Page 15 of Bruno
I exhale, running my hands over my face to gather my thoughts. When I look up, Attia’s beautiful face is etched with concern.
“Bruno…”
“I know,” I mutter. “I know.”
She steps closer, reaching up to brush a stray lock of hair from my forehead. Her touch sends an electric jolt through me, and I can’t help but lean into it. God, I’ve missed her.
“We will find a way to figure this out,” she murmurs, her voice barely above a whisper.
“He’s right, you know.”
Confusion clouds her expression. “I don’t…”
“He thinks I’m only trying to win you back. He believes I want you in my arms and in my bed…”
“I…”
“The kid is smart, but it doesn’t take a genius…”
“Stop, you don’t mean…” she bites her lip.
“I do. I want you. And he will have to accept that. But what he’s afraid to believe is that I want both of you. I understand that you two are a package deal. Even if he wasn’t my son, I would still do whatever it takes for him… because of you.”
I want to give her time to process my words, but I am tired of waiting and giving peopletime. So, instead, I pull her close and press my lips against her, pouring all my pent-up frustration and longing into the kiss. All those long lonely nights of laying in bed fisting my cock and wishing it was her pussy clamping down on me. It takes a few seconds, and just when I’m about to give up in despair. Right when I think I’ve lost them both. Attia moans, burrows into my chest, and kisses me back.
Finally. At last. And fuck time, no more waiting. So the one word I traded away returns and pushes its way out from the depths of my gut—one insistent word that won’t go away until I repeat it…
“Now.”
Chapter 6
“Now,” Bruno says before his lips crash against mine. He doesn’t own me. I’m not one of his men he can order around. He can’t command the past away. Make his absence vanish by sheer willpower. I will tell him this as soon as my body stops giving in. The second my mind cages my heart again, I’ll be free to protest. Free to ignore the building fire in my belly and the dampness between my thighs. His touch was all I needed to be right back where I’ve always wanted to be… In his arms. I’ve resisted for a week. How much more fight is left in me?
Is there any fight at all? My heart broke when I saw him reach for Chris and then drop his hand. He wants to love my son. To build a bridge over the gulf between them. It was clearer than a glass in sunlight. Then Chris stormed off, and the pain on Bruno’s face was undeniable. How easy did he think it would be? I know Chris will come around. I haven’t raised him to hold grudges or disrespect adults. A knot forms in my stomach. At least, I don’t think I have. Chris is not a child anymore. This will be his choice to make. I won’t be able to help with this. Not when my resolve weakens when I see Bruno like this. Not when I have my own choices to make.
“Attia,” he says, his voice low and desperate. Mouthing his words on my lips. Even as he pulls back, his fingers linger. Stroking the sides of my arms with a mix of desperation and longing. My heart races, betraying me as I remember the connection we once shared. “I know I can’t erase the past,” he continues. “But I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure our future is together. A dumbass kid made a dumbass choice, and you both suffered for it. But I swear, give me a chance. A second chance to show you that I will give my fucking life to make sure no pain or suffering ever touches you again.”
I want to believe him. I really do. But I’m not the girl I was. I’ve learned that pain and suffering are parts of life. They’re the evil twins of joy and pleasure. Inseparable. Necessary. There is just no other way to grow. He can’t keep us safe from every little thing that might come our way. I don’t want or expect him to. I just want him to be there for me, with me, when life throws shit our way. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.
Can he? I don’t know. But I’m done fooling myself. Done believing that I can resist giving in to what we both need. Before I can stop myself, I lean in, and our lips meet in a desperate kiss. His mouth is forged steel, but his fingers tremble against my skin, igniting a spark of desire that I can’t deny. The world fades away as we give in to our desires, our bodies moving in perfect harmony as we find ourselves alone, surrounded by the beauty of nature.
His hands are everywhere, exploring my body with an urgency that matches my own. Heat radiates off of him, and I know that this moment will change everything. But I can’t bring myself to care, not when he feels so right. I still want him, despite everything. Insane. I’ll berate myself later. Regrets are for later. Right now is for reclaiming everything I lost.
“Attia,” he murmurs, his voice thick with longing. “Please.”
I know what he’s asking for. This isn’t just making love; this is a risk, a gamble that could change both of our lives forever. But I can’t say no—not when he looks at me like that, not when I feel the pull of our connection, strong and unyielding.
“Yes,” I whisper.
The world fades at my response. The woods that had been so vibrant and alive only moments before are nothing more than a blur of green and brown. The sounds of nature fade into the background as Bruno’s mouth finds mine in a desperate kiss, his tongue exploring my mouth with an urgency that matches my own. Electricity surges through my body as if I’ve touched a live wire. The taste of him is intoxicating—a drug I can’t resist.
I surrender to the moment, to the way his lips move against mine, the way his hands wander over my body. My head spins, and I want more—so much more. But Bruno breaks through my haze, his words pulling me back to reality, forcing me to acknowledge this barrier we’re crossing with more than tongues and touches.
“Are you sure?” he asks in a desire-roughened voice, his hand blazing on my skin.
I take a deep breath to steady myself. Grasp my breath.Think. But I’m way past that point. Dove off that cliff at his first kiss and now I’m sinking in desire—so far beneath the depths that I’m reduced to nodding.
Without another word, Bruno picks me up in his arms and carries me deeper into the woods. My legs wrap around his waist as he looks for a secluded spot. Somewhere under a tree, where we can lie on soft grass. Only we never make it to that idyllic place. Instead, when I whisper, “Bruno,” with my lust thickened voice—he groans. When I add, “I need you.” He growls, lifts me up, and presses me against the rough bark of an oak tree. His body is hard and unyielding, so different from his tender touch. I pull him closer, needing to feel him inside me, desperate to erase the distance that separated us for too long.
