep touching me like that,” he said roughly, “and I’m going to stop being a gentleman.”
I stared at him breathlessly. “You’re not a gentleman.”
A dark laugh escaped him.
“No, sweetheart.” His nose brushed mine slowly. “I’m really fucking not, but I tried with you.”
The words should’ve scared me. Instead my body arched subtly toward him beneath the sheets. His expression tightened almost painfully. Then finally… His mouth brushed mine. Barely.
A soft drag of warm lips against my own that lasted less than a second. But it still shattered me completely. My breath caught violently in my throat. Leo froze too. Like he couldn’t believe he’d actually done it. Then his eyes dropped to my mouth again. And whatever restraint he’d been holding onto finally snapped apart.
The next kiss landed harder.
Leo’s hand slid into my hair while his mouth moved against mine slowly, deeply, like he was trying to taste every sound I made. Heat exploded through my body, sharp enough to make my back arch beneath him.
God. He kissed exactly the way he looked. Dangerously.
His stubble scraped softly against my skin while his tongue brushed my bottom lip, coaxing a shaky sound from my throat before he swallowed it with another kiss.
The room spun. Everything disappeared except him. His weight above me. His scent surrounding me. The rough sounds he made every time I kissed him back harder.
Because I was kissing him back now. Desperately. I couldn’t stop myself anymore. Leo groaned against my mouth like that nearly destroyed him.
“Fuck,” he muttered roughly between kisses. “You taste so perfect, baby.”
