I turned two corners before I stopped and leaned against the wall, my chest heaving. In two days we’d be celebrating my wedding. Panic flooded me. I squeezed my eyes shut.
Soft footfalls made me turn and my gaze fell on Romero. He stood a few feet from me, watching me with an expression that felt like a stab to the heart. Despite everything I’d gone through and despite my best intention to mute my feelings for him, they seemed louder than ever. Romero looked irresistible in his dark suite.
“What are you doing here?” I whispered.
“I hated seeing you with him. It’s wrong and you know it.”
I did. Every fiber in my being fought Benito’s closeness, but I couldn’t tell Romero that.
He took a step closer to me, his dark eyes burning into my own.
“We shouldn’t be here alone,” I said feebly, but I wasn’t trying to leave. I didn’t want to.
He took another step closer, every move so lithe and graceful, and yet dangerous. I wanted to fly into his arms. I wanted to do more than that. I stayed where I was. Romero bridged the remaining distance between us and braced one arm above my head, his gaze hungry and possessive.
“Do you want me to leave?”
Say ‘Yes’. If Father found us here, he’d kill Romero on the spot, and as distracted as Romero was at the moment, my father might actually succeed.
I released a shuddering breath. Romero bent down and kissed me, and then I was lost. I raked my hands through his hair and down his back. He kissed me harder. His hands cupped my butt and then he lifted me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist, so the skirt of my cocktail dress rode up but I didn’t care. Romero’s erection was hot against my opening despite the fabric of my panties and of his pants between us. I ground myself against him desperately. I was already so aroused. I’d missed this. I’d missed him.
I knew someone might come down this corridor and find us, but I couldn’t stop. Romero pressed me against the wall and held me with only one arm. His other hand cupped my breast through my dress, making me moan into his mouth and my nipples harden. Romero groaned. He thrust against me, rubbing his erection against my panty-clad heat.
“I need you,” I gasped against his mouth. Romero stroked his palm down my side, then slipped it between my legs and pushed a finger under the fabric of my panties. He found me wet and aching. I shivered at the feel of his touch.
“Fuck. You are so wet, Lily.” He pushed a finger into me and I arched off the wall with a gasp. Only he had that effect one me.
He removed his finger again and opened his zipper. My core tightened with anticipation and need. I heard the rip of a condom package and then his tip pressed against my opening and he started to slide into me. My walls yielded to his hot length until he’d sheathed himself completely in me. We peered into each other’s eyes. This felt so right. Why did it have to feel so right?
“You feel so fucking good, Lily. And so fucking tight, good God.”
Our lips found each other again. It had been too long. Romero thrust into me, driving me higher up against the wall. I moaned when he hit a spot deep inside of me. “We have to be quiet,” he murmured in a low voice, then his mouth swallowed my next sound. I wrapped my arms even tighter around his neck. It felt like we were one, inseparable.
I dug my heels into his butt, driving him deeper into me. Pleasure surged through me and I came apart. Romero kept pounding into me until his own orgasm hit him. We clung to each other, still united. I kissed the side of his neck. His familiar scent flooded my nose and I closed my eyes. I wanted to stay like this forever.
Distant sound of laughter dragged me back into the realm of reality. Romero pulled out of me. I loosened my hold on him and let my legs slide down until my feet hit the ground. I couldn’t even look up at him as I straightened my skirt. Romero threw the condom into a nearby bin before he returned to me. Neither of us said anything. From the corner of my eye, I saw him reaching for my cheek. I backed away. Bracing myself, I lifted my gaze. “This was a mistake,” I whispered.
Shock crossed Romero’s face, then it became emotionless. “A mistake.”
“I’m going to marry Benito soon. We can’t do this again.”
Romero gave a terse nod, then he turned on his heel and walked off. I had to resist the urge to run after him. I waited a couple more minutes before I headed toward the restroom. I needed to clean up before I returned to the party or people would realize something had happened. To my relief, there was no one in the restroom when I stepped in. I checked my reflection. My hair was all over the place and my make-up needed touching up. Sweat trickled down my back. But worse than that was the telltale prickling in my eyes. I couldn’t cry now. That would ruin everything. I took a few deep breaths through my nose before I started to redo my make-up. When I left the restroom twenty minutes later, I looked like nothing had happened, but my insides were twisting. I’d thought I’d made peace with my marriage to Benito, had hoped my feelings for Romero had lessened, but now I realized that was far from being true.
The moment I stepped onto the dance floor, Luca was there and asked me for a dance. I knew he wanted more than that. He steered us toward a part of the dance floor where there weren’t as many dancers before he started to talk quietly. “You are still going through with this marriage? You and Romero were gone for a while.”