Sinking my teeth into my bottom lip, I remain quiet.
In a single stride, he closes the gap between us, eyes never leaving mine.“Who are you?”
Guess he didn’t find whatever he was searching for.
Holding his stare, I lift my chin.“Raya Michel.”
Without warning, his hand comes up, fingers wrapping around my throat.Not to harm, just tight enough to threaten.
“Who.Are.You?”he grits out.
I don’t flinch, don’t back down, don’t break our gazes.“Raya Michel.”
His nostrils flare.“Did they send you?”
My brows pull together.“Who?”
“THE O,” he says.“They sent you to fuck with me, didn’t they?”
I blink.“The what?”
His answering sigh is thick with frustration.“You know you’re a liar.I know you’re a liar.And yet…” His gaze, now swimming with torment and hunger, drops to my mouth, as his hand around my throat loosens and glides up to cup my jaw.Slowly, he drags the pad of his thumb across my bottom lip.“Instead of chopping off these pretty lying lips of yours, all I want to do is…kiss them.”
Oh…wow.Of all the things I expected him to say, that’s not one of them.
But that’s the thing with Stefano Castello, nothing ever makes sense.He’s all fire and edge, steel and chaos.A wild card with no rules, just instinct.
His thumb lingers at the corner of my mouth, his breath mixing with mine as he murmurs, “Can I?”
I keep my tone even, careful.“Can you what?”
His gaze darkens.Melt like molten.“Kiss them…”
My tongue darts over his fingertip as I wet the very lips he’s still touching.“No.”
Something shifts in him, indignation flashing in his heated eyes.“Why?”
Because I like watching power squirm when it doesn’t get its way.Because I want to see how you react to rejection.
“Because ‘no’ is a complete answer.”
“If I stared at your tits all day like Gio, would you say yes?”His voice is flat, but his jaw is tight.“Is that why you let him kiss you?”
Oh, so this is a pissing contest.“I didn’tlethim.He didn’t ask, he just took.Had he asked, I would have said no.”
His tone is edged with accusation when he bites out, “You kissed him back.”
I lift one shoulder in a shrug.“He’s a good kisser.”
Stefano steps in even closer, slow and deliberate, until his lips hover a hairsbreadth from mine.The sliver of air between us is searing, and I’m sure he’s going to do it…take what he wants anyway.
Not that I would stop him.I’ve imagined kissing him a million times, a hundred different ways.It’s all I’ve ever wanted.
But if he did, I’d be…disappointed.Because for me, the sexiest thing about a man is self-control.The kind of control that pulses beneath desire.Power wrapped in restraint.A man who can resist, even when he doesn’t want to, no matter how deep the desire, is sexy as hell to me.
That’s strength.That’s power.That’s leadership.That’shot.
What can I say?My kinks are different.
