Page 10 of Velvet Corruption

We were still playing at pretense, after countless times hooking up…but we both knew where this was going.

“Cheers,” I said, lifting my glass.

She clinked hers against mine, her lips curving upwards in a small smile. “To terrible ideas.”

Her toast made me laugh, a deep, genuine sound that seemed to echo around us. I watched as she sipped her drink, her eyes never leaving mine.

“You liked it last time.”

“I like it every time,” she said, chewing on her lower lip. “That’s the problem.”

I smirked. “Tell me how that’s a problem.”

“It’s messy,” she confessed, her gaze dropping to her glass. “Getting involved with someone like you…it’s dangerous.”

“Is that the DA talking?” I asked, trying to keep the conversation light. But my heart pounded in my chest, the weight of her words sinking in.

She shrugged. “Maybe.”

I took a step closer, closing the distance between us. “And what does Ruby think?”

She sighed, meeting my gaze again. Her eyes were darker now, hungry. “Ruby thinks this is a mistake.”

“But…?”

“But…” she trailed off, her gaze lingering on my lips. “But she can’t seem to make herself walk away.”

I stepped in, brushing a hand along her bare waist where her blouse had come untucked. My voice dropped to a murmur. “I told you I was really good in bed.”

We stood like that, close enough to feel each other’s breath, her blouse hanging open, my shirt half-untucked from earlier nerves. She looked at me like she was already halfway gone — unsure if it was lust or something worse.

“Don’t think about it,” I said. “I can make you feel so good.”

She opened her mouth to answer, but I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her close to me. God, she smelled good, like fresh rain and sweetness and scotch. I buried my face in her hair, her scent filling my nostrils and making me dizzy.

Ruby’s hands clenched the fabric of my shirt, her breath hitching. “Kieran,” she breathed.

That was all I needed to hear…my name on her lips, like she was already begging.

My lips found hers in a kiss that was as gentle as it was demanding. Ruby responded instantly, her arms wrapping around my neck as she deepened the kiss. I groaned when she bit my lip, pulling back to look at me with heated eyes.

“You have no idea,” she murmured softly, her gaze flicking over my face, “what you do to me.”

“Show me,” I whispered back, pulling her closer.

She laughed. “What? How?”

“Well, we could make out, or I can just drop down to my knees and take your jeans off so I can see how wet you are…”

Her chocolate eyes glistened with desire. “So bold.”

“Only for you, Ruby.”

She shifted uncomfortably, a nervous laugh escaping her lips. “You’re going to ruin me, Kieran Callahan.”

“Yeah, that’s the plan.”

Before she could respond, I pressed my lips to hers again. This time, the kiss was full of eagerness and hunger, both of us getting lost in it. Ruby’s fingers tangled in my hair as she pulled me closer, her hips rocking against my cock in a torturous rhythm.

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