Page 136 of The Art of Ruin

I spin in his arms so I’m pressed to his front. The bulge of his cock against my belly makes goosebumps break out over my skin.

He lifts his hand slowly, giving me every chance to move away, and when I don’t, his fingers slide against my jaw before settling at the base of my throat.

Warm.

Steady.

Possessive enough to make heat bloom low in my stomach, and my pussy to throb.

“You look beautiful tonight,” he says quietly.

The sincerity of it wrecks me more than flirting would have.

His thumb brushes lightly beneath my ear.

I can’t think properly when he touches me.

“You keep looking at me like that,” I whisper, my voice embarrassingly unsteady.

“Like what?”

“Like you’re trying not to.”

Something flickers across his face then, sharp enough to feel dangerous. “I am trying not to, and yet I fail every time. You consume me, Tesoro.”

My breath hitches. “Adi.”

His gaze drops briefly to my mouth. “Yes, Tesoro?”

And that—

That destroys whatever restraint either of us still had left.

I kiss him first this time.

Our mouths clash with need and desire as I tunnel my fingers through his thick hair. His hand on my throat tilts me just how he wants and I moan deeply, allowing him to deepen the kiss. His tongue licks against mine and his grip tightens on my hip, hauling me tighter against his erection.

God.

The sound he makes against my lips is low and rough enough to send heat rushing through me instantly, one hand sliding firmly to my waist while the other stays at my neck, holding me exactly where he wants me.

The kiss is slower than New Year’s was at first, deeper somehow, like he’s savoring it instead of losing control to it.

Which somehow feels even more dangerous.

I grip the front of his jacket as his mouth moves against mine, warm and demanding and devastatingly confident, and every thought in my head dissolves under the sheer relief of finally kissing him again.

Because I’ve wanted this too.

More than I’ve let myself admit.

His hand tightens slightly at my waist when I lean closer, my body fitting instinctively against his, and the small reaction that pulls from him nearly undoes me completely.

The cold air barely registers anymore.

Neither does the party inside.

There’s only him.