Page 37 of Gluttony

Huffing impatiently, she snarled, “No, that’s not why I’m here, but we will talk about that later, becausewhat the hell?”

He chuckled, the sound like the rumble of thunder.

She shuddered, and her nipples hardened at the tingles that shot through her body.

Thankfully, he didn’t look down to notice her nips at attention.

He took another step closer. “If not the tattoo, then why are you here? I didn’t think that you’d come to me after you shut me out.”

And she wouldn’t have if he hadn’t been an ass and stalked her.

Yes, you would have, you lovesick dumbass—and you like that he tracked you down like the morally gray hero in a dark romance novel.

Shaking off whatever the fuck was making her body all warm and shit, she grit her teeth, met his heated gaze, and snapped, “Because you hacked the grocery delivery site, followed Rosie, then sat outside my house like a weirdo—what the hell did you expect me to do?”

Red’s eyes grew wide, and since he was mid-step, he went still, foot still elevated. It dropped with athud.

“You saw that, huh?” he asked, a sinful little smirk slowly growing on his face.

He chuckled.

“I have trip wires set up all over the place, especially onsecuresites that hold my private information.”

The asshole didn’t even bother sounding sorry about it, though. “I’m not surprised; I always knew you were smarter than me.”

Her cheeks heated at his praise—it wasn’t every day a brilliant sex god complimented her.

He took another step closer, and she tried not to notice just how close he really was. The room wasn't that big, and she hadn’t been that far from the door. Now, Red was within reach…shewas withinhisreach.

And what will you do it he reaches out and?—

She waved him off, rolling her eyes. “That’s a given, but that’s not why I came, that was just the catalyst.”

In a blink, the humor and heat dropped from his features, and in his eyes she could see the wariness, the fear…the guilt. In another blink, there was determination in his darkening eyes, and that’s what made the next words fall from her lips unbidden.

“Why did you do it? Why did you lie to me?” she demanded, everything within her catching fire. “Was it all pity? Did you even really mean anything you said? Is it because you got bored with me?”

Redtube took another step forward. Standing over her, peering down into her face, his body heat pouring into her, her racing heartbeat thrumming through her, her breath trapped.

Finally, he spoke, his voice grating, thick with something that scorched her blood, “My Daisy….”

Then his large, rough hands were cupping her jaw, holding her face, as his mouth slammed down onto hers.

THIRTEEN

Her lips were soft,giving beneath his as he commanded her mouth, taking every pleasure from her. She was tense, at first, shocked, but she quickly melted against him, groaning.

He flicked his tongue over the crease of her mouth, silently demanding she open to him, give him what he wanted. She opened for him, allowing him access to her wet heat.

It was his turn to groan; she tasted of vanilla andhiswoman—his new favorite flavors. And he was fucking hungry. Holding her face between his hands, and deepened the kiss, his tongue invading, sweeping inside to lay siege to her, to her senses, to her untried mouth. He knew she hadn’t kissed many men, that she was untrained in the ways of kissing but, fuck, she was still good. Still capable of bringing him to his knees with the way her tongue writhed with this, testing him, teasing him.

He'd fucking come in his goddamn pants if he didn’t stop.

Dragging his mouth from hers, he closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against hers.

She was here, his beautiful Valentina.

Close—his woman was close, finally!

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