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The temptation was too much.
I reached out and placed my hand on his chest. He winced slightly at the contact, and I knew straight away that his injuries were far worse than he was letting on.
“Were you worried about me Nutmeg?” he asked and cupped my chin with his huge hand.
“No,” I lied, “I just wanted to see if you could do as you were told.”
“Don’t be dead.”he mused, and his lips lifted in a ghost of a smile.
“Looks like you can follow commands after all.” I whispered sarcastically.
“Shut the fuck up Nutmeg.” he groaned and tugged my chin up as he leaned down and kissed me.
My hand slid from his chest around to the back of his neck as I gave in to him. He pulled away briefly to mutter something in Italian that sounded beyond filthy, and I wrapped my other arm around him, pulling him further into the water and pressing my lips back against his. He tasted of blood and gunpowder, and I knew that I was hurting him, but I didn’t care. The last time I’d kissed him had been out of guilt, it had happened because I didn’t know how to speak to him. But now, it was more, and it shook me to my core.
I rapidly pulled away from him, this was a dangerous fucking game, and we shouldn’t be playing. I had Toby, and this wasn’t safe. This wasn’t smart.Fuck.
His expression turned sad for a moment, and he sat back on his heels, his soaked clothes clinging to his muscular body, then the determination snapped back into his gaze.
“I thought I was going to die,” he confessed, his voice clear, unashamed, “and my only thoughts were of you. Nutmeg, you are what got me through, because I needed to get back to you. I’m selfish, I’m no fucking good for you, but I want to be. I don’t want to die knowing that I didn’t try. I made a promise to Toby, but I didn’t make it out of guilt, I made it because I wanted to.”
“You wanted to what?” I whispered while trying to make sense of what he was telling me.
“Keep you safe.” he admitted, and my heart stammered in my chest.
“I don’t nee-.” I began.
“I know, but you can’t protect everyone, not alone. So I settled for doing that instead.”
I took a moment to take in what he was telling me. It seemed that the people in my life had been in more danger than I’d realised, I thoughtIwas keeping them safe, but the look on his face told me that wasn’t the case.
“Why do you care though?” I asked.
“You know why.” he said, and his gaze burned into mine. A million words weren’t being spoken out loud, but I knew what he was saying.
“I don’t hate you either.” I said softly.
“I know.” he said, and his lips crashed into mine once more. This time I fully gave in, my hands roamed over the wet fabric of his shirt until I found the buttons and began to fumble with them, I gave up and groaned into his mouth as I grasped the fabric in my fists and ripped it apart.
A pained noise left him as I pulled the shirt from his skin. Desire had caused me to forget that he’d been ambushed by twenty guys tonight and must have been in a hell of a lot of pain.
“Sorry,” I mumbled against his lips, and he pulled back a fraction.
“Don’t be, I can take it.”
I smoothed my hands down his back and felt his muscles tense each time my fingers stroked over a painful spot. I could feel jagged cuts and knew that he needed medical attention, but we were the same, too damn stubborn.
“Mi dispiace per averti spaventato.” he whispered against my mouth as he continued to kiss me as though his world would fall apart if he didn’t. “I’m sorry for everything.”
Water splashed out of the tub and onto the floor as we explored each other’s bodies. His hand slipped down the length of my bare side and my body lit up at his touch. His firm torso pressed hard against my naked skin and need built up in my core.
The tension between us started to get too much, but before I could make any demands, he pushed away from me and stood up. He stepped out of the bath and unbuckled his belt. His trousers were free from dirt now and fell with a heavy thud as the wet material hit the floor. I stared at him, my mouth open and my breath coming in short pants. He lived up to his name. He looked like a fucking god, perfectly carved and deliciously irresistible. Black ink covered the majority of his skin and I itched to trace my fingers over every intricate line. A dragon coiled up over his shoulder and I resisted the urge to command him to turn around so that I could get a better look at the back.
His gaze darkened and I noticed he wasn’t looking at my face anymore. I glanced down and realised that most of the bubbles were now gone, and my body was on full display beneath the water. He held a hand out to me and I took it hesitantly. I wanted him, but fuck, being able to actually have him was a little bit scary.
“Ti ho voluto dal momento in cui ti ho visto battere la merda di quel ragazzo, ero troppo cieco per vedere oltre la nostra rivalità.” he said as I pressed my body up against his and his hands gripped my waist.
I had no idea what he said, and that didn’t matter, because for once I knew that he wasn’t being an arsehole. He was giving in to something we had both tried to ignore.
