Page 73 of Lust and Honor

She snaps, her voice dripping with heat, “Your narcissism is starting to make me sick. What’s so thrilling about being one of the women in your harem?”

I don’t budge against her attempts to pull away, keeping her face close to mine. I set my glass on the table and trace my fingers along the curve of her neck, down to the delicate line between her breasts.

“Don’t be jealous, my little red vixen.” I call her a vixen because she’s as sly and captivating as the foxes I saw in the Alpine forests, just as cunning, just as alluring. I nip her lip gently. “Do what I did. Claim me. My body, my soul. Take it all.”

I slide my hand to her hip, pinning her against me. I lock eyes with her, her gaze brimming with need, and let out a breath. “I’ll give you everything. All of it.”

Her body softens, her breaths growing shallow. “Why?”

I drag my lips across the soft skin of her cheek. “Because I want you like a fucking savage.”

I hook her leg over my thigh, pressing her lower body against mine so her core grinds against my hungry cock. “Because you’re the woman who’s defied my fate. You’ve turned my life upside down, and instead of wanting to kill you, I’m consumed with a mad craving to fuck you.”

Her hands grip my shoulders, her eyes closing in a blissful trance as she exhales her trapped breath across my face. I toy with her parted lips, tasting her as I whisper, “Trust your instincts and burn me, Ava. Fire doesn’t need a reason to blaze.”

I take her lips, soft and deep, and she digs her fingers into my flesh, returning my kiss with fierce, insatiable heat. I wrap one arm around her waist, the other behind her neck, pulling her tight against me, savoring the taste of her.

And the night has only just begun.

Fifteen

Ava

Who knew a man’s raw instincts could feel this savage, this intoxicating? I have no control over my body. My lips keep chasing every inch of his face within reach. My hands, like iron drawn to a magnet, explore every solid line of his muscular frame. I’m so drunk on his presence that my body’s gone numb. If his powerful arms weren’t wrapped around me, I’d melt right here on this couch. God, he was right, I’m going to beg him to fuck me tonight.

In this moment, I want Maxim more than anything in the world. It doesn’t matter that he’s a killer, that he may or may not have a heart, that he might be lying about his feelings for me. Even if this is all just a hormonal illusion, it doesn’t matter. I surrender to him, and for the first time in my life, I’m trusting a man. What happens in the end doesn’t matter. I want this moment, this reckless, untamed pleasure. I’ve craved this unbridled lust for years, and last night, I finally let myself go. If I regret it later, so be it. Whatever happens later happens.

“Maxim, is that you?”

A female voice drags me out of the haze of his kiss like a slap of cold water. As our kiss breaks, I realize I was running out of breath.

He lets go of my mouth but not my head. His hand stays tangled in my hair as he turns his face, visibly annoyed. “I’m busy, Stella.”

That name sounds familiar. I glance over and see Stella Bucci, the actress Maxim took to Tuscany. So that’s who Ivan meant by “the little actress.” My God, her beauty is unreal, like a living, raven-haired Barbie. But instead of admiring her, her perfection unleashes a beast of jealousy inside me. Even the fact that Maxim didn’t sleep with her doesn’t matter. He intended to. The warmth in my body vanishes, and I try to pull away from Maxim, but he coils around me like a serpent, refusing to let me retreat.

Stella looks at us, a smile curling her lips. She picks up one of Maxim’s cigarettes from the table, lights it, and exhales a cloud of smoke with a sultry grin.

“A natural redhead in Italy is rare and pricey. You know I love rare things, Maxim. And my night’s free.”

My eyes widen in shock. Is she saying she wants to sleep with me? Maxim lets me go and picks up his drink casually. He takes a sip and stares Stella down with cold contempt.

“Your expiration date’s passed, Stella.”

She doesn’t back down, taking another drag of her cigarette.

“I could just watch you two. When you come, pass her to me.”

Oh my God. What kind of sick pervert is this woman? She’s talking about me like I’m not even here. My fists clench. I rise from the couch and step right in front of her. I grab the cigarette from her fingers. She thinks I’m flirting, so she doesn’t resist. I crush it in the ashtray and glance sideways at Maxim, who’s watching me with amusement.

As I straighten my back, Stella runs a finger under my chin, purring, “Why didn’t you bring her to Tuscany, Maxim? Just picturing this redhead between my legs gets me wet. That Anita was as bland as boiled chicken.”

Maxim growls, but before he can say anything, I grab that slut’s wrist and twist it so hard she gasps and stares at me wide-eyed in shock. “He didn’t bring me to Tuscany because I’m not a one-night whore like you. I know he didn’t touch you in Tuscany, but despite that, last night, before Maxim buried his face between my legs, he said that if I asked, he’d drag the corpses of the women he took to Tuscany and dump them at my feet. And I still said no.”

I squeeze her wrist harder and turn to Maxim. “Is your offer still on the table?”

He’s sitting with one leg over the other, smiling like this is the best show he’s seen all night. “It’s still good, baby.”

I lock eyes with Stella’s terrified gaze. “Come near me or Maxim again, and instead of a redhead between your legs, you’ll get a bullet in your heart.”