Page 83 of Read This Before the Villain falls in Love with You

"You are ruthless." He groans, pressing me backward until my shoulder blades hit the paneling with a solid thud.

I yank his shirt free from his pants. "You know I don't waste time."

" Cazzo ," he murmurs, his accent thick before he slips into rough English. "Nora." His fingertips drag across the dark purple fingerprint marks on my collarbone, slowing until his touch barely grazes the skin. I yank the cotton of his shirt apart. The buttons pop off the placket and clatter against the marble baseboards. When my nails catch the raw, red gouges scoring his shoulder, a sharp hiss cuts past his teeth.

My fingertips find the red scratch on his shoulder. "Did I hurt you?"

"You can do whatever you want to me," he mutters against my ear. He drops to his knees on the floor between my feet, hands bunching my skirt up past my thighs until the cool air hits my skin, his mouth pressing hot against my inner knee. He looks up into my face. "Tell me if you want me to stop."

I drop my head back against the wall. "If you stop now, I'll never forgive you."

"Fuck, Luca." The syllables dissolve into a sharp intake of air as his tongue finds my center.

He pauses for a split second, looking up with dark eyes under the dim light. "Keep talking, Nora. You know I like the sound of your voice."

I dig my fingers into his shoulders as he moves against me again. "You're an asshole."

"And you talk too much." He whispers against my skin, kissing his way back up.

I scrape my nails over his shoulders, panting against his jaw. "Fuck, Luca. Right there. Don't you dare stop. You think you can control this? Take what's yours and choke on it."

A wicked rumble vibrates through his throat, his mouth sucking bruises along my throat. "You want to see control, Nora? You're dripping for a criminal."

I hiss right in his ear, bucking against his mouth. "I'm dripping for you, you prick. Now get up here and fuck me before I lose my mind."

The pressure snaps. My knees fold like paper. He catches my waist before I hit the floorboards, his chest shaking with a low, dark laugh against my collarbone. In one brutal yank, he lifts me clean off my feet, slamming my back flat against the wall again. He drags his pants down with one hand while I fumble between us, gripping him hard and guiding him straight to my center until the breath rips out of both our chests.

He stands up and hooks one of my legs around his hip. "Look at me." I keep my eyes glued to his as he pushes all the way inside me in one smooth drive. The breath leaves my lungs in a sharp gasp, his hands braced on the wall on both sides of my head as he sets a hard, deep pace.

"I love you," I blurt out, the words spilling past my teeth before I can stop them. "I love you, and this whole thing is a complete mess."

He stills completely deep inside me, his forehead colliding gently with mine as his chest heaves. "Repeat that. Right now."

I rake my nails lightly down his neck. "I love you, you stubborn jerk. And if you die tomorrow, I'll kill you myself."

A rough laugh breaks out of his chest before he drives into me again. "I love you. I loved you the second you threatened to hit Matteo with a frying pan. You walked into this dark house and turned on the lights. You make me want a life after this war."

I grip his broad back as the heat takes over everything. "Look at you, getting soft."

"Shut up." He groans, moving faster, his chest slick against mine.

Tears sting my eyes. I refuse them by kissing him fiercely, tasting salt and heat. The hallway is all shadows and the distant thrum of the estate trying not to panic. We are stealing this. We both know it. His hips snap up and I meet every stroke, chasing the edge like it might be the last one. When I come the second time it rips through me with a sob I don't bother hiding. He follows with a guttural sound, burying his face in my neck, pulsing hot inside me like he can leave a claim the night can't erase.

We stay locked together, breathing like survivors. His hand strokes my hair in slow, stunned passes. I feel the tremor in his arms, the way he is holding me too tight and still not tight enough.

I trace the edge of his shoulder, whispering against his warm neck. "This won't last long. You feel it coming, don't you?"

He nods slowly, his jaw tight. "Bellini is coming. When the real fight starts, don't forget this. Forget the shouting earlier. Just remember this." He steps back, pulling my skirt down and taking my face between his hands. "I will keep you safe. Nothing else matters."

I rest my cheek in his palm, fixing his ripped shirt. "I'm not running. Even if staying in this place is crazy for a girl from London." A tiny smile slips out. "My mum will write a whole crime book about this and dedicate it to you."

He gives a faint, tired laugh. "I'll buy every copy in the UK and burn them in the yard. Just for you."

I smooth down what's left of his shirt. "A huge waste of money. Do it anyway."

"Deal," he whispers, kissing my forehead.

Heavy footsteps pound down the hall toward us. Adrian rounds the corner, his face pale under the corridor light.