Page 162 of The Art of Ruin

I think some of it starts as accidental.

Eventually, Adriano’s hand just seems to remain at the small of my back permanently while we work, his thumb moving over my hip.

“Not helping my concentration there, big guy.”

“Now you know how I feel when you walk in a room.”

I try not to let him see how much his words get to me. Ever since the night of the gala, he’s been all in. No games, no hesitation, just honest devotion and seduction.

I glance at his attempt at jewelry making and bite my lip. “You’re terrible at this,” I inform him as he squints suspiciously at a pair of delicate pliers.

“I run multinational corporations. My hands weren’t designed for this.”

Oh, I know exactly what his hands were designed for. Driving me wild. “And yet this tiny gold clasp is defeating you,” I tease.

“It’s badly designed.”

Celeste laughs softly from across the table. “That’s exactly what my husband says every time he loses an argument.”

Adriano looks entirely unimpressed by this betrayal.

I grin openly.

God, I love seeing him like this.

Relaxed.

Warm.

Happy.

Not the cold, controlled man the rest of the world gets.

Just… him.

At some point, while I’m concentrating on fastening a small stone into place, Adriano’s fingers slide absently along the back of my neck, brushing loose curls aside before his mouth presses softly against my shoulder.

The tiny, intimate gesture sends heat rushing through me instantly. “You’re distracting me,” I murmur.

“That’s not an accident.”

I turn my head slightly.

Big mistake.

He’s already looking at me with that dark, focused expression that always makes my stomach tighten.

“You know,” I say carefully, “most people would probably classify this level of obsession as unhealthy.”

“Most people don’t get to touch you.”

The quiet possessiveness in the words hits low in my belly. Making me want to tear his clothes off and show him exactly what they mean to me.

My pulse stumbles slightly. “Adriano…”

His thumb brushes slowly beneath my jaw.

Then he kisses me.