Page 52 of Bellini Bound

Three quick strides, and I had her pinned against the wall. “Not interested? Is that what you think?” I could barely hear my rasped words with the blood rushing in my ears.

Allison lifted her chin, a defiant sparkle in her eyes. “What I think is that you’re nothing more than a little boy throwing a temper tantrum because someone dared to play with a toy you discarded long ago.”

She couldn’t be more wrong. And it was time to shatter that misconception.

Running on pure instinct, I crashed my mouth down onto hers, swallowing her surprised gasp. I half expected her to push me away—hell, I wouldn’t have put it past her to slap me for the bold move—so it shocked the shit out of me when she fisted my shirt, hauling me closer.

With her lips parted, I dipped my tongue inside to tangle with hers. She was hesitant, almost like she was waiting for me to take the lead. I knew she was inexperienced, but this was the first time I realized the true depth of that inexperience. Was this her first kiss?

That thought brought with it dueling emotions. I wanted to scream at the injustice that no one had ever seen fit to bestow this most basic act of intimacy upon her. But at the same time, a primal sense of possession surged within me, knowing I was the first, the only one, to sample the sweetness of her lips.

And damn, was she sweet. A heady combination of her unique flavor mixed with the vodka she’d drunk earlier.

Fuck. Vodka.

That reminder was enough to have me pulling back, panting as I rested my forehead against hers.

Through choppy breathing, I managed to get out, “You’re drunk. We should slow down.”

Her hands relinquished their hold on the black fabric near my chest, sliding upward over my shoulders and moving higher still, until she raked her nails over my scalp, causing a raw groan to roll up my throat.

“I wasn’t drunk the night we met, and I wanted you then.”

My grip on her waist tightened as I confessed, “Matteo ordered me to forget about you. But I never could. I still can’t. No matter how hard I try. It’s like you’re embedded beneath my skin.”

She hummed, and I could hear the smile in her voice. “Another tattoo added to the collection.”

Burying my face in her neck, I murmured against her skin, “Tell me what you want.” At this point, I’d give her anything she asked for, alcohol consumption be damned.

The little moans she made as I trailed a path of kisses over the swells of her heaving breasts went straight to my cock, pressed painfully against my zipper, and I couldn’t resist grinding it against her soft belly, desperate for friction.

“Anything. Everything. Can we—”

When she didn’t finish that thought, I lifted my head to find her chewing on her lower lip, an expression of uncertainty written across her beautifully flushed face.

“Can we what?” I pressed.

Her eyes slammed shut, almost like she couldn’t bear to look at me while she made her request. “Can we pretend, just for right now, like the past few months never happened? That, instead, you waited for me after my shift that night, asked me out for coffee, and we found our way to this moment without all the blackmail and bloodshed?”

What I wouldn’t have given for that to have been the case. So my answer was a no-brainer.

“Yes.”

“Really?” She peered up at me in disbelief.

I nodded. “Yeah, Allie. Really.”

She let out a stuttered exhale, her whole body relaxing at hearing me use the nickname I knew she preferred.

My hand lifted to cradle her face, my thumb stroking her cheek. “You are so beautiful it makes my chest ache. But at the same time, it makes me want to do absolutely filthy things to your body.”

Pressed flush, I felt the shiver that rolled through her. “Do them,” she begged.

Husky laughter vibrated through my chest. “Baby, you’re not ready for the kind of destruction I’m capable of.”

“Give me something.” Allie arched into my hold, the motion causing her to brush against the steel rod of my cock. “I’m not made of glass, I swear.”

“Maybe not,” I agreed, leaning in to nip at her lower lip. “But you have no idea what you’re asking for.”