Page 29 of Ruthless Sinner
I wiggle an arm free when the silence grows too suffocating. Dante jerks away from me, balancing all his weight on his hands. “Are you okay?” He asks, his voice laced with empathy and his face lined with concern.
“I’m fine. Lay back down,” I coax. “I just want to run my fingers through your hair.” The words slip unbidden from my throat, a desire I didn’t even realize I had. But the second they touch the air, I realize they’re true.
Dante makes himself comfortable as I untangle my arm from the blankets. My fingers trace soft circles on his scalp, feeling the silky strands beneath my touch. His eyes flutter closed, and I can hear his contented sighs blending with the rustling of leaves outside. “Mhmm,” he groans against my chest, “that feels nice.”
My anxiety resurfaces, coiling around my stomach like a tight knot. “Tell me something about yourself,” I say, hoping he’ll ruin this moment. Part of me wants him to say something that will make me hate him, but another part secretly hopes he’ll surprise me and make me fall even harder for him.
His body goes rigid for a second before he finds a response. “I got a real job when I was sixteen. First one ever. My father disapproved because he wanted me to be completely reliant on him, but I’ve always gone my own way.”
I make a sound of agreement, urging him to go on.
“A friend of the family needed a stock boy at their grocery store. Looking back, it was a shitty job, but I loved it back then. I would race out of my last class of the day just to hop in my car and work a 3-hour shift at the store. It was the time of my life. I was only making a few bucks an hour, but I remember being so damn proud of myself when I got my first check.”
I’m jealous that he got to stock shelves, that he had something to look forward to every day. But that wasn’t what I expected when I asked him to tell me something. I expected a dark and ugly secret because I needed it to deter me from wanting him. “Tell me something else.”
Nothing changes in his posture, but I can feel a shift in his energy. Dante remains still with his head on my chest, quietly listening to my heartbeat. “What do you want, Adalina?” He asks the question gently without a hint of anger or frustration.
For some reason, it unnerves me. “I want you to tell me something about yourself. Something else.”
He takes my insolence in stride. “What else?”
Frustration quickly seeps into my tone, uncontrollable and dripping with exasperation. I wish I had an answer, but all I can do is shrug helplessly as the words escape my lips. “I don’t know.”
Dante raises his head to look at me, his face drawn taut with lines of anger. “Do you want a story where I’m the villain? Do you want me to tell you that I killed a man last year because he took a hit out on my father? Do you want me to tell you that I stuck him in the dungeon and started removing his limbs one by one? That I force-fed him every day and kept him hydrated so he’d stay alive long enough to tell me why he did it? And that even after I’d taken every finger and toe, after I’d flayed his cock while it was still on his body, he died of a heart attack before he admitted the truth? Is this what you want? To believe I’m a monster? Because I am. And I’m sorry if doing one nice thing for you makes me too human.”
Somewhere between his angry breaths and my restlessness, we meet in the middle for a kiss. His lips are on mine, demanding and taking all the passion I have to give. And I don’t know if it’s the warmth of his body on mine or the savagery with which he told the story, but I need to be closer to him. Right now, he is the only person in the world who knows and understands what I’ve gone through, and it blurs the lines between right and wrong.
Chapter 31
Dante
With a swift movement, I pull back the thick blanket separating Adalina and me, my insatiable desire for her taking over. The little voice in my head warns me against this impulsive action, but I fling its caution to the wind. At this moment, nothing else matters except burying myself in her.
As our lips remain locked in a passionate kiss, I urgently move my hands over her body, tracing every curve and contour with eagerness. The warmth of her skin ignites my own. Every touch, every kiss, is full of unbridled passion and longing.
As my fingers slip beneath the hem of her dress, she responds with a sense of urgency. I revel in her warmth and softness as she presses herself against me, her body aching to feel all of me at once. Her hands explore the bare skin beneath my undershirt, her touch sending electric sparks through my body as she pulls the fabric over my head.
I pull away, briefly breaking the kiss to allow her to remove my shirt. As she does, I can see the raw intensity in her dark eyes, a mix of vulnerability and desire that leaves me breathless. Her teeth graze her bottom lip, triggering me into possessiveness. A low growl escapes my throat as I lean in, claiming her with my mouth as I trail kisses down her neck and along the sensitive skin of her shoulder. She shivers under my touch, goosebumps prickling across her arms. The scent of her skin overwhelms me, pulling me closer as I lose myself in the moment.
“I need you inside of me,” Adalina’s warm breath tickles my ear as she whispers, her voice husky and seductive. She digs her fingernails into my back as she pulls me closer, urging me on. “Right now.”
My self-control threatens to slip away. I start squeezing and grabbing with an intensity that borders on obsession. I want to possess Adalina completely; I want to make her mine. I kiss and suck her neck until marks of ownership are left in my wake, dappling her throat in shades of violet and rose.
Adalina moans and arches against me as I trail kisses down her collarbone towards the neckline of her dress. It’s a pretty little thing, something I’ve seen my sister wear a thousand times, but it suits Adalina better. Regardless, I rip the fabric apart. I can buy her a dozen new dresses to replace this one, but right now, I need to feel her skin against mine. A lacy black bra peaks out from beneath the tattered fabric, cupping her breasts like it was fitted perfectly for her. “God, your body is going to ruin me for other women,” I whisper against her skin.
She laughs, her eyes slowly closing in blissful desire. “Don’t let your fiancé hear that.”
I don’t want to think about Lucrezia right now. All I want is to be between Adalina’s thighs.
I trace kisses along the exposed skin of her stomach, ripping apart the dress until it falls to the sides. The tempting sight of her pretty pink pussy teasingly peeks out from beneath a pair of matching black panties, driving my desire and arousal into overdrive. My throbbing member strains against the fabric of my boxers, desperate for release. The contrast between the dark material and the soft, delicate skin underneath creates an alluring sense of forbidden pleasure. I can practically feel the heat radiating off her body, tempting me to give in to my primal urges and take what I crave. I hook my fingers into the waistband of her panties before slowly peeling them off her body, tossing them aside.
Adalina opens her eyes and meets my gaze, spreading herself wide open for me. It’s the first time she’s awake, the first time she’s a completely willing participant, the first time she isn’t getting angrily fucked into the dirt. And nothing can stop me from lowering myself between her legs, eyes locked onto hers.
Her eyes, filled with desire and anticipation, never leave my face as I run my tongue along the length of her folds. She lets out a soft moan, her body trembling with pleasure as she feels my warm breath on her skin. The taste of her, a mixture of sweetness and musk, drives me wild with need.
Her fingers tangle in my hair as I lick and suck at her pussy, each moan spurring me on to push her closer to the edge. Adalina arches her back, her hips lifting off the bed as I slide a finger inside of her, feeling how tight she is around me. I add a second finger and curl them together inside her, searching for that spot that will make her unravel. With each thrust, she cries out my name until she’s begging for release.
I pull away for a moment, admiring the sight of Adalina spread out beneath me, panting and covered in sweat. She reaches for me again, grabbing my arm and pulling me back to her. “Please,” she whispers, looking into my eyes with so much need it takes my breath away.