Our faces are so close now that I can feel his breath mingling with mine.
His gaze drops to my mouth again, and the anticipation of what could happen makes my pulse race wildly.
Just one inch.
That's all it would take to close the distance between us.
“I wouldn’t have survived without you.”
He doesn’t respond.
He just keeps looking at me with those same intense eyes that make everything inside me go molten hot.
A second later, he’s the one who closes the gap, pressing his lips to mine.
At first it’s tentative, but then he groans, and his mouth moves against mine with urgency.
His kiss blazes into something fierce and all-consuming.
His hand slides into my hair, angling my head to deepen the kiss.
My lips part on a gasp, and he takes full advantage, his tongue sweeping against mine.
I've been kissed before, but nothing like this.
Nothing that makes me feel like I'm burning from the inside out.
"Valentina," he breathes against my mouth, and I feel like he wants me to push him away.
But I don’t want to.
Not tonight.
Not when tomorrow promises nothing but the continuation of my nightmare.
I pull him closer.
It’s almost like his tether breaks.
He rolls us, his weight settling over me as he braces himself on his forearms, his warm, firm body against mine.
"Tell me to stop," he whispers, his dark eyes searching mine. "Tell me now, or I won't be able to."
"Don't stop.” I thread my fingers in his hair. "I want this. I want you."
His response is to capture my mouth again, the kiss deeper, more demanding. His hand slides down my side, over my hip, finding the hem of my dress. When his fingers brush against the bare skin of my thigh, I arch into him, seeking more.
“I’m going to hell.” He trails kisses down my throat. “But first, I’ll take you to heaven.”
His palm skims upward, over my ribs, brushing the underside of my breast with gentleness.
I writhe beneath him, need coiling, making me feel agitated.
I want more, now, faster.
But his touch is slow, deliberate, as if he’s being careful.
I gasp when his thumb circles my nipple through the fabric of my dress, the sensation shooting straight to my core.