Page 97 of The Temptation

Fucking ruined.

I’m going to burn in hell for this, but right now, all I can do is marvel in the wonder of her mouth.

My fingers thread into her hair when her hand slides to the base of my shaft, and she proceeds to take more of me into her mouth. When the tip hits the back of her throat, she gags, but that doesn’t stop her.

Her eyes are glistening with unshed tears as she gazes up at me through her long, dark lashes. I stare down at her as she draws back and swallows me back down. These feelings she evokes are too much, and I already know I can’t hold off much longer.

This isn’t my first blowjob, far from it, and I can tell she’s inexperienced. She’s more than likely drawing on what she’s read in those damn books of hers, but there’s a raw sincerity in every touch.

Every glance hits deeper than anything polished or practised ever could. And regardless of who came before her, irrespective of how skilled they were in the bedroom, she’s already moved to the top of my list. Because what they all lacked was what I feel with her.

The connection.

The ache.

That impossible, overwhelming feeling that she’s the only one who’s ever really mattered.

She uses her free hand to cup my balls as she gently massages them with her fingers. My thumb ghosts over her cheek as something unspoken passes between us.

Lucia’s tongue swirls around the crown of my dick, and the moment she swallows me back down, I lose the battle.

“Ah, fuck. I’m—” I go to withdraw, but she cups my arse cheeks and holds me in place. I throw my head back and roar out, “Luuuu-cheeee-yaaaa!” as I blow my load down her throat.

She just wrecked me in ways I didn’t think possible, and whatever we were before this ... we’re not that anymore.

Not even close.

Chapter 21

Romeo

I’m lying here with my eyes closed, and instead of drifting into the peaceful sleep I expected, my mind won’t shut down. I’m in deep, deeper than I ever anticipated, and I don’t know how to move forward from here.

How do I act in the morning? Do I pretend last night never happened and risk crushing Lucia? Or do I face her with the truth and admit that something fundamental has shifted between us, and I feel it too?

I’m not sure if I have it in me to be that honest. Not with her. Not with myself. Once I say it out loud, there’s no turning back.

And what happens when she finally gets what she thinks she wants? Will she still want me? Or will she realise she could do so much better? Because I’m terrified she’s the one thing I won’t survive losing.

I’m pulled from my thoughts when she suddenly presses her lips against my shoulder, in a soft, lingering kiss. I presumed she was asleep, but I was obviously wrong.

“Ti amo, Romeo De Luca …più di quanto saprai mai(I love you … more than you’ll ever know),” she whispers into the darkness, and my mind and body freeze.

Although they are words I’ve never spoken aloud,to anyone, for one breathless second, I’m tempted to reply,“I love you too, Lucia De Luca,”but the words get stuck somewhere between my chest and my throat.

They’re too big, too raw, too much.

Until this woman came along, I didn’t realise how much I needed to hear those three words. Everything felt hollow before her.

I hold my breath and pray she didn’t feel the shift in my body, because I’m a fucking coward. I can’t go there with her, not now. Not until I’m sure.

The panic twisting in my chest vanishes the second my phone starts to ring. The sound is jarring and so loud in the silence that I feel Lucia’s body jolt beside me.

Is this the end? Do they finally have him? Has fate stepped in and decided for me?

I reach for my phone on the bedside table, expecting to see Dante’s or possibly Dominic’s name on the screen. What I’m not anticipating is my mother.

She’s trying to FaceTime me at three o’clock in the fucking morning. For a second, I hover my thumb over the screen, tempted to ignore it. She doesn’t deserve a damn thing from me, not after everything she’s done. But still … she’s my mother. What if something’s wrong?