Page 47 of Sins of the Orchid

“First, I haven’t had a drop of alcohol,” I told him angrily. “And second, I’m eighteen. Most girls my age dress more provocatively than this. I’m not a kid nor a little girl.” I glanced down at my dress. I loved it and didn’t care what fucking Santi said. “You don’t get to tell me what to do, Santi. You are nobody to me.”

Something flared in his eyes, and I realized in the far corner of my mind that I was playing with fire, but I’d gone too far to stop now.

“And that man was somebody to you?”

“Like I told you, we were just dancing. Not that it is any of your business.” I took a calming breath before I continued. “If I want to dance with a guy, I will. If I want to kiss a guy, I will. What I do is my business.”

The room temperature dropped, and the air stilled. His whole body tensed, and I held my breath, watching him warily. It was hard to get a read on a man like Santi. The one thing I knew for sure was that he was well-known and feared in the underworld. Rightly so. When Santi put his mind to something, he always made it happen. I heard whispered words between my brothers and father about the Venezuelan Cartel he had been eliminating out of the city.

“Is it now?” he drawled in a dangerously lazy tone.

My brows knitted. “What?” I asked, confused. What the hell was he asking?

“You think who you kiss is only your business?” His eyes darkened around the edges, and his shoulders tensed further. Something dark flared in his whiskey gaze, hot and bright. The intensity of his stare was strong. Time seemed to slow.

Another long second stretched by before I could muster a response.

“Yes, of course,” I barely choked out. I couldn’t breathe, every fiber of my being on high alert. I felt like prey that had already been caught and didn’t even know it.

He strode over, slowly, his eyes narrowed on me, like he’d hunted me all night and finally had me exactly where he wanted. I had never seen him look at me like this. But somewhere deep inside me, I liked it. Very much.

My heart thundered against my ribs and adrenaline rushed through my veins. I should be questioning my reaction to this man, instead I focused on his heat that burned right through me.

He leaned over slowly, both palms resting above my head, and I was trapped under the darkness of his eyes.

“So, you want a kiss?” he purred. His voice turned dark. Smoky. It kindled a heat through every inch of my body. My stomach instantly erupted with butterflies and my cheeks flushed.

Yes!My mind screamed, my breathing erratic as I desperately tried to calm my heart. I had wanted his kiss for so long, but this felt like a trap. Santi only saw me as a kid.

“I-I didn’t say that,” I breathed out instead. I held his stare as a bead of sweat rolled down my spine, leaving a trail of heat in its wake. A hum of electricity surged through my blood, sending tiny shudders down my spine. God, I just wanted to feel him a bit closer to me.

The side of his lip curved into a knowing smile, and I wanted to wipe it off his face. But even more, I wanted my first kiss to be with Santi Russo. To taste his mouth. Feel his hands on me. I’d had plenty of boys ask me out or attempt to flirt with me, but none of them could ever measure up to someone like Santi Russo. He had set my standards high without even trying.

I held my breath in anticipation. He was so close to me right now that I could feel his heat and smell his cologne. Clean and woodsy. All I had to do was shift forwards and his lips would be on mine. But I had a feeling that would break the moment. So, I remained still, waiting. Leaning in, he ran his nose up the side of mine, his lips brushed delicately against mine.

A sharp inhale echoed between us. My heart raced so hard, I worried it would explode in my chest. He stilled for a fraction of a second before his mouth pressed to mine, this time firm and demanding. He tasted amazing, like whiskey mixed with chocolate.

His body was so close to me, it burned mine everywhere he brushed against me. The frantic beat of my heart drummed in my ears. His mouth clashed with mine, and I exhaled into his mouth, our breaths becoming one. His tongue pushed through my lips and tangled with mine. I moaned into his mouth, starved for more. I wanted him to keep kissing me, touching me.

I wantedmoreof whatever this was. It was so much better than I had ever imagined it. The pull was strong, magnetic, and the intensity shattered me completely, then put me back together.

The world as I knew it changed forever.

My hands came around his neck, rubbing myself against him, his body warm and hard against my soft one. His heat melted me into a puddle. I should have better self-control, but with Santi, I had none. His mouth left me panting, consuming every breath.

If there was a perfectfirst kiss, this was it.

Santi Russo was everything and so much more. I’d give anything to touch his bare skin and feel it under my fingertips.

His one hand came down to my bare thigh, his calloused palm rough against my skin. The heat erupted into a full-blown volcano, every nerve within my body blazing with sensation. I rubbed myself against his body, loving his hands on me, his mouth devouring me. This was what I had been waiting for.

And I knew nobody else could deliver but Santi.

In a move so sudden, he ripped his mouth from mine. Breathing hard, I stumbled back against the wall and watched him, holding my breath, wishing he’d kiss me again. I wanted him to do more. He felt good; he felt right. Like a piece of me that only he could put together.

“Jesus,” he muttered under his breath, running a hand through his hair.

Next, a string of curses followed. Each beat of my heart increased the ache in my chest. He took another step backwards, and the sense of loss hit me so hard, it was staggering.