My lips parted, and my stomach swooped. I’d never given first kisses much thought. But it seemed my husband, who had no problem spanking me, finger-fucking me, or burying his face between my legs, saw it as the holy grail. Where was the logic in that? But this was Santino. He was weird. But I liked weird.
I like my husband. Shit.
I shoved off his chest so abruptly and sat back, flustered by the truth. How had I let this happen? In the space of a day and a half, most of which I’d spent trying to drive him insane, he’d forced his way into my feelings. Worse, I’d nearly kissed him and let him realise it too.
He sat up, frowning at my sudden distance. Then his phone rang, and I breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced at it, frowned, and ruffled his hair.
“It’s Gio. It could be important. I need to take this,” he said apologetically. I stood up, plastering a smile on my face and shaking my head.
“You take it. I was going to head to bed, anyway. I’m exhausted.” I gave a stupid little wave and bolted from the room. “Goodnight.”
I heard him sigh, and then his rapid Italian voice filled the space as I practically ran towards the bedroom. Then I stopped. My heart was racing. My stomach was tied up in knots with something that felt too dangerous to name.
Santino’s bed. I couldn’t do it. It was a terrible idea. I wasn't strong enough to resist that man tonight. I grabbed the handle of a guest room instead.
Corruption
Iwoke up cocooned in warmth that definitely wasn’t there when I’d fallen asleep. I slowly peeled my eyes open, lying perfectly still and scanning the familiar layout of Santino’s room. A tattooed, heavy arm was slung over my waist, his hand resting just below my breast, and one of his knees was hooked over mine, anchoring me in place. His grip wasn’t tight, but even in his sleep, he held me unapologetically.
Santino lay behind me, his chest rising in steady, shallow breaths that tickled the nape of my neck. His scent was everywhere. The worst part was that it was beginning to feel familiar, like a comfort that was far scarier than any threat he’d ever made.
My breath hitched.How the hell did this happen? Did I sleepwalk?
I curled my fingers into the pillow as awareness of other certain body parts spread. He was rock-hard against my ass, and I bit my lip, stifling a moan as I shifted a fraction and felt him press against me. My body was already betraying me by letting me sleep in his arms, but this… this unrelenting need that infected my blood and made me ache and squirm was downright unfair.
I turned my head just enough to glimpse his face over my shoulder, which didn’t help at all. His tousled black hair looked soft and inviting. His long, dark eyelashes fanned over his cheeks, and the hard lines of his bone structure seemed softer in the morning sun. He wasgorgeous.
His arm tightened around me, and I snapped my head back into place so he wouldn’t know I was awake. His chest rose, and he exhaled a contented sigh against my neck, making my skin pebble. When his fingers flexed against my ribs, I held my breath and squeezed my thighs together.
“Buongiorno,” he mumbled sleepily, nuzzling into me and pulling me closer until my back was flush against his warm chest. I stared straight ahead, eyes wide and pulse racing as he subtly rolled his hips into me.
“So… I’m in your bed.”
I felt him smile against my neck. “You’re inourbed.”
“Funny that… I wasn’t last night.”
“No. You ran away, so I carried you back to where you belong.”
“I didn’t run away.”
“You did.”
I huffed. “Well, didn’t you see that as a sign, and the fact that I was sleeping in a guest room, that maybe I needed some space?”
“From me?” he teased. “Why? I’m delightful.”
“You’re intense.”
His smile widened. “A positive adjective. Finally. We are getting somewhere.”
“Trust you to see that as a compliment.” His fingers slid across my stomach to my hip, then began caressing the skin beneath my T-shirt. A breath stuttered past my lips as I tried to ignore how good it felt. “Just so we’re clear, you’re not opposed to kidnapping me in my sleep either?”
“Not at all.”
I rolled my eyes and tried to throw the covers off me so I could sit up. He didn’t let me.
“Don’t go,” he muttered, pressing me harder against him so I could feel every inch of him. I bit my lip and closed my eyes as my body hummed with longing. “Relax,Ribellina,” he whispered against the shell of my ear before he placed a soft kiss below it that made me shudder with pleasure. “You’re my wife. We cuddled. You said you liked being cuddled. No laws were broken.”
