Lahat ng Kabanata ng HIS FORBIDDEN TEMPTATION : Kabanata 171 - Kabanata 180

I woke up wrapped in Lorenzo’s arms, his chest pressed firmly against my back, one leg thrown over mine, like he was afraid I’d disappear in my sleep. The morning sun streamed through the massive penthouse windows, casting a golden glow across the bed and illuminating his face in a way that made me forget how to breathe.God.He looked unfairly good in the daylight.His hair was a tousled mess from sleep and sex, his beard a little scruffier than usual. But it was the calm on his face that stole something out of my chest—a rare softness most people never got to see. It made him look younger. Sweeter. But still, unmistakably dangerous.I turned slowly in his arms, careful not to wake him, even though the movement made my thighs ache in the best way. Every part of me still buzzed from last night—from the way he claimed me like I was oxygen and he was suffocating. I smiled, letting my fingers trace the sharp line of his jaw, down to the dip of his collarbone.How the hell is this man for

The numbers on the screen blurred.I’d been staring at this proposal for an hour now, but not a single word was sinking in. My hand tightened around the mouse, dragging it across the desk with just enough restraint not to fling it at the glass wall.It wasn’t the numbers.It wasn’t the deal.It was the empty chair in the corner of the office.Emily’s chair.I raked a hand through my hair and leaned back in my chair, staring up at the ceiling, jaw clenched so tight it ached.I missed her.Hell, missed wasn’t even the right word. I felt her absence like a goddamn injury. Like someone had taken a knife and carved her out of the room, leaving only the ghost of her laugh and the memory of her perfume.And the silence?It was deafening.I didn’t realize how much she filled this space until she was gone from it.The click of the door interrupted my spiral. I didn’t look up, assuming it was Angelo with a file or maybe a reminder about lunch. But then I saw something move in my periphery—somet

“Really?” I breathed, eyes wide, lips still tingling from his kiss.Lorenzo nodded, that signature smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I need to spoil my woman.”God, the way he said it… my woman—like I was some rare, precious thing only he was allowed to touch.My insides fluttered.I kissed him again—quick, greedy. “Where are we going?”“It’s a surprise,” he murmured, brushing a thumb across my lower lip.I groaned dramatically, tipping my head back. “You know I hate surprises.”“That’s exactly why I’m doing it,” he said, voice smug.I rolled my eyes and pushed off his lap, only to feel his palm connect with my ass in a swift, stinging slap.A gasp escaped my lips.I turned halfway, eyes burning into his as I bit down on my bottom lip. “Lorenzo…”He groaned low, the sound vibrating in his chest as his hand reached for me again. “You know what that sound does to me.”Laughing, I danced just out of reach and bolted toward the door. “Then catch me, De Vito.”“Brat,” he muttered,

Lorenzo’s lips crushed against mine the moment he climbed up the bed, tasting me like he couldn’t get enough—his tongue tangling with mine, deep and greedy, coaxing a moan straight from my chest.God, I melted into him.My fingers curled into his hair, and I kissed him back with everything I had left—every drop of fear, every flicker of rage, every ounce of need buried inside me. His hand slid along my jaw, steady, grounding, and when he finally pulled back, his eyes searched mine—dark and burning and impossibly soft all at once.Without a word, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his chest.I didn’t resist.I buried my face in his neck, inhaling the familiar scent of cedar and something uniquely him. My body curled against his like it always knew where to go.Safe.That’s how he made me feel.Even when everything else was spiraling.Lorenzo pressed a kiss to my hair, a gentle brush of lips that made my chest ache with tenderness. I felt him exhale slowly, his breath sti

“I—I didn’t…” The words tumbled from my lips, broken and half-formed, barely audible over the rush of blood in my ears. But he didn’t move. Lorenzo stood in the doorway like a statue carved from stone and fury, his hand still on the doorknob, his eyes locked on mine with a kind of betrayal I’d never seen in him before. It was worse than rage—it was devastation twisted into disgust. “I asked you a question,” he said, voice low but lethal. “What the fuck are you doing in here?” My mouth opened again, but nothing came out. My throat felt like it had been scraped raw from the inside, my body frozen in place like I was standing in the middle of a crime scene—and maybe I was. “I—I didn’t mean to—” “Didn’t mean to?” he cut me off with a bitter laugh, stepping into the room fully now, his presence swallowing the space whole. “What part of no one is allowed in this room didn’t you understand, Emily?” I flinched at the way he said my name. Cold. Sharp. Not the way he usually said it wh