Octavius

xxxviii

FINLEY

        Octavius Genovese always maintained his calm composure. Always so dignified, elegant yet causally cruel all at once, and in this moment, he was anything but calm. From the edge of the bed, I watched quietly as he paced back and forth, tugging on the cherry scrunchie around his wrist before he lit a cigarette.

Dark midnight-black strands of inky locks cascaded down his neck, and framed his face as his dark amber eyes eyes filled with warmth peered at me. Gorgeous, sexy, compelling but he was also lethal, frightening and deadly. A deep gaze that made me feel protected yet I didn't know if it would save me, kill me or break my heart.

"Come here," His low, husky voice murmured, igniting a spark deep down in my belly. I didn't have to be told twice before I arose from the bed, and with shaky legs, I sauntered towards him.

Strong arms corded around my hips, his gorgeous face bent down on par with mine, and I felt the light brush of his lips against mine. "Let him break every single part of me into a thousand pieces, and deny me life but I am not letting of you. Never."

        "I—I.." I paused during mid speech, glancing down at our intertwined fingers. Every muscle, and bone in my body was persuading me, screaming vividly at me to flee and I felt consumed by the need to hide from him.

This man would eventually be my ruin, my complete destruction, and I would gladly let him.

"We're not done." Octavius' deep voice tethered me to reality. He always managed to do that. "Look at me, tesoro." He tilted my chin to meet his mesmerizing gaze clouded with a hardened personality he presented to others. Yet it always seemed to soften when we were alone.

His gaze on me was intense, and I couldn't look away. It almost felt as if I was revealing my entire soul to him in this moment. "We're not done until I say so. And right now..." The smell of the smoke consumed my nostrils as he pressed a lingering kiss on my nose. "We are far from done. Do you understand, amore mio?"

"Yes." I answered a little breathless from the effect of his possessive words.

"Good. Give me a kiss, baby." Strong hand clutched my throat, and effortlessly tugged my face to his. In a single instant, our lips met, tangled endlessly, evoking somersaults deep low in my belly.

His possessive, greedy hands raced—engulfed over the curves of my body and I whimpered to his searing lips. His tongue plunged over my lips, and he pulled my frame against him. My breasts mashed to his muscled chest, my fingers curled in his dark hair.

With the taste of his lips, I could feel every single emotion and feeling he was communication that even words could not convey. A flutter that became a tightening in my stomach as he nibbled around the edge of my lips in a slow rhythm before landing a passionate, relentless kiss on my lips.

It was almost as if he was telling me how much he loved me yet he was unable to actually out it into words.

Slowly parting his lips from mine, I felt the warm squeeze of his hands around my hips before he patted it softly. "You're going to go with Silvio, hm?" He gazed into my eyes, lips parting like he wanted to say more but he shook it away with a soft sigh.