THREE

Gabriella's POV

In one swoop I was in his arms as he walked towards a different door. I helped him open it and there was an inner room with a more simple yet luxurious decor.

He dropped me on the bed, towering over me as he threw his shirt to a corner of the room and then his hands moved to his belt.

I moved my hands to my side, trying to get my dress zipper open, just for him to grab my hands in a tight grip.

"Don't." His voice was deep now and husky. "I'll peel every piece of clothing off you with my own hands."

I gulped but the force in his voice heated my body in more ways than one.

I rested back and the now shirtless man crawled over me, taking my lips in a fierce hold.

"Tigrotta." He kissed his way down my neck. "Do you know my name?"

"Huh?"

My head was already foggy, the sensations paired with the dim light and the warmth of his skin leaving me a little brain dead.

"I asked if you know the name of the man that is going to take you to heaven and back."

I felt pressure at the side of my dress

He ripped it. The zipper.

"Ahh—" I tried sitting up only to get pushed back down. "What did you do that for?"

He ignored me completely, carefully unhooked the straps at my shoulders and peeled the dress away like he was unwrapping something fragile and valuable.

There was no rush in his hands. No urgency. Just deliberate, unhurried reverence that made my chest tighten in a way I hadn't expected.

Davis had never once looked at me like I was worth slowing down for.

I shoved the thought away as quickly as it came.

"I probably should have asked your name before I jumped into your arms." I laughed awkwardly as the dress slid off completely, leaving me in my wine lace bra and matching barely-there panties.

He leaned back.

Just looked at me.

His gaze dragged slowly over the curve of my breasts pushed up by the lace, down to the thin fabric barely covering me, then swept across my thighs. His chest rose and fell heavier. A low sound escaped his throat — hunger and something close to reverence — and heat flooded my cheeks even as a curl of smug satisfaction twisted in my core.

He was captivated. By me. Just me.

"Mariano." He said after a long beat. "My name is Mariano."

I played with it on my lips and let a slow smirk form.

"Now I have a name to scream."

His mouth curved into something predatory before he lowered himself over me again.

His kiss this time was slower. Deeper. His tongue slid against mine with deliberate strokes as his hands roamed up my sides and cupped my breasts through the lace. He squeezed gently, thumbs circling until my nipples hardened, then tugged the cups down and bent his head to take one between his lips.

"Mariano—" The word came out breathless.

He was unhurried and thorough, switching sides, his mouth warm and patient while pleasure sparked straight through me. Every pull of his lips sent heat pooling between my thighs. I threaded my fingers into his hair and held him there, not thinking about Davis, not thinking about Vegas or contracts or any of it.

Just this.

Just him.

He kissed down my stomach, hooked his fingers into my panties and eased them off slowly until I lay completely bare. He settled between my thighs, his broad shoulders nudging them wider, and traced one finger along my center.

I gasped.

"So ready for me, Tigrotta." His voice was low as he slid one finger inside, then two, curling them in a way that made my back lift off the sheets. His thumb worked slow circles against my clit, pressure building and building until I shattered around his hand with a cry I couldn't have swallowed if I tried.

He gave me only a moment before his mouth replaced his fingers. I gripped the sheets. His tongue was unhurried and devastating, learning me like he had all the time in the world while I came completely undone against his lips.

By the time he rose up and shed the rest of his clothes I was trembling and boneless and entirely sure I had lost my mind.

He positioned himself at my entrance and met my eyes.

"Look at me."

I did.

He pushed in slowly, inch by inch, and the stretch burned sharp enough to make me wince and dig my nails into his shoulders.

He stopped. Completely still.

He kissed my lips. Then my jaw. Then the curve of my neck, murmuring my nickname against my skin like a low steady anchor while he waited. No impatience. No pressure. Just him holding himself in check entirely for me.

The ache softened gradually into fullness. Into something that made my breath hitch for an entirely different reason.

I pushed the thought away but it left something behind — a quiet reckless gratitude that had nothing to do with revenge anymore and everything to do with the man above me who had asked twice if I was sure.

"Mariano." His name came out soft. Permission and plea at once.

He began to move.

Long slow strokes that dragged against every sensitive place, his hands pinning mine above my head as he found a steady rhythm. The coil built low and tight and I wrapped my legs around his waist pulling him deeper until the tension crested and broke, my whole body clenching as I cried out his name into the dim room.

He pressed his forehead to mine, both of us breathing hard.

After a moment he shifted, turning me gently onto my stomach with firm hands at my hips. "On your knees, Tigrotta."

The new angle was overwhelming. Deeper. His hand reached around to work my clit as he moved and I stopped thinking entirely — no Davis, no parents, no contracts, no Vegas — just Mariano's low groan against the back of my neck and the pleasure pulling me completely under until I shook through one final release, gasping his name into the pillow.

He followed shortly after, pulling back and spilling against my skin with a rough exhale before collapsing beside me and pulling my spent body into his arms.

The room was quiet. My whole body felt liquid and warm.

"Tigrotta."

"Mm?"

His thumb traced idle circles on my shoulder. "You alright?"

I stared at the ceiling, chest still rising and falling. A laugh slipped out before I could catch it — soft and a little disbelieving.

"Ask me again in the morning."

I felt him smile against my hair.