Page 18 of Antonio Miles

She ripped my belt loose and shoved at my pants until they dropped. My cock slapped against her belly, hard and leaking. She reached for it, but I caught her by the wrist and pinned her again.

“Not yet, honey.”

“But --”

I leaned in to kiss her, hard and demanding, needing to divert her attention. When her body relaxed and I knew she’d do what I wanted, I pulled back.

Before she had the chance to protest more, I shoved her shorts and panties down her hips to pool at her feet, then gripped her ass in both hands and hefted her up the window so her back rested high on the glass and her legs ended up over my shoulders. She barely had time to squeal before I buried my face between her legs and sucked her pussy like my life depended on getting every drop of essence from her sweet little cunt I could. And, oh, my God, her pussy was delicious.

She shuddered and grabbed my hair, grinding against my tongue. She was hot, slick, so ready for me, it hurt knowing I couldn’t fuck her.

There was nothing gentle about the way I ate her out. I dragged my tongue through her folds until she whimpered, then sucked her clit between my lips and rolled it hard. Her thighs clamped against my ears. Her heels dug into my back and she ground her pussy against my mouth. The sounds she made came out broken, desperate, holding nothing back about what she needed from me. Her cries went straight to my cock, which throbbed in a hard, insistent ache.

“Tonio -- fuck --” Her voice cracked on my name and I nearly came right there. I didn’t let up, sucking her clit again. I slid two fingers inside her and curled them up, finding that spot that made her jolt, then scream. Then she arched her back and her pussy quivered against my mouth as I milked her for every ounce of orgasm she had to give me.

After she collapsed against me, I slid her down the glass, urging her legs back around my waist. I circled my arms tightly around her, holding her like I never wanted to let her go. And maybe I didn’t, which was the whole Goddamned problem.

I carried her to the plush rug in front of the fireplace. Though the staff hadn’t lit a fire, the place was still cozy and romantic. God knew this girl deserved both. I reached behind us to the couch where a soft, thick blanket rested. I sat with my back to the couch and pulled her into my lap. She tucked her head under my chin and didn’t say anything.

We stayed like that for a long time. I stroked her back, up and down, holding her like she was precious to me.

She spoke first. “That painting in the hall. The sunrise. It’s beautiful.”

I went rigid. It hurt more than I thought it would. “Yes,” was all I managed.

She didn’t ask anything further, and I knew I’d missed a golden opportunity to connect with her. The pain was still too sharp, though. I needed to really think about what to tell Tessa. Or if I even wanted to.

She drifted off soon after, curled in my lap, her body gone soft and trusting against mine. I watched her sleep and thought about what it meant to lose control of a room.

I’d spent my whole life making sure nothing ever owned me. I didn’t know what to do with the feelings inside of me, all of them centered directly around the slight young woman in my arms.

It scared the fucking hell out of me.

Chapter Six

Antonio

Once she’d slept peacefully for a good fifteen minutes, I carried Tessa to her bedroom and laid her across the mattress. She settled with only a sigh as I tucked the heavy blanket around her. Then I sat in the corner and watched her sleep like a fucking creeper.

She hadn’t moved since I tucked her in two hours before. I liked knowing I controlled her safety. As long as she stayed where I put her, I could make sure nothing could get to her.

I left her suite. No one in my employ would dare harm her, but to make sure Tessa felt safe, I locked her suite as I left. I wanted her to know her suite was her space and she controlled who entered.

Outside, the only light was the landing beacon at the edge of the helipad. I liked the isolation of the mountain property. No one could approach without being seen, and the only people with access to the helipad were mine. The helicopter waited with the blades winding slowly, muffled by the trees and the high walls forming a wide circumference around the pad. Kass’s crew stood at the ready, heads down, voices low. I liked that about Kass and his people. They didn’t posture. They just did the job they were paid to do and were loyal to me and my father because we were loyal to them.

Kass met me at the foot of the stairs. He handed me a black, legal-sized envelope. “Knight’s last brief,” he said. “He updates every hour or so, but this one’s fresh.”

“Anything new on the Pine alias?”

“Knight has two plausible candidates,” Kass said. “One was an insurance adjuster but he’s dead. The other, more likely, is a mercenary. Ran an operation in Africa for years before coming stateside. Uses the Pine alias on contract kills and skip traces.”

“The white van?”

Kass’s expression went blank, which meant he was withholding judgment. “We have it on camera at the Food Barn on Greer. Once at one a.m., another at three. Both times, the driver stays inside. The courier drops the package on the back seat, then leaves.”

“Knight’s running plates?”

“He’s already traced it to another shell, but the van’s a rental from a franchise upstate. Returned this morning. Already picked up for a different job, but we’re tracking it.”