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“I tried to cover it up by being bubbly. I tried to make it seem like it didn’t affect me. I can’t pretend anymore because I don’t even know who I am. I’m empty, and I don’t know how to fix that.”

“You’re saying you’re not a natural-born killer?” Gio asks.

Pfft. I feel a smile wobble on my lips despite myself. “Only for you, apparently.”

“Super-special status. I like it.”

“You would.” I wipe my face with my sleeve.

Gio rubs my knee, encouraging me to continue.

“I thought if I told Roman off, it would help. But when he showed up, I froze. I realized this thing is bigger than him. It wouldn’t matter what I said. He won’t change, and it won’t help me. I’m broken, and I always was. He just exploited my mess. He used me.”

Gio tucks a lock of hair behind my ear and tugs on my earlobe. “We’re all broken in our own way, except you’re the most beautiful disaster I’ve ever seen. And to me, that’s perfect. That’s why I can’t look away.” His gaze locks with mine.

“What did you do with my nemesis?” I search the area around him, as if trying to figure out what’s changed.

“When will you admit it, kitten? You’re falling for me.” He grins.

I smile, despite myself. I’m fighting it, and he knows.

Gio taps a finger gently to my chin. “Maybe getting back at Roman isn’t about what you say to him, maybe it’s how you treat yourself. Maybe being happy, fulfilled, and living your life to the fullest is your revenge. It’s revenge on everyone who made you feel less than. Let them see you shine, just like you sparkle for me.”

Warmth grows in my chest.

Is that why Gio calls me Sparkles? I smile, still unsure.

“Where do I start?” I ask.

“I have a few ideas.” He drops his forehead to mine. “If you’re open to suggestions from your nemesis.”

A pop of a laugh escapes. “Will it include torturing you?”

His fingertip drops to my bottom lip and gently traces the contour. “Absolutely.”

His gaze snags there, and my body heats with lust. All thoughts of the former guy are wiped from my brain. That’s all it takes.

How can I care about that monster when I have Gio right now? He makes me feel alive and cared for.

Leaning into this feeling, I reposition until my bare knees sink into the cushions on either side of his thighs, and we’re facing each other. Our centers meet, only separated by swim bottoms. My hands slide over his shoulders, around his neck, and into his hair.

He does the same to me, except his exploration causes goose bumps to dance across my skin. My pulse hammers as his heated touch travels beneath my sweatshirt and slides over the curve of my hips. When his fingertips inch around my waist, I stop breathing for a moment.

As his thumbs twist into the strings of my bikini top, I sink a little deeper, hyperaware of his growing length. The hardness presses against my sensitive spot, and I draw pleasure from every tiny movement.

“Let me be the one to fill you up. Let me be the one to make you happy again,” Gio murmurs.

My teeth snag over my bottom lip. “But you hate me.”

He chuckles low. “If this is hate, kitten, I can’t wait to love you.”

He pulls me closer, and my rapidly beating heart holds me suspended. It’s not just his words. It’s the anguish in his voice and the rumbling sound of need that takes my breath away.

Close to my ear, he whispers, “I’ve never wanted anything more in my life.” His hands slide to my backside. His fingers sink into the fullness. Fingernails nip at my flesh.

I clench to contain my building lust. My willpower is crumbling. “I wouldn’t be good for anyone right now.”

“A night, a week, months, a lifetime . . . you say how long. I’ll take whatever you give me. I’m desperate for you.”