I put my finger to her lips. “I never, ever take a life without good reason. But we will not sugarcoat who I am or what I do. We do not justify what I’ve done. Ever. Do you understand me?”
I know then the spanking I gave her got through, because she nods submissively and swallows hard.
“We don’t ever justify my actions. I’m the leader of one of the most dangerous organized crime rings not only in this country, but this world. You know that, don’t you?”
She nods again. “Yes,” she says, then she pushes herself up on my lap so she’s facing me. “But I want you to know something. I’m not as naïve as you might think, and anyway, I…” I watch as she swallows hard before she says with conviction, “I… I lo--I still care about you anyway.”
She was going to say I love you.
Christ. But she held herself back.
She has to. I have to. Fucking hell, we both do.
“I...care about you, too,” I tell her, feeling like an idiot. But I do. I fucking do. “It’s why I punished you just now.” My voice breaks when I admit the truth to her. “Because if anything ever happened to you—if anyone had taken you—” I can’t finish the sentence.
I take her in my arms and lean her back, silencing her with a gentle, tender kiss. She tastes like fine wine in summer, decadent and sumptuous, and with her tucked against me like this, all feminine curves and exotic temptation, molded to my body, she feels as if she belongs here. Just like this, just this way, and the very thought of anyone taking her from me fires me with conviction.
I will keep her safe, no matter the cost.
With that knowledge, I deepen the kiss. When her lips part I slide my tongue between them in exploration. She sighs into me, her hands grasping for purchase around my neck. Standing, I take her with me and lay her on the bed, still locked together in a kiss. In silence, we declare our vows to one another, held in this unbreakable bond.
My hands ride up her body, bunching what remains of her tattered dress in hand. I release her mouth so I can tear her clothes off over her head, but as soon as she’s divested of the dress, I go back to kissing her. When my lips are locked with hers, I can breathe more easily, my breath and hers one. Unwilling to take my mouth off hers, I cup her jaw and mentally tell her everything I want to say. What I wish I could.
I love you.
I will protect you.
I will keep you safe from whatever threatens us.
This is no mere girl I’ve just met, but someone I’ve watched grow to be the woman she is now. Fearless and brave, brilliant and loyal.
But I can’t let myself fall for her. I won’t.
She’s supposed to be my fucking prisoner.
The need between us builds, and I don’t bother to stop her hands gripping my shirt, yanking it up my body. I tear my mouth off hers with great reluctance but find solace in the fiery eyes that meet mine.
“Take your clothes off,” she whispers.
“Your ass is still striped with my belt and you’ve got the nerve to tell me what to do?” But my lips twitch. She wants this as much as I do, and it’s goddamn electrifying.
“You bet your ass I do,” she whispers, gripping my ass cheeks in her hands. “You bet this glorious, tight ass I do.”
“Naughty girl,” I say with a cluck of my tongue. “Such a naughty little girl.”
I take the hem of my shirt and yank it over my head, loving the way her eyes drink me.
“Oh Lord, have mercy and salvation,” she whispers, running one long, tapered finger over my shoulder, tracing the faded ink there. “I was probably in grade school when you got these.”
“That matters?”
She shakes her head. “No,” she says. “It makes me want you all the more. Something tells me you’re like whiskey. You get better with age.”
I chuckle, tossing my t-shirt to the floor, where it falls into a tumbled heap while I allow her to continue to explore my body. Her hands roam up and down my sides, over my abs, and as she explores my muscles and ink, my cock aches to be in her.
“Wow, you are so damn hot,” she says. I chuckle, lift her hand to my mouth, and kiss each of the tips of her fingers.
“I like your hands all over me like this,” I say. “But if I have to wait one more minute to feel your pussy wrapped around my cock, I might have to punish you again.”
She giggles, and it’s the cutest damn thing I’ve ever heard. “That isn’t fair.”
“Fair? No. Necessary? Yes.”