Filthy: A Mafia Romance

My arms moved on their own until they were wrapped around his neck, pulling him down to me. I wanted him closer. His hands were at the small of my back, holding me against him, and I didn’t care that my shirt was riding up to my hips. I wanted him. Not because I had to or because the alternative was terrifying, but because he was here and he was kissing me. Because what sparked between us was real.

When he broke the kiss and pulled away slightly, I leaned towards him automatically. I wanted more. My chest heaved as I pulled in oxygen like I was drowning. I felt the thumping of his heart in his hard chest.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t feel that,” he murmured huskily.

I swallowed and nodded. “I did. I shouldn’t, but I want you Ethan. I want whatever this is.”

His mouth returned and we kissed again. I clutched at his body, his shoulders, his neck. Then my hands roamed up, fingers sliding through his dark hair. I tugged on his thick strands, then felt him grin against my mouth.

His hands were at my hips, moving up beneath my nightshirt to find the pale flesh beneath. He caressed my navel and slid along the curves of my waist, then up higher. My breath hitched when I felt his large hands moving against my ribcage to find the undercurves of my breasts.

I waited for him to cup them, to weigh them in his palms, and finally to fondle them just as he always did. But tonight, he didn’t. His hands and mouth pulled away at the same time, though he continued to hold me close.

I arched towards him, trying to kiss him again, but he resisted. “Don’t you want me?” I asked.

He nodded. “Yes. As a business partner and as my partner.”

I tried to kiss him again, but he dodged me. Letting out a frustrated noise, I demanded, “Then what the hell?”

He laughed, the sound genuine and sexy. “I didn’t come here for sex. I don’t want you to think that every time I call you, it’s for sex.”

I raised an eyebrow at him, my mouth twitching towards a smile. “Um, but it is. That’s what your phone calls mean, remember?”

Rolling his eyes, he admitted it. “Okay, yes. But that’s only because I was trying to keep my name away from yours. Now that that’s no longer an option, there’s no point in staying apart.”

I considered that. “So you’re saying this was to protect the business—and me—and that’s why it’s only been about the sex?”

His hand came up to my face, gently brushing away a strand of blonde hair as he looked down at me. “Yes. At least…that’s what it’s become.”

I nodded. That last addition, that’s what it’s become, made all the difference because it rang true. Feelings had grown, unbidden, and now we were in a hell of a mess. Sighing, I let my head fall to his shoulder in a strangely intimate moment. “Okay,” I said.

“Okay?”

“Okay, I’ll be your bait.”

There was a long pause. I couldn’t see his face, so I couldn’t tell what expressions were flickering across it. Finally, he spoke. “No.”

Pulling away, I looked him in the eyes. His expression was determined and maybe a little grim. “What do you mean?”

“I mean you’re not going to be my bait.”

“But the plan—”

“It’s changed. We’ll move the stash tonight. I’ve got Louis on call. Tomorrow, we’ll work out another way to lure in Tommy. I’ll take care of him.”

My heart leapt in my chest. Was he serious? Was this a gesture that told me he really meant what he said, and I was important to him as more than just a sex toy or a drug storage place?

“But—”

“I’ll handle it.”

He kissed me then, silencing any further protests. It was short and sweet. When he pulled away, I left my mouth parted, but the kiss did the trick. I had absolutely nothing to say. Through a haze of powerful lust, I saw his eyes dart down to my lips. He seemed to be considering me, debating something in his head. A second later, he leaned forward again and kissed me again.

This one wasn’t sweet or short.

His hands found my hips again, jerking me to him. My chest pressed into his. The kiss became insistent, needy. His hands moved up beneath my shirt, but this time instead of traveling to my breasts, his fingers hooked into the waistband of my panties. I broke the kiss, taking in quick breaths as I struggled to speak.

“I thought you weren’t here for sex.”

He made a low, groaning sound in his throat that was closer to a growl than anything else. “I wasn’t. But since I’m here and you’ve got so little on anyway…” He trailed off so that he could kiss along the column of my neck. Then he paused. “Unless you don’t want to.”