Page 174 of Vicious Temptation

“Yeah?” I trace a black-painted fingernail along his cheek. “What if I came here banking on that very thing?”

My hand trails down the front of his shirt and over his belt before slipping between his legs.

Thiago catches my wrist before I can get very far.

I lift an eyebrow. “Problem?”

His eyes drop to my hand, and I swear it pains him to pull it away.

“Relax, Officer Braga. I don’t bite unless you’re into that.”

With his eyes on mine, his other hand slides around my throat, and his thumb brushes beneath my jaw as he brings his mouth close to my ear.

“I’m very fucking into that.” His grip firms just enough to make my pulse jump. “I’m also very fucking aware that half this building is under surveillance.”

I smile and lean into his hand. “So what I’m hearing is that the cameras are the problem.”

“The only problem.”

“Good to know.” Pushing myself onto the ledge, I pat the concrete beside me. Thiago sits, and I draw a slow breath.

Coming here tonight wasn’t a decision I made on a whim. I spent days weighing every reason this was a bad idea and every way letting him get closer could eventually hurt me. But beneath all that fear was a truth I couldn’t talk myself out of.

I wanted to come, wanted to see him.

More importantly, I was tired of pretending that whatever existed between us was still casual just because naming it scared me.

For weeks, I’ve felt us moving closer to this moment, even as I did everything I could to resist it. Tonight, I’m done fighting.

“I don’t want to be friends anymore.”

His smile sours. “Remi...”

“I can’t keep doing this.” I draw my legs beneath me and lean closer. “I don’t want to be just your friend, and I don’t want to be just your fuck buddy, Braga. There are so many reasons why we don’t work. You’re a cop, I’m me, and our lives make absolutely no fucking sense together.”

Thiago doesn’t interrupt me.

“But I’m tired of letting everything that could go wrong keep me from admitting what I want.”

As he slides his fingers into my hair, his attention remains fixed on me. “What do you want, Remi?” His voice drops. “I’ll give you anything.”

The heat in those words nearly undoes me. I choose not to hide behind a joke or change the subject. I lean closer and slowly drag my tongue along the side of his cheek, giving Catwoman and her Batman their moment.

His jaw flexes.

“I want to be yours,” I whisper against his ear.

For several seconds, neither of us moves. The city hums below us, and music drifts from the ballroom, but none of it matters while Thiago looks at me like I just handed him the fucking world.

“You’ve been mine for a while now. You just didn’t know it.”

I smile against his mouth. “How bold of you.”

His hold on my hair pulls me closer. “Tell me I’m wrong. Tell me you want anyone else.”

I hold his stare, but no answer comes because we both know I can’t give him one.

His mouth curves slightly. “That’s what I thought.”