by Bella J.
I started to pant, struggling to keep my eyes open as I felt the heat of my orgasm pool between my legs. “I’m going to come, Dante.”
“Then come. Just don’t close your eyes.”
All it took was one more thrust, one more stroke of his cock inside me, and I broke into a million pieces of undiluted ecstasy. I cried out and my body shuddered, shaking while the climax possessed me. The faster he moved, the more intense it felt as pleasure moved up my spine, crashing against every bone.
“There’s my girl.” He smiled victoriously as he stared down at me. “I love the way your face flushes whenever you come. The way your eyes show your pleasure.”
His lips found mine, his tongue sweeping through my mouth as I slowly came down from the high of sexual indulgence. With his kiss, he carried me through it, allowing me to stay in the fog of ecstasy for as long as possible. It was bliss in its purest form, and I wanted to stay in that moment forever.
Finally, when my body sagged into the mattress, completely spent, he looked down at me, his eyes dark with need, and lips curved in a wicked grin.
“Now it’s my turn.”
Chapter 14
Dante
The way her mouth formed the perfect fucking O while I buried my cock deep inside her was the most amazing sight. I loved the way her face flushed, her skin all pink and beautiful. Sweat beaded like tiny pearls on her chest, her eyes languid with pleasure. This was what I had been missing all these years. Every time I had seduced and bedded women in search of something that would feed the craving, tame the need, was for naught. Only now, while I stared down at Layla beneath me, her pussy clenching me tight, did I realize it was just her. It had always been her. Only she had the power to fill the emptiness which stemmed so deep in my fucking soul.
Every kill I had ever made was also an attempt to find what I had been missing. I thought cruelty and cold-heartedness might be the cure, but it wasn’t.
She was.
She was my cure. Being without her had been my illness. It disabled me. But now…now I felt whole. I felt complete while I was inside her—one with her.
Her fingertips lightly scratched the back of my neck, and I smiled. I wasn’t done with her. I gave her what I knew she needed. Now she would give me what I needed.
I sat up. “Turn around.”
Her eyes fluttered open, ecstasy brightening the color of her amber irises. Without a word, she turned around, lying flat on her stomach…and then I saw it.
“Oh, my God, Layla.” I reached out and softly touched the skin between her shoulder blades. Earlier in the bathroom, I caught a glimpse of the tattoo, but only now did I see what it was.
My fingertips traced the black inked lines. The face of a wolf. An exact replica of the image tattooed on the top of my hand. I placed my palm flat on her back, identical art engraved on my skin. No words could have described the feeling that flooded through my chest—the warmth that spread through my veins.
“It’s beautiful,” I murmured, still staring at it in awe.
She glanced over her shoulder but didn’t say a word. She didn’t have to. The ink on her skin spoke a thousand goddamn words, but most importantly, it told me this woman was still mine. That she had always been mine. By God, tonight I would reclaim all of her.
Biting my bottom lip, I allowed my gaze to caress every inch of her body, slowly moving down, admiring the view of her glowing skin and firm ass. My palms itched.
I slapped her ass, and she yelped, the sound making my cock twitch.
“I haven’t forgotten.” I rubbed over the red handprint on her skin.
“What haven’t you forgotten?”
“How much you loved it when I used you.”
Her hips bucked, and she pushed her beautiful ass up and out, the pink flesh of her pussy teasing me, taunting me with glistening temptation. She was searching for it. My touch. Something to ease the ache. And I gave it to her as I slipped my fingers through her wet cunt, her cum clinging to her wet lips.
“I remember how you used to scream for me. How you enjoyed every moment when I unleashed my most carnal desires on your body.”
“Dante,” she breathed, “you’re going to make me come just by fucking talking.”
I let out a laugh. “I love how easy it is for me to tempt you, to seduce you into submission.”
Her hips fell back to the mattress, her body squirming over the sheets.
“Is that pussy of yours searching for it, Layla?”
More squirming. “Yes.”
Softly, I traced my fingertips down her back, across the tattoo, all along her spine while I took my cock in my other hand, squeezing tight. As my hand reached her ass, I slapped again, harder than before. Layla whimpered, and I pumped my cock up and down in my palm. My body was electrified, my most primal instincts stemming from the marrow, possessing me completely.
I wanted to claim.
I wanted to dominate.
I wanted to fuck.
And it was all because of her. She brought out the man in me, the alpha. She was my vice, my drug of choice—her body my cocaine, her pussy my heroin…her heart my poison.
“Put your hands behind your back.”
She obeyed like a good little girl.
“Now lift that ass of yours.”
Her hips bucked, and her ass was in the air. Like a fucking offering. Her pussy bloomed, glistening with invitation.
I sat up and guided the tip of my cock over her ass, then dipped it down the slit of her cunt. We moaned in unison, and I fisted my dick before giving her ass another slap.
“Tell me there hasn’t been anyone but me.”
She glanced over her shoulder. “Can you tell me the same?”
I stilled, my cock in hand.
She smiled. “I thought so.”
And then I smacked her ass hard, causing her to yelp. “That’s what happens when you smart-mouth me.”
Her hips lowered a little, but I reached out and righted her.
“Don’t tell me you’re getting tired of letting your pussy blossom for me.”
“Dante, please.”
“Unless you’re about to beg me to fuck you, I suggest you put your mouth to better use.”
I got up from the bed and walked around, still fisting my cock to get some relief from the ache of wanting to be buried balls deep inside her. Her eyes flicked up to mine, and she already knew what I wanted from her. This woman knew me better than God Himself.
She got on her knees and crawled toward me, licking her lips as if she was starved for what I was about to give her.
I grabbed her chin in my hand and jerked her head up to me. “You left me.”
She bit her bottom lip.
“Do you have any idea how fucked up I was because of it?” I never stopped fisting my cock, her gaze flitting toward the movement every now and then.
“Apologize.”
She swallowed hard. “I’m sorry, Dante.”
I gripped her hair at the back of her head. “Now put me in your mouth and apologize again.”
Her lips parted. The second I pushed my cock into her mouth, she moaned, and I felt it all the way down my spine. Her tongue flicked against the tip before she muttered, “I’m sorry, Dante.”
And then I unleashed the beast, the animal who had been unsated for so fucking long. No other woman stilled the hunger, quenched the thirst for release. And now, as Layla vigorously sucked my cock, the animal in me fucking roared as it finally got what it had wanted all this time.
In and out, I fucked her mouth, pushing deep, my grip on her hair tightening. The noises that came from her lips as she sucked and licked and lapped were like porn to my ears. She coated my cock with her spit and wrapped her fingers around my shaft, making me moan like a goddamn demon born to flourish in sin.
Holy, sweet Mother of Christ. I was about to shoot my cum down her fucking throat. But I wasn’t ready for this to be over yet.
I pulled her head back, her lips letting go of my coc
k. “Turn around.”
The second her ass was in front of me, her pussy in full bloom, I plunged deep inside her. She cried out, and I roared the second I felt her heat wrap around me. So slick. So warm. So goddamn tight. I loved feeling her from the inside, filling every inch of her sweet, greedy little cunt.
Harder, faster, deeper I started to thrust. I gripped her hips to stop her from falling forward. She needed to endure it. It was her gift and her punishment all rolled into one round of extreme fuckery.
“Head down,” I ordered, my dick never leaving her body.
Immediately, she bowed her head, her cheek against the sheet. This way her ass was pushed up all the way, her pussy open and begging me to go deeper.
I looked down, watching while my cock moved in and out of her. It glistened with her arousal, the sight fueling my animalistic urge to fuck her senseless.
“Dante, I’m going to come again.”
“I don’t care how many times you come, just as long as you take what I fucking give you.”
“Oh, God.” Her fists clutched the silk sheets beneath her.
With every thrust and every moan, the sound of skin slapping against skin, I knew this was right. This was us. This was how it used to be. How it was supposed to be. As warm and passionate as our lovemaking could be, we had the talent to fuck each other like savages. We were the whole goddamn package, she and I.
Her cries of pleasure slammed against the roof of my bedroom, and it was the last push I needed to go over the edge.
“Fuck!” I roared, pulled out, and pulsed the ribbons of my release on her bare back. I pumped my cock, the pleasure lingering in every bone until it felt like my body was on the verge of being split in two.
After all these years, this was what I had been searching for.
This was right.
She was right.
And not the Devil himself would be able to take her away from me…not again.
Chapter 15
Layla
“Layla, wake up.”
For a second, I was confused. I heard his voice, I felt his touch, but I wasn’t sure whether I was dreaming.
“Layla, baby. Wake up.”
Dear God, I loved the sound of his voice. It fed my soul with a moment’s happiness, chasing the darkness away.
“Baby, come on. We’re going to miss it.”
I opened my eyes and stared straight into his. Dante. The man who owned all of me.
It wasn’t a dream. The night we spent together devouring each other wasn’t a dream. It was all real. Every moment, every touch, every kiss, it was all real. For one night, I had let my defenses down. For one night, I allowed the years of longing for this man to take control. And it meant I screwed up.
“Dante, what are you doing?”
“Come look.” He took my hand, and I rubbed my eyes with the other.
“What is it?”
He smiled, the dimple above his lip making an appearance. He truly was the most beautiful creature I had ever laid eyes on, my heart and soul all his from the first day I met him.
“Sit.” He gestured to the leather couch in front of the window. We sat down, and he placed his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer. “Look.”
When I looked out the window, I sucked in a breath. “Sunrise,” I whispered.
“Yeah.” His fingers brushed up and down my arm. “Someone once told me that the birth of a new day is one of the most amazing things to witness. That we should never take this for granted.” He placed a kiss on my temple. “Being able to share a new day together.”
I had to bite the inside of my cheeks to keep myself from crying. He remembered. He remembered the last sunrise we saw together, as a couple irrevocably in love with each other. It was heartwarming to know he hadn’t forgotten—to know I wasn’t the only one who held on to the memories of that day.
With Dante’s arm around my shoulder, his body against mine, we watched the sun rise at the far corners of the horizon. The yellows, oranges, and pinks painted the sky like a canvas as if God Himself was creating this resplendent image just for us. Even though it was autumn, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. It was the beginning of a beautiful day, and once again I was sharing it with the man I loved. The man I had always loved. The way my heart swelled inside my chest, my gut filled with equal parts hope and uncertainty, I knew I had to do everything in my power to save the people I loved.
Years ago, I was naïve to think I had made the right decision to leave, to keep Dante from the truth. I thought I was protecting him, protecting us. But I was wrong. I was so incredibly wrong. The only thing I did was to make us targets. And that was why we were all here, in the middle of a war. A war which would have happened whether I had stayed or not. I only realized that now. No matter what decision I made, this was inevitable. But if I had done it differently, maybe we would have been stronger together. Dante and I. Maybe then we would have been able to protect what was ours. Unfortunately, that was no longer an option.
He placed his hand under my chin, lifting my face so we could look into each other’s eyes.
“I remember it as if it was yesterday. The last morning we spent together.”
I swallowed hard with tears in my eyes and a dagger in my heart.
“That morning you said the sunrise is one of the most amazing things to witness. Do you know what I did the entire time you stared out this exact window?”
I blinked, a tear finally slipping down my cheek. He wiped it away with the back of his hand. “I stared at you, thinking that you were so wrong, because the most amazing sight, for me, was you. And that I’d spend every goddamn morning sitting here while you stared at the sunrise, allowing me to stare at you.” He placed a soft kiss on my lips. “You are my sunrise, Layla. You always were, and you always will be. Nothing can change that.”
My heart broke. Everything inside me shattered into a million pieces. Not just because of his words, but because of the way he looked at me. His eyes spoke volumes. The windows to his soul showed me so many things. Sadness. Regret. Pain. Heartbreak. And unconditional love.
I wrapped my arm around his neck and pulled him down, kissing him. With lips so soft, and a kiss so unyielding, I poured my everything into that one kiss. That one final kiss.
Tears freely rolled down my face, the saltiness invading our kiss. But I only pulled him closer, kissing him harder, desperate to show him what I couldn’t say…
That I loved him.
I loved him so much it hurt. I loved him more than any sunrise, more than any memory. I loved him enough to let myself wither away in the darkness that was slowly swallowing me whole. And I loved him enough to protect him from the same fate.
I broke the kiss and wrapped both arms around his neck, hugging him so damn tight. I never wanted to let go. And by the way he hugged me back, I knew he felt it too—the need to hold on. He wasn’t going to let me go. Not now. Not ever. So I needed to make the decision for him. And by the way my body ached, my insides becoming more and more agitated, I knew I was running out of time. My body was running out of time.
“Thank you,” I said softly. “This means more to me than you’ll ever know.”
“I love you, Layla. That hasn’t changed. That won’t ever change.”
I smiled. “And I love you too.” I bit my bottom lip, fighting the sorrow that spread through bone and marrow. I love you more than life itself.
He placed a soft kiss on my lips, his tongue gently coaxing me to open for him. And I did. But only for a few seconds. Even though I would have loved nothing more than to surrender and let him take control of my body once more, the craving was stronger. My stomach pulled tighter and tighter, the cramping growing more intense, more painful. I needed to get out of here.
Dante stared back out the window. “I hate saying his name, but it surprises me that we haven’t heard from Matteo or his father yet. I’m sure he already knows you’re here.”
Because he knows I’ll come back.
Dante
looked at me. “I wish you would tell me. The more I know, the better I can protect you.”
More agitation, more cramps. I tightened my arms around my waist and let out a soft, involuntary moan.
“Are you okay?” His eyes widened with concern.
“I’m fine. I’m just hungry.”
He cocked a brow. “Please tell me you mean that in a sexual way because then I’ve got everything to sate your appetite.”
I chuckled. “No. I mean I’m hungry…for food.”
“Seriously? I have this huge beef right here to—”
“For the love of God, please don’t finish that sentence. It would be so wrong.”
We both laughed, and then he helped me up to my feet.
“I need to take a shower. Would you mind getting us something to eat? My stomach grumbling is quite embarrassing.”
I planted a smile on my face, but for a second I wasn’t sure if he would fall for it. With narrowed eyes and grooves on his forehead, he stared at me.
“Okay. I’ll be quick.” He kissed me once more, and I took a few seconds to savor it, committing the moment to memory. After all, it would probably be the last.
I watched as he pulled on some pants and a white t-shirt then opened the bedroom door. “Oh, um…Kate said something in the car. Something that you need to tell me, or she will. What was she talking about?”
My heart sank right down to the soles of my feet, and it took every breath in my body with it.
I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, sweat beading on the back of my neck. “We can talk about it when you get back.”
He frowned. “You promise to tell me everything?”
“Yes.” No.
“Okay.” He stood still for two more seconds, dark irises seeming like he looked straight through to my soul. “I love you, Layla.”
