Page 241 of Stalking Ginevra

The tension eases only a fraction. “I don’t expect it to be easy. It will take however long it takes.”

Her fingers finally brush my hair, a slight caress that hits like lightning. I almost break, ribs constricting, each inhale cutting like glass. I stay perfectly still, waiting for her to speak.

“Did you really make me a partner in my firm?” she murmurs.

I meet her gaze, unblinking, the answer flooding from my lips. “You earned it,” I rasp. “They wouldn’t have taken you on if you didn’t have the skills.”

“But why?” she whispers.

“I wanted to give you something that couldn’t be tainted by my need to control you. Something I couldn’t touch. An independent life where you could thrive away from me.”

Eyes softening, she trails her fingers down to my face, and that touch alone almost makes me crack. The distance between us disappears, her warmth anchoring me in a way I haven’t felt since before everything went to shit.

“You want forgiveness?”

I nod.

“Then earn it,” she says.

“How?”

The corner of her lips lift. “Get off your knees and kiss me.”

Heart skipping a beat, I rise, my hands sliding from her waist to the small of her back. Every wall between us crumbles as shewraps her fingers around the back of my neck, pulling me down to her mouth.

Applause breaks out across the casino floor, but I’m too cocooned in the warmth of her acceptance to care. I cup her face, my thumbs brushing over her cheeks as our lips meet in a kiss that feels like redemption.

Her arms tighten around my neck, pulling me closer until her heart thrums in sync with mine.

The world falls away, replaced by the softness of her lips and her honeysuckle scent. After all my machinations, the pain I’ve inflicted, the anger and regret, this moment feels like absolution.

I pour everything into that kiss. Every apology, every plea for forgiveness, every word left unsaid, it all flows in this one act of surrender. Her lips move against mine, anchoring me in the present, obliterating the darkness of our past.

A low, desperate sound catches in my aching chest. Helpless against months of pent-up need, I slide my hands down her back and pull her closer.

She breaks the kiss first, her eyes searching mine. I meet her gaze, wanting to convey the depth of my remorse, my overwhelming gratitude, my commitment to being the man she deserves.

“How was that?” I ask.

“It’s a start,” she murmurs.

My throat tightens, and my chest thrums with anticipation. “You’ll give me a chance to redeem myself?”

She nods.

Waves of relief and gratitude make me rock back on my feet. Heart racing, palms sweating, I struggle to catch my breath. Guilt still lingers in the pit of my stomach, reminding me why I don't deserve a chance, but it's overshadowed by a glimmer of hope.

She steps back, breaking our connection. Her fingers trail down my chest, over my abs, and settle on my belt buckle.

Sensation rushes south, leaving me light headed. “Ginevra?”

“You’re not forgiven yet,” she says.

My jaw drops. “What do you want me to do?”

Gray eyes dilating, she leans closer and murmurs, “Work for it, Benito.”

Anticipation crackles in the air like static as her fingers tighten on my belt. A shiver runs down my spine and settles in my cock. I should carry her back to my office and take her over the desk, but I’m past locking my Ginevra away.

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