11. Isa #2
“Fuck,” Elio muttered just as he moved quickly, hoisting me up onto his shoulder until I was lying over it like a sack of potatoes. I let out a small squeak in surprise just as he carried me out of the bar. No one tried to stop him.
They probably couldn’t, but I wondered if this was the norm for these people—to see a woman being carried out and pretend like nothing was wrong.
Elio wouldn’t hurt me, I knew that. But they didn’t. Had this been someone else…
I was still thinking about that when Elio brought me out to his car. He unlocked it, and it took me a moment to realize it wasn’t the front passenger door that he opened but the back of his black SUV.
He pushed me inside and followed in after me, closing the door behind him, and then I felt his hot lips on mine. I tensed, mostly in surprise, but Elio must have thought it was something else because he tried to pull away.
I didn’t let him. I moved on pure instinct.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him in closer to me, kissing him back.
I let out a small sigh when I felt his arms go around my waist, the rightness of it almost too much.
“Elio,” I breathed out, running my fingers through his thick, dark hair. He didn’t have it tied up in his usual bun tonight, giving me free range to run my fingers through the thick locks. I tugged on it hard when I felt his tongue running across my bottom lip.
Hell.
“Elio.”
He let out a small grunt, causing a vibrating sensation from where we touched. I felt that all the way down to my stomach and lower. Much, much lower.
There was a pounding ache between my legs that I had only felt the other night in that dark alleyway when Elio touched me for the first time.
I tightened my arms around his neck and pulled him in closer to me. He pushed me down further against the seat until my back was against the cushion, and he was on top of me. My legs opened of their own accord, making room for his body until he was pressed firmly against me.
I let out a small whimper that Elio didn’t miss. His muscles tensed beneath my palms as I moved my hands over his back, taking in the solid feel of him.
My heart raced from the sensation. Elio was the only man I had ever been close to like this, and there was just something about feeling him this way that had my heart racing.
He deepened the kiss, and I slowly opened my mouth, letting him in.
We both groaned when his tongue slid against mine.
Fuck.
How could it still feel like this when I already knew what a kiss with him felt like?
How could it still affect me like this?
His hands roamed my body as he kissed me, the warmth of his palms pressing down on my skin, making butterflies explode inside my stomach.
“Fuck, baby. You drive me fucking crazy,” Elio said when he pulled his lips a mere millimeter away from mine. We were both breathing heavily.
“I’m sorry,” I said, not knowing what else to say.
His chest vibrated, and it took me a small moment to realize he was laughing.
“Are you? Were you feeling especially sorry when you were dancing with that fucker? Letting him touch what didn’t belong to him?”
I hadn’t wanted his arms around me in the first place. I didn’t want any man’s arms around me, only Elio’s. A point that was brought home in clear focus tonight. There was no getting over Elio.
I was in trouble.
I didn’t say anything. Just leaned up and kissed him again, savoring the taste of his lips on mine, and wished to a God I wasn’t sure I believed in for this moment not to end.
I didn’t want it to end.
I could spend forever kissing Elio, and it wouldn’t be enough.
I banded my arms tightly around him from the thought as he kissed me back, this time hard and with a hint of desperation, as if he was feeling the same thing.
Then a shrill, piercing sound came through the small space between us. I gasped in surprise as Elio pulled away. It took a second for me to realize it was the sound of a phone ringing.
Elio’s phone.
He pushed away from me and sat up, pulling his phone out of his pocket.
Matteo’s name flashed across the screen before Elio silenced it. Slowly, I sat up in the seat.
The moment was effectively ruined.
Damn Matteo to hell and back.
I looked over at Elio. There was this hard look on his face that I could see, even in the dim lighting of the car, and I knew he wouldn’t be kissing me again. He was already regretting this one, and it barely just ended.
“Isa—”
I waved him off and shook my head. I might just lose it if he tried to tell me this couldn’t happen again, or worse, apologize to me as if he had been the one to take advantage of me. As if I hadn’t been a willing participant.
As if I weren’t capable of giving my consent.
“Don’t. Okay, Elio?”
We didn’t say anything for a moment. My lips still tingled from the kiss.
He let out a small sigh. “Come on. Let me drive you home.”
“You can’t. My father has people over, and I doubt they’re gone.”
“Again?” he asked, and there was this odd note to his voice that I didn’t care to decipher. I was still trying to think of ways in which he would kiss me again. I could try to make him jealous again, though I didn’t think he was going to let his emotions control his actions next time.
I shrugged. I didn’t really know if there were people over, but there could be. Dad had been having a lot of people over to the house lately. Mostly, I stayed hidden in my room when that happened, just thankful Dad hadn’t made me come downstairs to greet his guests.
“I can drive you to Valentino’s apartment.”
“And explain to him why you’re driving me to his place at this time of night?” It wasn’t late by any means, but it was late enough that Valentino would question it.
He let out a small sigh. “Isa…”
“If you don’t know what to do with me, you can just let me out of the car. I’m sure I’ll figure something out,” I said.
“Like hell.”
I bit the inside of my cheek to stop the smile I was feeling from showing on my face.
Finally, he said, “Come on. Get in the front. I’ll take you back to my house.”
I didn’t say anything as I climbed from the back seat to the front, turning around and looking back at him. I couldn’t be completely sure, but I thought he had his eyes on my ass for a moment while I climbed over.
“Ready.”
He nodded and opened the back door, climbing out. I watched as he made his way around the car to the driver’s side. Then he got in, and we were off.