Page 87 of Filthy Rich Temptation

‘You wouldn’t have needed pushing if that bastard?—’

She covers my mouth with her thumb, eyes bright with unshed tears. ‘Not tonight. I don’t want to talk about him tonight. I just want to thank you. And maybe… maybe claim a few more stars.’

Stars.Fuck. That claiming lives in my soul.

And it’s in hers too. Her eyes blaze with it, while her words – the gentle hope…

Her hand trembles as I take it from my mouth and press it between us, just to feel her there. To stop myself from ruining this with all the things I still don’t know how to say.

‘I don’t want to hurt you, Sadie. If I screw this up— if I get this wrong?—’

‘You won’t. You can’t break me. Trust me. I’ve been broken. And now I’m stronger than ever.’ She inhales softly, her eyes holding me captive with her words. ‘I’m strong enough to enjoy this for what it is. And walk away when it’s over. No promises. No expectations. My life with Lottie comes first. Always.’

I see it: the truth in her. No hesitation. No fear. Only fire.

And still, I hesitate.

She tilts her head, leans in the barest inch. ‘Give me the stars again, Theo, and I’ll promise you some of your own…’

My pulse hammers in my throat. Every inch of my body screams to close the space between us. To forget everything outside this moment – every reason I told myself I couldn’t, shouldn’t, wouldn’t.

But she’s here.

And she’s not begging, she’s claiming this moment. Hers. Mine. Making it ours.

She reaches up and gently takes the wine glass from my hand, sets it down beside hers on the rail. Then – barely brushing – her lips sweep across mine. Intentionally soft, breathtakingly electrifying.

‘But this time…’ she whispers, ‘I want your kiss, too.’

Her tongue flicks lightly against my bottom lip?—

Fuck.

I snap, smothering the curse as I crush my mouth to hers. My tongue sweeps inside, an invasion that claims me more than it ever could her. She tastes of wine and everything I was never meant to touch. So right. So wrong. But I’ve wanted this for so damn long, and now that I have it, my body isn’t mine any more. It’s carnal instinct, fierce and out of control.

I drag her to me with both hands – one tangled in her hair, the other fisted in her cardigan. She gasps as I press her up against the rail. Desperate to feel her everywhere, all at once. Restraint obliterated, I kiss her again. And again. Deeper. Rougher. My hands roam – her hair, her waist, her spine – gripping, pulling, needing.

And she meets me head-on. All heat and surrender and everything I never let myself hope for…

There’s no holding back.

Nogoingback.

This isn’t safe.

This isn’t smart.

This isinevitable.

And I want all of it.

Even if it wrecks me in the process.

‘Bedroom,’ I command. ‘Now.’

* * *

Sadie