Chapter 9
VALENTINA
Iagreed to go out tonight for one reason and one reason only, and it was not this.
It was not to end up pressed against Sebastian DeLuca in the middle of his nightclub with his hand firm on my waist and my body moving against his like I’ve lost every functioning thought I walked in with.
It was not to kiss him until I can barely remember my own name. It was definitely not to look up at him under flashing lights and think, with all the clarity of a woman making a terrible decision, that maybe I’ve been overcomplicating this from the start.
I came out tonight to get him out of my system.
That was the whole point. Put on something hot, let Gia drag me somewhere loud, flirt a little, have a drink, remind myself that Los Angeles is full of attractive men who are not my brother’s best friend and do not make every bad instinct in my body sit up and beg.
Instead, the second Sebastian walked up to the bar and looked at me like that, every good intention I had dissolved.
Now I’m standing on the dance floor with my heart hammering against my ribs and my mouth still warm from the last kiss, and the worst part is I no longer remember why I thought this was such a catastrophically bad idea in the first place.
No, that’s not true. I remember. Nico. Common sense. The part of Sebastian’s business I don’t ask about and he doesn’t volunteer. He’s a walking red flag. He literally sets off sirens in my head.
But those thoughts are strangely far away while he’s standing this close.
A thought strikes me so suddenly, so completely, that I nearly laugh.
We can sleep together one time. That’s all it will take to get him out of my system.
One time, and then this whole thing goes away.
The gala is tomorrow, and after that I never have to see him again.
It’s such a stupid thought that it circles all the way back around to brilliance.
Maybe that’s the answer. Maybe I’m not actually developing some awful, inconvenient, brother-destroying attachment to Sebastian DeLuca.
Maybe I’m just horny. Maybe I’ve spent weeks working too hard and thinking about him too much, building this whole thing into something dangerous when really it’s just chemistry. A problem with a very obvious solution.
Avoiding him hasn’t gotten him out of my system, so screwing him seems like the only alternative. One night. No harm, no foul. No feelings. No mess.
I look at him again, how tall and dark and composed he is in a way that somehow makes the heat between us feel even more reckless and think, yes. That’s the answer. I will sleep with him exactly once, and then I will be done.
“Tell me to stop,” he says again, his voice low enough that I feel it more than hear it over the music.
I don’t even hesitate this time. I shake my head.
He kisses me again, gently this time. When he pulls back, his eyes stay on mine for one beat longer, then he takes my hand and starts moving. I barely have time to glance toward the bar before Gia sees my face and looks like she’s about to scream in glee.
I lift my free hand in a vague gesture to tell her we’re leaving. She grins like a maniac and waves me off.
Outside, the night air hits my skin cool and sharp after the heat of the club.
The city glows around us in slick gold and white from the blinding headlights, neon, and illusion.
Bellissimo spills music onto the sidewalk behind us, but Sebastian doesn’t lead me to a car.
He turns us down the block toward one of the luxury hotels that sits like a polished jewel against the street, all glass and warm stone and discreet doormen.
Of course he has a hotel down the street.
Of course the staff all know him. The man at the entrance straightens when he sees Sebastian, and the woman at the desk offers a smooth, respectful greeting that tells me this is not a rare occurrence.
I register all of it dimly. Suspiciously. I should probably care more than I do.
I’m too wound up, too far gone, too aware that I’ve spent weeks wanting this and pretending I didn’t. The elevator doors close behind us with a soft whisper, and the second they do, Sebastian turns to me.
There’s a split second where neither of us moves, and then I’m on him.
Or he’s on me. Maybe both. It doesn’t matter.
My hands are already fisting in his shirt, his mouth is on mine, and whatever last scraps of caution I had left get swallowed whole.
The kiss is even hotter than what occurred on the dance floor, maybe because we know this isn’t hypothetical anymore.
There’s nothing stopping us from getting exactly what we want.
We don’t have to be mindful of watchful eyes.
I back into the mirrored wall with a small sound that disappears into his mouth when he follows and cages me there, one hand braced beside my head.
This is exactly what I wanted. My pulse is out of control.
His hand slides down my side, and the heat of it through the thin fabric of my dress makes me arch toward him before I can stop myself.
He makes a rough sound low in his throat that goes straight through me.
I kiss him harder because thinking has become impossible, and because I want the clean, easy certainty of pure want.
Nothing emotional. Nothing complicated. Just bodies taking what they need.
The elevator dings, and we break apart just enough to breathe.
I laugh once under my breath, wild and shaky.
The hallway is quiet and expensive and softly lit the way luxury hotels specialize in.
Sebastian gets the door open, and I couldn’t tell you what the room looks like.
I’m laser-focused on getting him naked and feeling his mouth on mine again.
My purse hits some unidentified surface. His jacket lands somewhere else.
This is not going to be intimate. That’s a boundary I set in my head right now. This is hot and fun and a way to scratch an itch. Nothing deeper is allowed. No lingering eye contact or deep conversations afterward.
He scoops me up and carries me to the bed, never once breaking the kiss.
He’s incredibly strong. A nervous thrill runs through me as I wonder what else that strength extends to.
I pull at his shirt hard enough to pop the buttons.
He chuckles against my mouth but doesn’t complain. Urgency is the name of the game.
Then he’s pulling back, sitting me up as his hand moves to the hem of my dress.
I let him move me however he needs to. I’m a rag doll in his hands, and he unwraps me like I’m a gift he’s been waiting for all year.
When I’m sitting in front of him in nothing but my lace underwear, he hisses.
His eyes darken as they roam over my bare skin.
“Fuck, you’re even more gorgeous than I imagined,” he says, almost to himself, then climbs on top of me and shows me exactly how gorgeous he thinks I am.
He pays an unnerving amount of attention to my body. I’m not even fully undressed, but his hands find every spot that draws a reaction. Every touch is deliberate, and if he finds a place that makes me moan particularly loud, he catalogs it. This is too much. This is exactly what I didn’t want.
“Are you going to fuck me, or just spend the whole night caressing me gently?” I ask, frustrated.
He chuckles darkly. “You’re so goddamn impatient,” he says. “But if that’s what you want.”
I stare up at him and nod enthusiastically.
He sighs and stands, giving me a bit of a show as he pulls off his undershirt, then works his belt open.
Another thrill runs through me as his pants come off.
I can see his erection through his boxers, and he’s huge.
I’m not even sure he’ll fit, but I don’t care.
I’m going to take as much of him as I possibly can.
He moves over me again, hooking his fingers through the waistband of my panties and dragging them down slowly. I squirm under him, desperate to feel his skin on mine, already slick between my thighs.
“I’ll leave these for last,” he says roughly, palming my breasts through the lace bra. “They need to be savored.”
I want to laugh, or maybe cry. My whole body is vibrating, and I just need him to get on with it already.
I reach behind his head and pull roughly, bringing his face back to mine.
My tongue slides into his mouth, and I feel the tension coiled in his muscles.
Then his cock is right there and I arch against him.
He’s breathless as he positions himself at my entrance, hesitant, like he’s had the same thought I’ve had about the mechanics of all this. Without warning, I arch up to meet him, pulling him as deep into me as I can.
Fuck, it’s a tight fit. We both groan. This isn’t going to be as hard and fast as I’d hoped. There are a few more mechanics involved than I anticipated.
“We can take this as slow as you need,” he whispers roughly into my ear. “Just relax. I’ve got you.”
I couldn’t be less relaxed, but it’s not out of pain or fear. There’s a primal need inside me to feel exactly how much space he’ll take. Still, I force my body to unclench, and let him do his thing. He sinks into me slowly, and I breathe through it, feeling my body adjust to meet him.
He pulls out slowly as his fingers move between us to circle my clit. I nearly levitate off the bed when he thrusts back in, a little quicker this time. I moan, unable to form a coherent thought. He repeats the movement.
Time stops meaning anything. Nothing exists outside this bed and the two of us.
He’s hitting spots in my body I didn’t even know could feel this good, and he’s impossibly patient.
If I told him I needed all night, he’d give it to me without question.
With each thrust and each breath, I feel myself climbing closer to an inevitable end.
My mind is screaming at me to make it last. I’ve never felt anything this good in my life. There’s the flaw in my plan. I figured he’d be good, but I didn’t think he’d be this. How can I ever have sex with anyone else knowing this is an option?
My traitorous body shudders, and then I’m coming undone around him. As I tip over the edge, he pushes somehow deeper, and I feel his breath growing ragged above me. He’s almost there. I surrender to him, riding my own pleasure while doing whatever I can to make sure he finds his.
He groans my name, raw and broken, and I know he’s there. His orgasm overtakes him a moment after mine, and I watch in fascination as his face contorts in pleasure. He’s so much hotter when he isn’t carefully crafting his expression.
He pulls out and collapses next to me, completely spent. Within minutes he falls asleep, and I know I’ll have to leave before I get addicted to this feeling.