Page 81 of Privilege

Not that she minded.

Not at all.

Not when he looked like that.

Intense.

Sure.

Dangerous.

Her heart raced, and her nerves felt like they were on fire. All because he was close, and yet, she wanted him closer still. Strange how that worked.

“Yes, I absolutely did have to do that,” he murmured, his lips so close to hers that they grazed her mouth with every word he spoke. “Because there’s a lot of shit I am willing to deal with from stupid fucks who want to test me, but you are not ever going to be one, Lucia. This time, it’s someone thinking they can get too close to you while I’m standing right there. Putting their fucking hands on you—he’s lucky I didn’t rip his fucking esophagus out of his goddamn throat right then and there for doing that. But next time? Next time, if I didn’t make my point clear, it might be something else.”

She blinked, and sucked in a ragged breath when his palms slipped down her throat. Those teasing fingers of his tapped a sweet beat along her pulse point. His gaze followed the same path, still dark and heady and wanting, she thought. He wanted her, and fuck her if she didn’t want him, too.

She shouldn’t.

That should have scared her.

Sent her running, maybe.

Lucia was fine right where she was.

“Next time,” he added, his lips ghosting over her jawline, making her shiver, “it might be something worse. Now, it won’t be anything at all.”

“Okay,” she whispered.

Renzo hummed under his breath. “Just okay?”

“Give me a little warning next time when you want to go on a jealous rampage, I guess?”

His laughter was a balm to her soul. Dark, thick, and wonderful.

“I wasn’t jealous,” he said, but his gaze wouldn’t lift to meet hers again. He so fucking was—she could hear it in the way his tone heated and turned just gruff enough that the sound alone was enough to make her crazy. “I can’t be jealous of someone else over something they don’t have, Lucia.”

She blinked.

It took her a second, and then two.

“See, I’ve kind of decided on that,” he murmured, his russet fire meeting her hazel storm, “or didn’t you know?”

She did.

She still wanted him to say it, though.

“Know what, Ren?”

“You’re mine.”

His words were punctuated by a kiss that bruised. God, she loved his kisses when they were rough, and demanding. Loved the way he could own her with a kiss. She didn’t even think he knew it was possible.

Renzo’s hands dipped under the skirt of her silk dress find what he wanted between her thighs. No fucking surprise, she was already wet and ready for whatever he wanted to do for her. And maybe that was the part that should have made her ashamed—she always seemed to want him.

It didn’t matter they were in a back alley.

It didn’t matter someone might see them.