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His mouth claimed mine with a hunger that left me breathless, my back pressed against the cold stone balustrade of the balcony. The night air kissed my bare shoulders, but I barely noticed the chill; not when I was wrapped up in Giovanni Lebedev’s arms and he cupped my face like I was something precious.

I felt the hard evidence of his desire against my hip, and a girlish giggle escaped my lips before I could stop it, my inexperience showing through the cracks of my attempted sophistication.

Gio pulled back slightly, his whiskey-colored eyes dark with want. “Oh, you want to play, Larissa?”

His voice made me curl my toes, and I bit my lower lip. “As I said, I want you to finish what we’ve started.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Here?”

I gave him a single nod of my head.

A slow smile spread across his face, transforming his handsome features into something boyishly charming. “In a house full of my family? You're braver than I thought.”

The next thing I knew, he took me by the hand and we were rushing through the corridors, our hurried footsteps echoing off the walls. My heart hammered in my chest, and the anticipation of what was to come was making my entire body tremble.

“Gio!” I whispered as loudly as I could, without us being overheard. “Where are we going?”

Gio turned and slammed into me until my back hit the wall, nipping at my ear. “To my old bedroom in the East Wing. This used to be our family home before Dante inherited it.”

He slung his arm around my waist, and we continued to run, pausing every few steps to steal kisses that grew increasingly desperate.

“Gio,” I gasped as his lips found the sensitive spot in my throat at our fourth stop. “The room...”

“Yes,” he agreed, pulling away with visible effort. “This way.”

We climbed a narrow staircase, and the sounds of conversation from the living room vanished completely. When we reached his bedroom door, I felt like the happiest, giddiest girl in the world. With his hand on the small of my back, he let me go through first before locking the door shut behind him.

I turned to face him and saw him leaning against the door, one leg propped up on the wall as if he were afraid that if he let go, he wouldn’t be able to control himself.

I parted my lips, my chest heaving for air as I made my way over to me. His face twisted into pure agony as he met me halfway, his hands already twisting through my hair as he dipped my head back and pulled me into a kiss. He walked me back toward the bed, gently, yet so in control, and I felt my core heat from the fact that I was in Gio Lebedev’s bedroom and he had eyes only for me.

He guided me to the edge of the bed, his hands sending a trail of fire across my waist. My knees hit the wood, and I fell back. The next thing I knew, he crawled into bed over me and ran his fingers down the entire length of my right arm. I shivered in response, watching this incredibly handsome, beautiful man hover over me.

“Nervous?” he asked with concern in his eyes.

“Never,” I whispered.

“At any point, if you want to—”

“Gio,” I shushed him with a kiss.

One hand slid down beneath my spine, traveling down the curves of my ass, and I jerked. He grinned as he left his hand there, let me rest on it while he took his other and ever so slowly, slid up my dress.

“Are you certain?” he asked, his breath warm against my lips.

I nodded, unable to find my voice, a strange mixture of nervousness and desire turning my knees to water.

He slid to the floor, and I propped myself on my elbows to see what he was doing. His hands now parted my thighs, and I gasped when his fingers found the elastic of my panties. Slowly, he slid them down, his knuckles grazing my thighs to my ankles before he slid them off.

My breath caught in my throat, and I lay back down, closing my eyes for what was to come. To my surprise, he slid up to me, bringing the dress up with him.

My eyes fluttered open to see him watch me with a smile. “I want to do such filthy things to you, Larissa. And I want you naked for it.”

I nodded with a gulp and gave him space to reach behind me. His hands were gentle as they found the zipper of my dress, pausing.

“God, if you’re this slow,” I murmured, “we’ll be here until tomorrow.”

He growled, biting into my neck, and I heard the satisfying zzzip.

“Greedy,” he murmured as he slid the dress right off, leaving me in nothing but a delicate bra that suddenly seemed painfully inadequate.

Gio stepped back, his gaze traveling over my exposed skin with such naked appreciation that a blush bloomed across my chest and climbed to my cheeks. Yet I didn't cover myself. There was something empowering in his admiration, something that made me feel powerful.

“You are a vision,” he murmured, shrugging out of his suit jacket and loosening his tie. “Any man would kill to be where I am right now.”

“I don't care about any man,” I said, finding my courage. I stepped forward to help with his buttons, my fingers trembling slightly. “Just you.”

His smile turned predatory. “Good.”

When he was down to his boxer briefs, I allowed myself to look—really look—at him. Gio’s body was all lean muscle and smooth skin, interrupted by intricate tattoos that mapped territories I longed to explore. A massive black bird spread its wings across his right pectoral, while some ancient script I couldn't read curled around his left bicep.

He grinned as he watched my face, before making his way between my legs again. His head dipped, and the next thing I knew, I felt his delicious tongue slide across my slit. It took everything in me to not burst from the pleasure I felt in that moment, something I’d never felt before.

He lapped at me like I was water, and he, thirsty. He drove into my clit, hard until a small bubble of pleasure became unbearable to contain.

“Gio,” I moaned, my entire body trembling as I slid my hands through his soft hair. When he slid his tongue into me like a spear, I swear I rocked off the bed and dug into his scalp.

He chuckled into me, the vibration going into my core.

“Gio,” I almost cried in pleasure. “I can’t…I can’t…”

He ignored me, and then I felt his finger plunge into me. Slow at first, testing the waters, before he drove it all the way in. I clenched my muscles, trying to contain this absolute sensation that was rippling through me like an incoming storm.

And when he curled it, dear god, I saw stars. I swept off the bed, screaming his name as every muscle contracted, my skin tightened around my muscles, and I felt every inch of his finger.

“Fuck,” he whispered, inching up to the bed, but his finger stayed in me as I rode out the last of my orgasm.

At last, he covered my body with his own. The weight of him was delicious, grounding, like an anchor. He reached over to kiss me, and his hands roamed my body as though he was trying to learn the geography of it—the dip of my waist, the curve of my hips, the swell of my breasts, the sensitive hollow of my throat.

“Tell me what you like,” he whispered against my collarbone.

“I-I don't know,” I admitted, feeling my inexperience like a physical thing between us.

He stilled above me, lifting his head to meet my eyes. He kissed each lid, then gave me a look in question.

“I trust you,” I whispered.

He smiled as though a weight had been lifted. I felt his hands between us, and then heard the cotton rustle. It was only when I felt a hard length press against my thigh that I realized he was now naked. A delicious thrill lapped down my spine.

I licked my lips, my eyes darting to where our bodies met below our waist. Something shifted in his expression—a softening around the eyes, a tender curl to the corner of his mouth.

“We’ll go slow,” he said, brushing his thumb across my lower lip. “And you tell me if anything doesn't feel good. Promise me.”

“I promise.”

His mouth returned to mine, but now his kisses were different—deliberately unhurried, as if we had all the time in the world. His hands moved with exquisite care, finding places I hadn't known could bring such pleasure. When he finally removed my bra, his appreciative groan sent a shiver of pride through me. He worshipped my breasts with his mouth until I was arching beneath him, seeking more of a pleasure I couldn't quite define.

His fingers slipped between my legs again, and this time, he slid them in out and fast, finding me wet and ready. The sensation stole away my breath, promising more to come.

“You're so responsive,” he murmured, his voice strained. “So perfect.”

He adjusted himself right between my legs but didn’t move any further, watching me carefully.

By now, I was desperate.

“Gio,” I breathed, not recognizing my own voice, husky with need as I touched his chest. “Please.”

“We can stop here,” he offered, though I could see the effort it cost him to say it.

I shook my head. “No. I want you. All of you.”

He nodded with understanding and broke into a small smile as he slid a finger down my throat, between my breasts, down my naval until it was at my clit. I shuddered with nervous energy, needing it to be expelled.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered, and his eyes darkened.

His eyes locked with mine as he put his weight on his forearms, positioning himself over me.

“Breathe,” he instructed softly, and I did, inhaling as he began to press forward.

The stretching discomfort was immediately apparent, my body resisting the unfamiliar intrusion. He paused, brushing hair from my forehead with unexpected tenderness.

I adjusted to the feeling before murmuring, “More.”

He pushed forward incrementally, stopping whenever I tensed, resuming only when I gave him permission. The sharp pain I'd expected came as a mild sting, and the next thing I knew, he was all the way into me.

And when he moved, I clutched at his shoulders, overwhelmed by the intrusion that was somehow both foreign and exactly what I needed. He worked me carefully, his thumb circling my clit in a rhythm that had me soaking wet.

Gio began to move faster, though with care, taking measured thrusts that gradually increased in tempo as my body acclimated. What started as strange soon transformed into something indescribably good, a building pleasure that had me wrapping my legs around his waist, urging him deeper.

“You feel incredible,” he groaned, his control visibly slipping. “So tight, so perfect around me.”

My fingers twisted in the sheets as his words sent a thrill through me. I felt a surge of confidence, lifting my hips to meet his thrusts, drawing a harsh curse from his lips.

“That's it,” he encouraged, shifting slightly to hit a spot inside me that made my feet stretch outward. “Let go for me, Larissa. I want to watch you come apart again.”

He pressed down on my clit, circling it tighter, building a pressure within me that was cresting, and I threw back my head at the pleasure as it rose in intensity. When he angled his hips differently, I saw stars as the pressure broke over me.

This time, the climax was different—more intense, spreading outward from where we were joined until my entire body was engulfed in pleasure so acute it bordered on pain.

I cried out his name as the waves crashed over me, dimly aware that he was following me over the edge, his rhythm faltering as he pressed deep and shuddered against me. For several moments, we remained locked together, our breathing ragged, our skin damp with exertion.

As I floated back to awareness, he finally withdrew, and I felt the loss keenly. But he pulled me right in against his chest, his heartbeat gradually slowing beneath my cheek.

“Are you alright?” he asked, his fingers tracing idle patterns on my bare shoulder.

“More than alright,” I answered honestly, surveying the pleasant ache between my thighs and the lingering tremors of satisfaction in my limbs. “I didn't know it could be like that.”

His chuckle rumbled through his chest. “That's just the beginning, sweetheart. There's so much more I want to show you.”

We lay in comfortable silence for a while, his hand stroking my hair, my fingers tracing the outlines of muscles. In that moment, wrapped in the warmth of his arms, it was easy to forget the complications waiting outside this room, but the real world couldn’t wait forever.

“They must be wondering where are,” Gio said at last. “My siblings.”

Reluctantly, we began to get dressed.

***

On the drive back to Gio’s, doubt crept in like an uninvited guest. The music played on the radio, but my mind was busy replaying our encounter over and over. The physical memory was sweet, but I felt unsettled.

The man who had touched me with such reverence was the same man who believed my brothers were monsters. How could I reconcile these two truths?

By being with him, I betrayed my brothers. For once, I felt my loyalties divide.

We pulled up to the porch, and I didn’t even notice until Gio opened the door for me. I stepped out and saw him watching me with concern. “Penny for your thoughts?” he asked.

I paused, wondering if I should say something, but I also knew if I didn’t, he’d overthink the night and believe what happened between us was the cause of discomfort.

“It’s just,” I looked up at him, a plea in my eyes. “I need to prove my brother’s innocence. I haven’t done anything about it, and you said...”

A shadow flickered across his face. “I know what I said,” he nodded.

I gulped.

I felt a strange heaviness, a weight pressing down on my conscience. My brothers weren't angels—I knew that much. Still, they were my blood, my protectors since our parents' deaths. The idea that they might be involved in something as heinous as Gio suggested... I couldn't accept it.

“What do you need?” Gio asked, as though he could see the pain in my face.

“If it’s not too much,” I braved. “Can I have access to your computer?”

***

Two hours later, I was in the kitchen, pouring over all the information I could access on my family. I scanned the documents on screen. Gio had gathered various financial records over the years on my family, but I couldn’t tell what the transfers were for.

I clicked through several folders, memorizing what I could, searching for anything that might help me understand the true nature of the conflict between our families. But the more I read, the more confused I became. The evidence was circumstantial at best. Not once was there an outright attack against the Lebedevs that had been recorded.

All the mentions were from third parties; none directly involved my brothers. By the end of it, from what I had gathered on the internet and from Gio’s research, I knew one thing for sure: my brothers were good at maintaining our privacy.

“Finding what you're looking for?” Gio asked, surprising me with his presence as he slid a mug of coffee toward me.

The question carried no accusation, but I felt exposed nonetheless at his intrusion. “Just trying to understand.”

“There’s years of history, Larissa,” he murmured gently. When I looked up, he cocked his head at me. “Why don’t we take a break?”

I was making no progress as it was and so I nodded, putting aside the computer.

“Found anything?” he asked casually, though I saw the interest glimmer in his eyes.

“Nothing so far,” I shrugged.

To my surprise, he looked disappointed. I realized then that Gio would always be searching for a needle in the haystack, convinced it was there even if it wasn’t. I couldn’t prove to him their innocence because even though there was no evidence against my brothers, he had already deemed them guilty.

It would take something else, something different, to show him what my brothers were. And then, an idea struck. An idea I chose, for now, to keep to myself.