Page 28 of Precious Hazard

My fingers rake through his perfectly swept-back hair, tangling in the silky strands. He devours my mouth without allowing me a chance to catch my next breath. My bottom lip gets pulled between his teeth; the sting of the bite is both painful and euphoric. If I were capable of a conscious thought, I’d be mortified by the needy moan that escapes me. The kiss is brutal, and bruising, and… dear fucking God… the best I’ve ever—

“Sunce ti jebem.”

My brother’s loud curse hits me like a bucket of cold water.

I freeze, and then slowly lift my face, separating myself from the most luscious lips in existence. Reluctantly, and with dread at what I might see, I open my eyes. Two espresso-colored orbs stare back at me, a wicked glint shining in their depths.

“Tara,” Drago’s agitated voice roars behind me. “Climb off him. Right. The fuck. Now.”

I grit my teeth. “Let me down.”

“You’re the one clinging to me,gattina.” Smirking, DeVille dips his head to whisper in my ear. “If I didn’t know better, I might believe you enjoyed that.”

Blinking to clear the cobwebs from my mind, I quickly untangle my legs from around his waist and unlock the boa-like grip my arms have on his neck and head. The devil’s hands remain on my ass cheeks as he keeps me plastered to his torso while I slide slowly down his body.

“Considering the stakes, I’m quite invested in the deal we made,” I whisper as my feet land on the polished floor tiles.

Forcing myself to lean on DeVille’s chest, I turn around to face my brother. “Drago, you really need to stop butting into my personal life. I don’t owe you an explanation for my feelings for my boyfriend. But since you insist, I’ll have you know all that hate between us ended up being quite a turn-on. Would you like a demonstration? If you want proof, he and I can just fuck right here in front of—”

“Enough!” Drago growls.

“I’m glad we agree. Now, we have a date to get to, so if you don’t mind…”

“Go wait for your…boyfriend…in the car. I need to have a word with him. Now, Tara.”

“Hey! Don’t—” I start protesting, but a flash of worry in Drago’s eyes makes me falter.

I know that look. It has nothing to do with him trying to boss me around. Rather, it’s a sliver of strain that all too often invades my brother’s life. Last year, he wore it for days after I slid off the road and crashed into a tree in the middle of a thunderstorm. At first, I figured he was pissed about the wreckage, but soon enough it was clear he didn’t give a shit about that. He was worried about what could have happened to me.

And before heallowedme to pick up my car from the mechanic, I had to endure more than five minutes of nonstop ranting on the dangers of driving. It was like he lost his mindand was too afraid to let me get back behind the wheel. I watched the battle he fought with himself before eventually relenting. And I understood that no matter what, my brother’s fears would forever include losing me. He might be overprotective and insufferable at times, but I know exactly what it stems from. And when I see that flash of dread in his eyes, the best thing I can do for him is let him say his piece.

“Fine.” I shrug and scoop the now rather disheveled bouquet of red roses off the floor. Taking a long, deep inhale of their scent, I head out.

My gaze is stuck on Tara as she crosses the hall. I take in her dark, luscious locks as they cascade like a shimmering waterfall down her back, gently swishing from side to side with the sway of her hips while she heads toward the door. Swallowing hard, I can’t help but stare at her ass, admiring the way it fills out her skinny jeans. Christ. I drop my gaze, letting it slide along Tara’s toned legs and all the way to the pair of white Converse All Star high tops she’s wearing. Each step she takes carries her further away, leaving a trail of crushed rose petals feebly falling onto the marble. The vision she presents is simply uncanny. A warrior departing a battlefield, with the blood of her enemies dripping off her blade.

It’s sexy as hell.

Not even two minutes ago, I was confident that I had everything under control. Masterfully directing this situation. Tara can’t act for shit. I could read her intentions well before shegrabbed my neck and pulled me down to her mouth. She was utterly incapable of hiding the look of disgust on her face before our lips connected. Not that it did me any favors.

But at the press of her soft lips, I felt like a lightning bolt went through me. Every cell in my body came alive, charged by a weird form of energy. The current raced along my veins, tightening each of my muscles. Everything… everything tingled, as if after years of numbness, life was suddenly coursing through me. And heading straight for my fucking cock. The only thing I wanted was to have the aggravating woman in my arms. So I pulled her closer, crushed her against my chest. And kissed her. Momentarily forgetting it was fake.

What the fuck is wrong with me? I’ve never had such an intense reaction to a woman before. Especially after a single kiss. And after she insinuated the two of us are having sex, I couldn’t get the image out of my head and almost fucking combusted. I can’t have that. I need this unwanted desire gone. Being attracted to Tara Popov is simply out of the question.

With significant effort, I finally rip my gaze away from the door she disappeared through.

“I want you to stay away from my sister, DeVille,” Drago barks, getting in my face.

“It’s a good thing I don’t give a fuck what you want, then,” I grumble. “Should I remind you that just a handful of months ago, we were in a similar situation? Only then,mysister was set to marry a demented asshole. You!”

“My point exactly. And you”—Drago shoves his finger into my chest, snarling—“her dear brother, whose duty it was to protect her, did nothing.”

He’s got some gall, insinuating that I don’t care about my sister as much as he does for his. As if I wouldn’t give my life for Sienna, or for Asya. I would, without blinking an eye.

My fingers curl into a fist, but I force myself to stay focused. I need this dick to believe our goddamned lie. Romance. Love. Wedding. That’s the ball game. The rules are murky, but I can’t get called on an offside.

“Sienna is a grown woman, capable of making her own decisions. Just as Tara is. Based on what I’ve seen from her so far, she can hold her own,” I say.

“Really? Well, let me tell you a few things about her that you may not have noticed. My sister is the most bullheaded creature on this earth. She’s stubborn, loudmouthed, and convinced she can accomplish anything she sets her mind to.”

---