Chapter 24: Insanity

Rick's POV

I had seen her the second she walked into the hall.

She looked absolutely breathtaking. It was almost unfair how she could be so dangerously sexy and effortlessly majestic at the exact same time. 

The floor-length black dress, the impossible plunge of the neckline. That high slit showing off her legs—it took everything in me not to walk straight across the room, throw my jacket over her, and carry her out of there and do the dirtiest things to her.

I just needed a minute. Just a single minute to worship her from afar.

I knew I shouldn't have come. She made it clear she didn't want to see me, and being anywhere near her only dragged her deeper into my world. But when my men pinged me her location for the gala, my stomach dropped. 

A high-profile, crowded event like this was the exact kind of soft target Don Pedro’s men loved to exploit to send me a message. I couldn't risk it.

So here I was. Supposed to be playing security, but instead, completely pining over her like a fool.

That neckline. Goddamn. The soft waves of her dark hair tumbling over her bare back. That face... and those eyes. The most ethereal, striking eyes I had ever laid eyes on.

She hadn't seen me yet, but the second I caught sight of that bald, slimy bastard grabbing her wrist and pulling her close, the jealousy that hit my chest was so violent it practically clenched my lungs. 

The urge to break every bone in his hands was instantaneous. I barely managed to keep my voice steady when I stepped in and made him scurry off into the crowd.

And now, here we were.

The heavy metal door of the rooftop clicked shut behind us, cutting off the muffled jazz from the party below. The cool night air whipped across the open space, blowing her hair across her face.  

She stood a few feet away from me, her arms crossed over her chest, trying so hard to look cold and unbothered.  

"You want to talk? Talk," she said.  

I swallowed hard, taking in the sight of her in that dress. We were completely alone up here, suspended above the city lights, and as I looked at her, I couldn't pretend there was a single pure thought left in my mind.

I slid my tuxedo jacket off my shoulders and stepped close, wrapping the heavy wool gently around her bare back and over her chest.

"There... It's a little too chilly up here" I said, looking her straight in the eyes.

"Yes. Thanks," she mumbled, pulling the lapels tighter around herself. Her scent—mint, liquor, and that intoxicating sweetness—instantly clung to the warm fabric of my coat.

"You're welcome," I said, towering over her.

Our eyes met, the cool rooftop wind swirling around us as the distance between us completely evaporated.

Time completely stopped as we stared at each other. If she kept looking up at me like that, with those ethereal eyes, I wasn't going to be held responsible for what happened next.  

"I guess my invite got lost in the mail," I whispered, my hand reaching up to slowly stroke a soft lock of her hair away from her face.  

She chuckled, a breathy sound that vibrated straight to my chest. "Business associates only. No friends and family."

"Is that right?" I asked. My gaze dropped, hypnotized as my eyes followed the slow movement of her tongue wetting her bottom lip.

"Yes," she whispered, taking a tiny step closer until her heat was practically washing over me. "So... what did you have to say to me?"

My brain completely glitched. All I could think about at that moment was how it would feel to grind my hard edge into her soft curves, wondering how loud she would yell my name into the night sky if I pinned her against the rooftop ledge.

"I didn't like seeing you with him," I admitted, my voice dropping an octave into a low, gravelly confession.

"Who? Arthur?"

"Any man, in fact."

She tilted her head, a challenge gleaming in her eyes. "Why? What's that got to do with you? We're just friends... aren't we?”

"Like hell we are." My voice came out rougher, darker than I intended. I couldn't stand the fucking 'friend' tag coming from her lips.

"Why? You don't agree?" she taunted softly. Her hands moved subconsciously, her fingers rubbing small, tantalizing circles along the fabric covering my arms. 

Every where her hands touched, my body reacted.

This woman had no idea what she was doing to me.

"I don't want to be your fucking friend," I growled.

If only she knew. If only she had any idea the kind of carnal thoughts I had in my mind. None of them had her in any piece of clothing. If she knew how many nights I stayed awake picturing her completely bare beneath me, flushed and gasping, arching off the sheets as I take my time worshipping every inch of her skin. Kissing her feet. Taking in her scent.

"Well... that's too bad," she said, her voice dropping into a cool, dangerous purr. "I've gotten over whatever inconsequential attraction I had for you. In fact... I don't even remember kissing you."

She took a deliberate step backward, resting her back against the rooftop ledge and clinging my jacket tighter around her dress.

A dark, lethal amusement flared in my chest. I closed the distance between us in a single stride, trapping her against the wall with my body.

"Like hell you have."

I leaned down and captured her mouth. 

The kiss started slow, deep, and breathy—intimate enough to make her heart hammer against her ribs. I pulled back just an inch, my lips brushing against hers as I stared into her dazed, heavy-lidded eyes.

"Have you started to recall?" I asked. 

My voice sounded almost angry, but not at her. I was angry at the terrifying, unquenchable hunger gnawing at my gut, surging through my veins, consuming my blood.

"No..." she whimpered against my mouth, her breath hitching as her fingers tangled tightly into the hair at the nape of my neck. "I'm going to need a lot more of that kiss to remember. Do u think you could do that?”

"Fuck... this is insanity."

I snapped. Whatever tiny thread of restraint I had left completely broke. This time, the kiss was anything but gentle.