Page 131 of Lovely Venom

“Adesso sai,” he rasps.

“What does that mean?”

“It means I like this.”

His fingers graze my face, and I can only assume he’s referring to whatever it is he sees in my expression.

We linger in that moment for what feels like an eternity before he sets me on my feet.

He peels off my dress, and I unclasp my strapless bra and shimmy out of my thong. Once I’m naked, I kneel on the edge of the bed, working on his belt buckle while he removes his half-unbuttoned shirt and tie. Everything gets tossed into a pile until there’s nothing left between us, and my eyes roam over him while he watches with an expression that could scorch the earth.

I don’t think there will ever come a day when the sight of this man doesn’t steal my breath. But the moment I reach out to touch him, he twists his fingers in my hair and lifts my gaze to his.

“It’s been a week.” His words come out rough, as if that deprivation was bone-deep. “I need to be inside you.”

“Okay,” I answer breathlessly.

He eases me onto the bed and climbs over me, settling his body between my thighs. I welcome his weight pressing me into the mattress, absently thinking about how much I like it.

Before him, I never trusted anyone enough to let them have this much power over me.

He’s the exception, and somehow, I know he’ll be the only one I ever have.

“You’re so fucking wet for me, gattina.” He drags his cock through my arousal. “Have you been thinking about this?”

I bite my lip and nod.

“Good.” He lets out a low groan as he dips the head of his cock inside me. “Because I’m going to spend the rest of the night reminding you who you belong to.”

I sweep my palms over his back, pulling him closer as he pushes into me. It’s a slow-burning glide that stretches me apart and reawakens every nerve.

Agony overtakes him when he buries himself deep, and I can see how much he needs this. It relieves some of the pressure between my ribs knowing I wasn’t the only one aching for it during our time apart.

Tonight, he sets a different pace, fucking me slowly as the rest of the world fades away. It’s impossible to hold on to my self-preservation when he’s like this, but that’s a problem for later. I just want to live in this moment and forget about all the complications of this union.

So, I surrender.

And for the rest of the night, he fulfills his promise, showing me exactly who I belong to.

25

CHANTEL

I wake up groggy, trying to make sense of the man-sized body pillow I’m hugging. But when I open my eyes, I realize it’s not just a hug.

I’m clinging to him.

One leg is draped over his while my arm stretches across his chest, gripping him like I’ve taken him captive. It can’t possibly be comfortable, and I’m horrified that I have no idea how long I’ve held him hostage. But when I peek up at his face, I’m relieved to see his eyes are closed.

God, how embarrassing.

He’d probably think he needs to take out a restraining order if he woke up and saw me like this.

I slowly try to extricate myself, but his arm tightens around me as I do.

Okay, so he was awake. Now I need a sinkhole to swallow me up so I can forget this ever happened.

“Where are you going, gattina?” He glances up at me.