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Romero watched me as though he expected me to vanish. I reached out, grabbing his hand. His thumb stroked my skin in slow swipes.
The music changed, “Darkside” by Grandson blaring, and people whooped. People started to dance. Off to the side, metal tubs wrapped with twine and lace were filled with assorted bottles, frosty from their icy bed.
Eli stood by one, sipping a beer. I cast a look at Romero, gesturing to my target. He nodded, though as I turned, I felt his gaze following me.
Damn possessive man.
When I got close enough, Eli glanced at me. His golden brown hair was cut to his shoulders, tousled and sexy in a way only he could pull off. He had dark smudges under his eyes, but there was a hardness to his features that I hadn’t seen before.
“She’s still…detoxifying,” he said without my prompting.
I nodded. Eli had taken my sister back to his place, keeping her locked in a room in his basement. At first, I’d protested, but when I saw the violent state she was in, I’d allowed it.
None of my dozen or so visits had softened her, and I think being locked up in Eli’s house had only made the situation worse. She couldn’t be trusted on her own, however, and she was a danger to herself as well.
“I promise to call the second she asks to see you,” he offered tightly.
I laid a hand on his shoulder. “Thank you.”
He nodded, his attention lifting over my head. I felt Romero’s presence behind me. His hand landed on my lower back in a comforting gesture that I leaned into.
“Go, dance,” Eli said, jutting his chin in the direction of my new makeshift family.
I pulled Romero toward them, savoring his body against mine as we danced and laughed. When he decided to stand at the edge and watch with an intensity I was sure would incinerate my dress, Arie and I danced together. On more than one occasion, I caught the way Kieran watched my best friend, and wondered if something was starting between them. Her gaze drifted to him once or twice.
The night was being lit with torches to fend off the bugs when Romero pulled me away. As soon as we were out of sight, my back hit the side of the cabin and his mouth crashed down on mine.
It sparked a hunger deep within me that had me untucking his crisp white shirt from his black slacks.
“They’re going to know what we’re doing,” I murmured, fingers working open the buttons.
“I don’t give a fuck,” Romero growled. “If I don’t have my head between your legs in the next five minutes, I’m going to raze this whole fucking island.”
I chuckled huskily. His lips moved to my neck, kissing my fevered flesh hard enough to leave a mark, and I moaned. We somehow managed to find the back door of our cabin between our brutal, hungry kisses.
Slamming the door closed behind us, he moved us through the room. Flickering light drew my attention for a moment, and I saw the tealights all aglow around the space. The red rose petals on the floor and the bed. He must have done it while I was dancing, but I didn’t recall him leaving for even a second.
My heart swelled. “I love you,” I whispered.
“I love you, Julietta,” he answered. His hand found the zipper of my overpriced lace dress. It was the most gorgeous gown I’d ever seen, but I was more than relieved when Romero slowly slipped it down my hips, letting it pool at my feet.
A rumble shook his chest as he drank in the sight of me in my pure white lingerie, garter belt, and thigh-high stockings.
“I don’t fucking deserve you, mi amor,” he rasped.
Before I could respond, he grabbed me under my thighs, lifting me up. I squealed, clasping my hands around the back of his neck as he carried me to the bed.
“Good thing it’s too late for you to run away then,” I teased.
He nipped at the swell of my breast, drawing a shaky breath from me. “Never,” he growled. “You’re mine, Julietta. And I’m yours.”
He laid me back, and climbed up the bed to hover over me. I drew his mouth down to mine, feeling his fingers breeze up the inside of my leg, reaching my apex.
I was already drenched. With an appreciative groan, Romero gently slid a finger through my arousal, bringing it to my clit. My back bowed when he started to rub, trailing kisses down my body.
Lower.
And lower.
