We stayed tangled beneath the sheets, our bodies still humming with the aftershocks of pleasure, hearts beating in a rhythm only we could hear. My limbs were limp, my skin slick with sweat, but I’d never felt more alive. More wanted. More his. Finally, I let out a small laugh, breathless and dazed. “If we don’t eat something soon, I might pass out.” He smirked, brushing his fingers gently across my cheek. “You didn’t seem to be complaining a minute ago.” “I wasn’t,” I grinned, stretching lazily. “But I do need to refuel.” He chuckled and pulled away from me—reluctantly—and reached for the tray. “Then let’s get some food in you. Can’t have my girl fainting on me.” My girl. Why did those two simple words make my chest ache in the best way? We sat up in bed, the sheets still wrapped loosely around my waist as he fed me a piece of buttery croissant, his thumb brushing the corner of my lips to wipe away a crumb. “You’re staring again,” I teased, popping a strawberry into his mouth
Sunlight was barely peeking through the curtains when I felt the warm weight of his arm draped across my waist. My body ached in the most delicious ways—sore, satisfied, completely used. Every inch of me still tingled with the memory of his mouth, his fingers, his cock. I stretched, wincing slightly, and turned my head. He was already awake. Lying beside me with one arm propping up his head, the other still possessively wrapped around my waist, his eyes devoured me. Slow. Intent. A dark, lazy hunger gleaming in their depths. “Why are you staring at me like that?” I asked, voice scratchy from all the moaning and screaming I'd done. His lips curved into a smirk. “Because you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” I rolled my eyes, heat rushing to my cheeks. “You’re full of it.” “I’m full of you,” he said, dead serious. “And I plan to stay that way.” I laughed softly, cheeks still flushed, and turned my face into the pillow. “You’re insane.” He leaned down and kis
Before I could say a word, his fingers slipped between my thighs again—two of them sliding in easily, slick from everything we’d just shared. I gasped, arching up, my hips chasing the rhythm he hadn’t even set yet. He moved them slowly, curling just right, thumb brushing over my clit in soft, maddening circles. “Now,” he whispered, tongue flicking the shell of my ear, “I want to hear something from you.” His fingers worked deeper, faster, each stroke making my thighs shake. “What…” I breathed, barely able to think. “What do you want to hear?” He bit my earlobe gently, fingers thrusting harder, slick sounds filling the room like music only we could hear. “What do you call me,” he growled, “when I’m fucking you like this? When I’m rough… when I’m claiming what’s mine?” My heart pounded so loud I could hear it in my ears. My skin was burning, my legs trembling. “Say it,” he coaxed, thumb pressing hard on my clit now, fingers curling perfectly. “Say it, baby. What do you call me w
I didn’t answer him. Not with words. Instead, I rose up on my toes, curled my fingers into his shirt, and pulled him down into another kiss. This one wasn’t soft. It wasn’t careful or uncertain or held back by ghosts. It was fire. It was our long silence breaking open, of grief and lust and longing spilling into every breath. I kissed him like I wanted to burn it all down—every wall, every boundary, every stupid reason we hadn’t gotten here sooner. He groaned, deep and guttural, the sound vibrating against my lips as he backed me up until the back of my knees hit the edge of the bed. We fell onto it together, tangled in breath and heat and urgency. But even in the madness, he was careful—his hands on my face, his mouth moving slower than I expected. It wasn't like the other times. He wasn't trying to erase something or prove anything. He was trying to feel me. "Make love to me," I whispered against his mouth, barely recognizing my own voice. "Now. Please." His eyes met min
He stood at the edge of the room like he was wrestling a war inside his chest. Like if he looked at me again, he might unravel. I didn’t know whether to scream or cry. Maybe both. My whole body was trembling—not from fear, but from the weight of everything unsaid between us. Every word we’d bitten back. Every stolen glance. Every night filled with silence instead of truth.And then—He turned.Slowly. Deliberately. Eyes locked on mine."Do you know why I never kissed you," he said, his voice hoarse, broken, "no matter how many nights I spent inside you?"The breath in my lungs caught. My heart slammed against my ribs like it wanted out. He started walking toward me, the space between us closing, inch by inch, heartbeat by heartbeat."It’s not because I didn’t want to," he said. "God, Emily. I wanted to. Every single time I touched you. I wanted to feel your lips. Taste you. Mark you. But I couldn’t."His voice cracked at the end, just slightly. Enough to slice straight through me."Th
I woke up in a tangle of silk sheets, the scent of lavender faint in the air. For a moment, I didn’t remember where I was. Then the ceiling came into focus, tall and intricate with its soft ambient lights, and I remembered. The penthouse. The place that was supposed to be my safe haven, my quiet escape from the noise of the world.But something was off.I could feel it. That prickling sensation at the base of my neck. The hairs on my arms rising without reason. I blinked slowly, my eyes adjusting to the dim light.And then I saw him.Lorenzo.Sitting in the chair beside my bed.Just sitting there.His posture was relaxed, almost too much so, as if he’d been sitting there for hours, maybe longer. But his eyes—they were anything but calm.They were shattered.Bleeding with hurt. With something deeper than anger. Something rawer than rage.My throat dried.“Lorenzo…” I whispered.His voice was quiet. Steady. Dangerous."Is it because I’m old?"I blinked, confused. "What?"His gaze didn’t