Not when I was finally getting a taste of freedom.
“No, that’s okay. I’d rather deal with him than you.”
He laughed softly. “Is that because Oscar isn’t as observant as I am?”
“I’m not sure what that means.” I tilted my chin up defiantly. My heart raced like it always did when he was around, but I wouldn’t let my nerves get in the way.
“It means that you hide things, princess. You’ve got a whole host of secrets, don’t you?”
“Everyone has secrets.”
“I don’t.”
“I think you do. And if you say you don’t, then you’re a liar.”
He grinned. “So no matter what, I’m a liar then?”
“I guess so. It’s a catch-22. Admit you have secrets, and that makes you a liar of sorts. Claim that you don’t, and you’re lying about that.”
“I can’t win. What should I say then? That I have secrets, but I’ll give them all to you in exchange for your own?”
“No, thanks,” I said, shaking my head. “That’s not a deal I’m willing to make.”
“I guess it wouldn’t be.” He came closer, sipped his drink, and put it down. “Except you just admitted to having secrets, princess.” His smirk was infuriating and I glared at him.
“What do you want from me, Carmine?”
“I want to know something. I have a question and I want you to answer it truthfully.”
I clenched my jaw. What game was he playing? I didn’t like where this was going, but I was too afraid to walk away.
And the way his eyes gazed down my body didn’t help. He drew me into him like a siren’s song. I was intensely aware of the tight, white t-shirt I wore without a bra underneath, and the black cotton shorts that were much too short and very inappropriate. He looked at my leg, at my chest, at my lips. I knew what he was thinking and what he wanted.
And the sick part was, I wanted it too.
Wanted him to shove me back against the couch and kiss me.
I craved it so badly I could scream.
“If I answer you, I want an answer in return,” I spoke quietly. Almost a whisper. What could he possibly ask that I couldn’t answer?
“That’s a fair trade. I’m happy you’re playing along.”
“Me first.” I shifted, closing the distance between us. He’d come closer and closer this whole time, honing in on me like a predator stalking his prey. “Why did you kiss me?”
He didn’t answer right away. His eyes did most of the talking for him. He stared intently, ravishing me with his gaze, like he was an inch away from tearing off my pathetic clothing and taking what he most desired.
“It’s a complicated question,” he whispered.
“Is it? I thought kissing a person was simple.”
“It can be. Sometimes it means you want to fuck them.”
“And in this case?” I felt the wet spot between my legs tingle with excitement. My heart raced double time and my lips parted.
“I kissed you because I want to fuck you. But also, because I’ve come to realize that life’s not guaranteed. Too much can go wrong. And I’d rather fuck up and make mistakes in pursuit of what I want than to drift along too afraid to fail.”
I nodded slowly. “I think I know what you mean.”
“Is that why you’re here? Why you’re going to college?”
“Is that your question?”
His head shook slightly. “No, it’s not.”
“Then finish answering my question first. Why did you kiss me?”
He touched my cheek. His fingers smelled like gas and something acrid and sharp—gunpowder. I recognized it from my father’s house.
“Because I want you badly enough to risk everything.”
I let out a soft whimper of surprise. His words sent a shock down into my core and I leaned closer to him as his hand moved back into my hair. He gripped it tight and pressed his lips to mine, kissing me slowly at first, nibbling on my bottom lip before his tongue plunged into my mouth with a deep, dark passion. I moaned into that kiss and felt his rough hands pulling me, dragging me across the couch and into his lap.
I straddled him, heart racing, back arching as I pressed myself down against him. I felt his cock stiffen between my legs and it was like heaven. I’d never experienced that before—a man getting hard because of me. It was thrilling and intoxicating. I had the power to make Carmine hard, and god damn, he was massive, long and thick, big enough to press against his jeans and dig in between my legs, against my soaking wet and buzzing pussy.
I moaned as I ground my hips. I knew I shouldn’t, but his hands went to my hips and began to guide me. I groaned as he bit my lower lip and murmured something too low and quiet for me to understand. I didn’t care what it was. I kissed him harder, grinding faster, moving my slick self up and down his hard shaft.