Page 137 of The Art of Ruin

The scrape of his jaw against my skin when he angles deeper into the kiss, the warmth of his mouth, the controlled strength in the hands holding me like he’s trying not to lose himself completely and failing.

It’s not frantic.

That’s what makes it worse.

It feels deliberate.

Wanted.

Like every restrained look over the last month has finally turned into this.

His thumb strokes once against the side of my neck and a shiver runs straight through me.

“Casey,” he says against my mouth, my name roughened into something that barely sounds like language anymore.

I don’t even know what he means by it.

A warning, maybe.

Too late.

I kiss him again before he can say anything else, and this time his restraint slips properly.

His hand flexes at my waist, pulling me fully against him as his mouth turns hungrier, deeper. Enough heat sparks low in my stomach that I make a soft sound before I can stop it.

His entire body reacts to it.

God.

The realization hits me all at once then, sharp and dizzying and terrifying in the best possible way.

This man wants me as desperately as I want him.

The thought steals what little breath I had left.

Eventually, he breaks the kiss first, though it visibly costs him something.

His forehead rests briefly against mine while we both breathe harder than we should be from kissing alone, his hand still spread possessively against my waist like he doesn’t entirely trust himself to let go yet.

Inside, somewhere beyond the doors, the orchestra starts another song.

Neither of us moves.

And for the first time in a very long time—

I don’t feel humiliated at all.

I just feel wanted.

21.Adriano

The restof the gala passes in a blur of conversation I barely register. I answer questions, I shake hands, I even smile when required. But my attention keeps pulling back toward the balcony and the way Casey kissed me like she wanted me as badly as I wanted her.

Christ.

That fucking kiss has me harder than rock. My cock is aching to be inside her, to feel her tense around me as she comes. It’s a terrible idea, but one I’m not sure I can walk away from either. She consumes me in a way no other woman ever has.

Every time I look at her, something in me tightens all over again. If it were up to me, I would have taken her home the second we left the balcony, but we were cornered by Nico and Izzy, pulled away to charm investors and smooth a few of the rumors circulating thanks to Jasper fucking Cole.