Page 76 of Arturo's Temptation

And just like that we were back in his room, all hot, sweaty tangled bodies beneath his sheets. I could feel his hands gripping my thighs. His tongue running across my skin. His name on my lips as he wrung wave after wave of pleasure from me. I wet my lips as he looked down at me. The heat from his chest made my nipples tighten.

Without another word he reached up to gently take my hands that were gripping his biceps and pulled them down. “You should get back inside.” I blinked at his voice which had returned to its flat, emotionless state and felt myself crash back down to earth.

My head began to spin. Blinking away tears, I picked up my dress and ran for the door. I tried not to wince at the pumps pinching my heels and took a big gasping breath as I stumbled back into the sweltering building. Sounds from the ballroom were muffled beneath the pounding of my heart in my ears. Leaning back against a wall next to the main room, I placed a hand on my chest and stared up at the ceiling, begging myself not to cry.

“There you are!” Oh shit. I cleared my throat and quickly ran a thumb under each eye to get rid of the few tears that had dropped before putting a big smile on my face.

“Henry, hi!”

“I’ve been looking for you.” With a smile he reached for my hand. I couldn’t help but wince as his slightly moist palm took mine, dulling the warmth Arturo had left from his own grip.

“Well, you found me.”

He chuckled, obviously unsure on how to respond to that. As we walked, he started blabbering on about something—completely oblivious to the fact I’d all but switched off.

“Henry, I apologise, but I need to go,” I said, my eyes scanning the room for a ride home.

“Oh! But it’s so early, and this is your party after all,” he frowned.

“I know, but, it’s been a long day,” I smiled. “ I look forward to seeing you this Friday though.” I wasn’t. But he didn’t need to know that. To my relief, he nodded before placing a soft kiss on my knuckles.

“Until Friday then, Isabella.” I nodded at him before pulling my hand away and heading towards the exit. There had to be one of my security detail around who’d drive me home.

I needed to be alone.

Luckily a few ofArturo’s guys were on a cigarette break and offered to escort me home and inform my father of my departure. I didn’t speak a word the entire journey, and thankfully the guy didn’t seem the chatty sort.

The house was empty and eerie when I arrived home. Not that I minded. I quite liked it that way. It was peaceful. Besides, the usual guards were surrounding the perimeter so I knew I was safe alone.

After locking my door, and changing into something a little more comfortable than my sequin covered dress, I lay back on my bed and stared at the ceiling. Knowing I had nobody to talk to was hard but it was how I dealt with everything. It’s not like I could talk to my mother about all this. Arturo was my father’s employee. It was forbidden for god’s sake. If anything happened between us, my father would have Arturo killed for sure. So what the hell was I doing?

“It’s not a choice, B. I couldn’t have stopped myself loving Luca any more than I could’ve stopped the sun from rising.”

I huffed as Peyton’s words from the day I discovered Luca and her were together floated through me. They’d fallen in love gradually over the years but the day I saw them together everything clicked into place. Where Luca was practical and easygoing, Peyton was passion personified. They made complete sense.

I winced as memory after memory floated past me. That moment Luca fell out of her hospital room would stay with me forever. The sounds of his howls penetrated the walls so deeply even the nurses panicked. Watching my twin lose the love of his life and my best friend destroyed any hope I had of ever believing it could happen. The pain nearly destroyed him. I promised myself I wouldn’t do that to myself. I couldn’t.

So why did I feel this way?

I pulled my hands away from my eyes and stared out at the night sky. My mind began to replay the evening, stuck on a loop as I stomped out onto the terrace. The feel of his hands on mine. The smell of his skin. There was something about Arturo. I’d never known anyone to make me feel so alive.

Maybe these feelings were wrong, or even a little naive, but regardless it didn’t matter now. He didn’t want me anymore, and I had to accept that.

I had no choice.

“You ready?”Arturo asked as I came into view on the staircase. It was Friday and I wasn’t exactly thrilled about it. I was dreading my date with Henry, but if it made me forget abouthimfor at least a moment, maybe it would be worth it. Smiling, I pulled back my shoulders and carried on down the stairs.

“Do you always wait around for me to appear?” I teased as I reached him, walking with these heels was becoming slightly easier each time.

“I don’t know what you mean.” He fished the keys out of his pocket, his face impassive. It was clear he wanted to be here just as much as I did.

Was I ecstatic about this date?

Of course I wasn’t. But the thought of pissing all over the alliance my father had worked so hard to build with the French family was not a pleasant one.

“You ready then?” He asked again, waiting for my reply.

No, I wasn’t ready. But this was my best first step to getting over the brief feelings Arturo and I had shared.

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