Page 84

“What can I say?” I said lightly. “They always come crawling back for more.”

“I don’t want more from you. You’re the last person I should ever want,” he clipped, his bare chest heaving against my back with every intake of breath.

He was a damn liar.

His hand slid down my hip, slowly drifting toward the center of my legs until he teased the hem of my shirt. His fingertips brushed over me, and my clit throbbed, anticipating his touch the closer he got—eager for it. My entire body was on fire.

“No?” I asked breathlessly.

I pushed my hips back and his hard cock pressed into my ass, pulsing against the thin fabric of my too-long shirt. Warmth pooled between my thighs.

His grip tightened in my hair, and I hissed from the pressure along my skull, hating the fact that all it did was make my thighs ache. He studied my mouth, my face, the flutter of my eyes as if memorizing every patch of heat rising there.

“I guess it wouldn’t matter if I said no, would it?” I teased as he ground the underside of his cock into me. Hard and pulsing. Thick. “You’d probably just take it as a yes.”

He hummed and leaned in, the low sound sending a delightful shudder down the length of my spine. “Funny you say that, I just heard a yes.”

Within a single breath, he bent me over the counter, my hips screaming in defiance. I gasped as he hurriedly lifted my shirt, baring my ass, heat barrelling through me the moment my panties were ripped clean off. Oh, fuck.

I loosened from his hold, spinning around with panted breaths to shove him. He stumbled back with a sinful smile, one that would drop any woman to her knees. Hell, I was seconds away from doing it myself.

“You better look me in the eyes when you fuck me,” I demanded breathlessly, refusing to be bent over.

I wanted to look at him when he buried his cock inside me. I wanted to watch his eyes roll to the back of his head, consumed with pleasure. If I was going to be held captive, I might as well have some fun.

His brows dropped. “Oh, yeah? And why’s that?”

Momentarily distracted, I traced my eyes down his body. Tattoos snaked up his forearms, stopping at his biceps. Delicious veins dipped beneath his sweats. The sight of him made my knees quake.

Damn it, he was beautiful.

I smiled, tearing my eyes away. “So we can keep argu⁠—”

He yanked me to him by the front of my shirt, and our mouths crashed together. He groaned and swallowed my gasps, every aching whimper that slipped past my lips. Our tongues hungrily danced as he deepened the kiss, like we were both lost in the taste.

Manic absolutely devoured me.

His mouth was both soft and hard. Warm and inviting. Our kiss was so consuming, I was positive I’d never been kissed like this before. Not with previous suitors. Not even with Noah.

I didn’t think about mafia politics or that I was supposed to hate him as his tongue swept over mine. Instead, the world narrowed around me, drowning out everything until my head buzzed and warmth spread throughout my body.

My stomach fluttered, my body weightless, and I felt like I was sinking beneath the depths of an ocean, lost at sea. At this moment, I didn’t care if I drowned, I just wanted him with me when I did.

Manic groaned again and my knees gave out, but he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me in like he was terrified of letting go. Truthfully, I didn’t want him to.

With his mouth on mine, he gathered me in his arms by the backs of my thighs, then propped me against the wall near his bedroom door. My legs instinctively wrapped around him as he used one hand to shove his pants down, his cock springing free.

His mouth was everywhere.

My lips, my jaw, my neck.

I gasped when he moved down my collarbone and to the curve of my breast. He growled against the fabric as he pulled my nipple between his teeth, lighting an inferno of heat along my skin. Fire erupted in my stomach so fiercely, I groaned and clawed for more, my fingernails digging into his back.

God, I had never wanted something so much in my life. No amount of books or coffee or a day to myself could have compared to this. No amount of touching myself could have compared to just the taste of him.

I wanted to bathe in his flames until they consumed me—until he burned me.

My hands dove into his hair as he bit my neck, somehow discarding my clothing in the process. Then Manic jolted back, his blond hair mussed, and collared his hand around my throat. With erratic breaths, he traced every inch of my body with a deliberate scan of his eyes. He took his time, as if savoring every curve and dip and swell I offered.