Connor
Cat clings to me, her face pressed against my chest. Her shoulders shake, her warm tears dampening my shirt and mixing with cooled sweat.
“Cat.” I nose at her wild curls and inhale her floral scent. “Cat…” I’m not even sure what to say.
That I trust her? Though I’m not sure it’s the right time to admit it, I do now.
I should let her know this feeling—like a loose shingle in a windstorm—will ease.
The unsteadiness won’t ever vanish entirely, but she’ll learn to live with it, to stuff it behind some old box of memories in the dark recesses of her mind.
Taking your first life stays with you. Shapes you.
When she raises her head, those hazel eyes shimmer with tears.
Words escape me. Nothing would be enough.
So I just cup her cheek and crush my lips to hers.
I’m hungry for her taste, her smell, her body.
Part of me wants to apologize for putting her through all this, but I shove that shit down. That’s not who I am.
I don’t regret, and I don’t apologize. My decisions led us here, and I wouldn’t change them even if I could.
Our tongues explore as our hands search for purchase. We’re each other’s life raft, and we’re fighting like hell to climb aboard.
I pull back for air. Glancing around the room, my gaze falls on the slumped body of the rat in the chair.
I know I’m one twisted fuck, but even I have my limits.
Once I get a good grip on her ass, I hoist her up. She wraps her legs around my waist, hooking her ankles behind my back.
“Let’s get out of here.” That’s all I manage between kisses.
I head toward the door, relying on muscle memory since I can barely tear my eyes off her. No way am I fucking this woman with Domenico Verone’s dead body just feet away.
I wind through the halls, holding her up with one hand spread across the bottom of her ass and using the other to grope along the wall.
I bring her into the rudimentary office space, where there’s a door and a couch.
I toe open the door, slam it shut, and with a little fancy maneuvering, manage to turn the lock.
This sure as shit isn’t the Desmond. No plush comforters or candles or ambient music here. Hell, this isn’t even a state-of-the-art facility that reeks of chlorine and bleach.
It’s a dingy, abandoned office in a seedy part of town. Not usually a place of romance.
I lie her back on the roomy couch before straddling her thighs. Not the most comfortable mattress, but it’s all I can offer for now.
She passed my test with flying colors, so I’ll take her somewhere nicer later.
Cat’s panting so heavily that I worry she might pass out.
I sit back on my heels to give her a second.
“What are you doing?” Her wide eyes appear lost as she stares at me.
“Just…looking at you. Seeing you.”
Even dressed like this, with her hair in tangled knots, she’s ethereal.
She just killed a man. Took vengeance for her father and agreed to ally herself with me.
I’ve never been more aroused, but more than that…
I don’t know what else to say. A strange, unfamiliar ache curls in my chest, soothed only when I get closer to her.
I can’t bare my soul. I wouldn’t even know how.
Honestly, for the longest time, I didn’t think I had a soul at all.
Cat understands, though. From within the dark halo of her hair, she smiles. “I see you too.”
Grabbing my hand, she slides it between her thighs. When I realize she’s wet and leaking through the romper, I groan. Cat sits up to unbuckle my belt and unzip my pants. Then she hooks her fingers inside the waist of my jeans and boxers and tugs them down.
My mind keeps going over what just happened—Cat killed a man because I told her to—but apparently, my dick’s far past that, red and veined and aching for her.
Cat opens her mouth and takes me in down to the base, sucking hard and swirling her tongue. She wants me as badly as I want her.
Her mouth is so warm…
“Son of a bitch, Cat. That feels amazing.” My fingers weave into her hair. Though the strands are damp and tangled, she’s never looked more beautiful.
For once, I can cede control. I don’t need the dominance, the authority. I don’t need to dictate exactly how this encounter goes.
I simply bask in the moment, in the knowledge that Cat wants me. Wants this. As I do, the rest of the world fades away.
I really don’t know how to deal with this. “Cat.”
She pops my cock from her mouth, licking those plump, gorgeous lips. “Yeah?”
She’s perfect. I gently tug her hair. “I need to be inside you.”
She lies back, spreading her thighs. “Come here, Connor.” The smile on her lips, soft and sweet and only for me, beckons me closer.
My wish is her command.
She pushes the romper to the side, exposing her slick pussy.
I kick off my pants and position myself between her legs, pressing a kiss to the inside of her knee. Lining up my cock, I rest the head right at her opening, sliding against the wet folds.
She gasps, her hips bucking in an effort to get me where she wants me. Where we both need to be.
With one hand cupping her neck and my thumb stroking her throat, I meet her eyes.
I’ve never wanted a woman as badly as I want Caterina Ricci.
I’m so fucking screwed, and I don’t even care.
“You ready for me, Cat?” I flick my tongue across her lips.
She nods, her cheeks red and her eyes dark with desire. “Do it. Please. I’m dying here, Connor.” She lifts her hips and guides me in.
We moan together. My lips crash down on hers, our tongues intertwining briefly as I taste her.
Our hips move faster, and the kiss breaks off. I trail my mouth down her jaw, biting her neck and drawing a cry from her.
She’s so tight, squeezing my cock with each thrust. Her arms encircle my back, her nails scratching over my skin. I’m going to be torn to shreds before we end this, and I’ll bear the pain without a single complaint.
She writhes underneath me, soft little moans spilling past her lips. Some sound like my name while others are just noises, but it doesn’t matter.
Every single one sparks heat through me, driving me deeper while the pleasure soars higher.
Being…on her, inside her, near her warmth and scent and body…
If heaven exists, I’m pretty sure it’s right here with Cat.
I never want this to end.
With my free hand, I grip her hips, tilt them up, and thrust.
She gasps and tosses her head back against the couch. “Connor…yes. Just…like that…”
Even her voice is fucking perfect. I attack her throat, sucking dark hickeys onto her pretty olive skin.
Leaving marks. Proof that this happened, that the sizzling energy between us is real.
“Cat…” I groan against her skin, my hands clutching her hips.
“Connor…” She gasps for air before finding her voice. “Connor, look at me.”
Our gazes lock, and I might just drown in her glorious hazel eyes.
So many things I should say, yet I have no idea where to begin. Instead, I convey all I can with my eyes, hoping she gets the message as I plunge into her over and over.
You’re mine, Cat.
I want you and only you.
You’re perfect.
Mine.
“Connor!” Her eyes roll back in her head as her body convulses, her muscles clamping down on my cock like a vice.
“Cat…!” I moan her name between clenched teeth as I climax, spilling inside her with quick, erratic thrusts.
She clings to me, shuddering through her own pleasure. I embrace her, one arm around the small of her back to keep her snug against my chest.
As we lie here together, panting vapor into the cool air, I realize nothing will ever be the same.
I’m a changed man, and I like it that way.