Page 14 of Caruso
“Of course.”
I can’t look away, and my breath hitches when she whispers, “Do you want to have sex with me, Matteo, because I’d rather you were honest about that?”
I say nothing and gaze into her intriguing eyes that hold no anger, judgment or pain, merely curiosity.
“I won’t lie, I would like that very much, but I’m not going to force you into anything. You deserve my respect.”
I shake my head. “You may not believe this, but I wanted your company, not your body, tonight. That was my intention until I discovered how intriguing you are. Yes, I am attracted to you, and yes, I would love nothing more than to indulge in the pleasure of your body, but I can’t offer you more than that, so it wouldn’t be fair.”
“I see.”
She half turns, and I hold my breath as she gazes intothe distance and then turns back to me and leans a little closer, taking my hand in hers.
“I’m kind of intrigued myself, to be honest, so if you like, we can satisfy our curiosity, and I promise not to murder you in the process.”
For the first time in my life, I am speechless. I don’t know what to say because, of course I want her, more than any woman before her, and yet that would place me in the same box as the rest of them.
Then she blows my mind as she says huskily, “The trouble is, you would be my first, and I’m not sure if you’re okay with that.”
Chapter Seven
Taylor
It’s as if I have declared World War Three. The expression in his eyes turns my world upside down. They darken with lust and something akin to possession. It’s as if I have lit a fuse that is fast burning toward the gunpowder.
I’ve shocked him. It’s obvious, and for the first time I’m nervous around him. Will he think badly of me for asking? I hope not because of all the men I’ve met, he is the first one I have wanted to ask.
I want this on my terms, not to give it to any man who decides to take something he’s not entitled to.
Matteo has been respectful, kind and attentive and is the only man I have been attracted to in this way. I want it to be him, and if we only have one night, what a night it will be.
“You are asking the impossible, Taylor.”
My heart sinks.
“I’m sorry.”
He shocks me by gripping my face between his strong hands, forcing me to look at him as he hisses, “You are asking me for one night. I can’t agree to that. If I take your virginity, I will not walk away, and you will be mine for as long as I say so.”
My heart leaps and flutters against my rib cage. I should be terrified at the lustful spark in his eyes, but I’m excited by it. No man has ever looked at me this way and invoked this reaction from me. Only him and I wonder about that.
His gaze searches deep inside me, and I struggle to breathe. It’s only now I see the whole of him. The power behind the man and not the respectful façade. I have asked the impossible. I realize that because now I understand that one night will never be enough for both of us.
His lips crash against mine as if he cut the brakes. The collision is intense, soul-destroying—soul-captivating. Possession was merely a word until he claimed my soul. Now I understand its meaning. I understand a lot of things.
My hair tumbles down my back as he grips it hard, loosening the tie, exposing me, claiming me.
My heart is fluttering like a caged bird sensing a predator. What have I unleashed? Am I ready for this?
His teeth graze my neck—it’s not enough. His fingers unzip my dress, and it falls to the ground along with any respectability I had left. Today I murdered a man, and this is my reward. Today is a day of reckoning, and I await my fate.
I claw his shirt desperate for contact with his skin. I’m naked on the terrace of his penthouse—he is not.
He drops to his knees, and I gasp as his face buries between my thighs. Nuzzling against me, probing and assaulting my senses.
The cool air is not enough to calm my heated lust.
Then he sighs. A deep sigh of regret—at least that’s what it feels like to me and as he pulls away, shock hits me hard.
