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And then there was Antonio. Despite who and what he was, I liked him. More than liked him. I was fascinated. I was drawn to him like a moth to a flame.
That never turns out too well for the moth, Evie.
I couldn’t understand who he was or what he did. How he did what he did. But I knew in my gut that he was an honorable man. Was that enough?
Was it enough to help me live with a killer, no matter how long my life was?
One thing I knew for sure—there was no way out.
I was deep in thought as Antonio closed and locked the door to his suite. Then he was there, cupping my face, holding me still so he could ravage my mouth.
Oh. My. God.
His lips . . . tongue . . . hands . . . he was everywhere, surrounding me, stroking me, practically inhaling me. I stepped back, staring at him.
“I want a real marriage, Evie. If you’re not up for that, tell me now.”
“I don’t even know what that means.”
“It means this . . .” he murmured huskily in a voice like rough velvet. It was a voice that sent chills up and down my spine. Then he was kissing me again. A little gentler this time. A little more . . . persuasively.
I found myself clinging to him, my hands on his shoulders, gripping his jacket, my lips and tongue as eager for him as he was for me.
He started to slide the sweater off my shoulders, and I stepped back again, holding the sweater closed. He stared at me like a wild animal about to charge. I could almost see steam coming off him. He shifted, and it was like a bull pawing the ground before he charged. Antonio wanted to take all my clothes off, I realized. He wanted to sleep with me.
“I wish I’d never bought you that damn sweater,” he growled.
“You . . . don’t like it?” I murmured, sounding out of breath. “It’s so warm,” I added inanely.
“I can’t see you. I want to look at you,” he rasped, sliding the soft wool over my shoulders to the floor. “I just want to look,” he promised, his lips hovering next to my ear.
“Just . . . look?”
He stood inches away, staring down at me.
“I won’t push you, Evangeline. As much as I want to. Not yet.”
My mouth dropped open.
“Thank you?”
He laughed, low and deep. I could feel the sound of it rumbling through him and into me.
“You are like a gift, just waiting for me to unwrap it. Let me. Just a little bit more each day . . .”
Well, swoon. What woman wouldn’t melt with that kind of talk? And I was melting. I was a puddle of goo.
I was helpless against this rough but tender side of him. He was so masculine, but he wasn’t really a bull. He had way too much finesse for that.
I nodded jerkily and he smiled. Just like that, the shark was back. I swallowed nervously. What could I do? I’d agreed to marry him. I had to give him a chance to show me what that could look like.
“I’ll protect you from it,” he breathed, pushing my hair away from my face. “I will keep the other side of this far away from you.”
All the resistance went out of me. If he meant it . . . if it were even possible . . . maybe we could have a life together. Maybe I could just pretend he was like any other husband, heading off to work in the morning with a cup of coffee and a kiss on the cheek.
But he isn’t like other men, Evie. You can ignore it, but don’t ever, ever, forget it.
I closed my eyes as he lifted me and carried me into the living room.
Chapter 21
Antonio
Fuck me.
Evie was stretched out on the couch looking out of breath and more than a little nervous. I slid my body over hers, groaning at the contact. Every kiss with this girl was like a thousand kisses. Every touch was the same.
My cock was so hard it gave diamonds a bad name. I resisted the urge to grind it into her. Her slinky dress moved on her skin like water. I hadn’t been expecting that.
Evie felt a lot more naked than she realized.
I could have cried. I wanted to do so many things to her and couldn’t. I really could have cried like a goddamn baby.
Evie was candy and Baby wanted candy. Baby wanted candy right fucking now.
My hands slid over her sides and back, doing my best not to linger in any one place. I brushed my hand over the swell of her breast and we both gasped. I smiled then. It was a grim smile, full of determination.
