Page 18 of Fall
He leans in so we breathe the same hot steam, and our lips threaten a kiss. “And what do you think Dante Valez feels for you?”
“Ownership.”
He visibly stiffens. “If I owned you, beija flor, I wouldn’t give you permission to leave.”
“Then why don’t you enlighten me. Tell me what’s going on in that brain of yours.”
He stares at me like a bomb just exploded in his head. “I convinced myself you were a traitor. It was better for us both when I saw you as a threat. And now…” Water dances on his lashes, splashing from me to him. Even inanimate droplets feel the same schizophrenic attraction. “Now I’ve discovered that was the biggest lie of all. I was lying to myself.”
His lips descend.
He groans into the violent kiss smattered with awakening water.
I kiss him back.
I sense the wildlife catching a collective breath as I surrender.
Hungry. Foolish. Unable to resist.
Our tongues collide. His hand secures my lower back. My spine arches as he deepens the intensity. A spray of water rinses away my boundaries. Our fevered kiss burns down all the reasons why touching him is forbidden. Decency and sin unite, pouring over the decking in a waterfall of black lust.
The last kiss he stole from me ended with broken trust. I gave in to him, and he let me go. Nothing has changed. If I concede this time, he’ll still send me away in the morning.
A thick grunt escapes him when I nip his bottom lip. The tips of my toes nudge the pistol ever so slightly. Enough to remind us both of its presence. The awareness of cold metal and soft lips catapult a shiver over my scalp.
I want to pretend this isn’t a fleeting spell or that he won’t snuff out the scorching need we have for each other. This sexy scenario doesn’t conjure a happy ending. It only breeds heartbreak and pushes limitations. Our nights together are numbered by the powerful man securing my body to his like we’ll never be separated again. These inflamed moments are temporary. Two hearts exist in mismatched worlds where survival is questionable.
Dante Valez is an exquisite moonflower.
He’s the rare flora I unearthed in a tropical land.
A beguiling diversion that only blossoms in the darkest night.
Sweet and sour.
Unable to self-pollinate.
A challenge to endure.
The growth of my soul.
Utterly poisonous to humans.
Including me.
My eyes snap open when the fingers around my throat flex. Liquored vapor from his breath heats my cheek and sizzles on contact. Before I can form a lucid thought, he kicks the gun out of the way. Metal clatters across wooden decking so the loaded weapon plunges off the balcony edge. “You don’t need it, beija flor.” His forehead butts into mine. “Unless you really want me to back off,” he growls. “Because killing me is the only way I'll stop wanting you now.”
Firm fingertips glide to my collarbone. Buttons ping as he rips the shirt open and roughly drags it free from my shoulders. Everything turns hazy with the pent-up desire we’ve starved for too long. He thrusts me against the timber cladding and pushes my face up to his where he towers over me, salty and dripping. Thunder and sunshine. Hail and flames.
I tremble with adrenaline and swallow against his palm. Any argument to prevent the inevitable vetoes the facts. Dante never truly hurt me. He simply demolished my barriers with lust and longing. “Who are you?” I whisper, padding his chest.
“Dante,” he replies without a second thought.
The sultry atmosphere changes from lustful to impulsive. An aura of opalescent light fringing his form switches to black when feathery clouds cover the moon. Tomorrow, I’m free from paradise. Tonight, I’m a hostage to my incurable sickness. To the seductive fragrance of this intoxicating man.
Holed up in his romantic treehouse, it’s just the two of us. Iris and Dante. Destined to conclude our time together with a bittersweet farewell.
My uncovered nipples pebble under his avid gaze. He traces his bottom lip with his tongue, and my mind goes blank. That purposeful swipe fucks with my core. I ignore the alarm bells of unavoidable heartache and welcome courageous, wicked danger.
