How the Hitman Stole Christmas - Sam Mariano Page 0,81

to kiss me back.

“Is that how it’s gonna be now, snowflake?” I murmur lowly, dragging my lips across the naked curve of her shoulder, kissing her every couple of inches.

I feel a shudder pass through her, but she pretends to be unaffected as she glares back at me. “Yeah, Jasper. That’s how it’s gonna be.”

“All right.” I nod slowly, dragging my hand down the curve of her bare back and watching her face. “I can work with that.”

She doesn’t ask what that means. I think she’s about to, but then my hand slides between her thighs and she gasps in surprise.

“What are you doing?” she asks, trying to kick at me again. “You don’t get to fuck me anymore, Jasper. You don’t get to touch me. You don’t get to kiss me. You don’t get to—”

Before she can finish telling me all the things I no longer have a right to do, I flip her over.

She tries to take advantage of me shifting positions to roll away, but I throw her down on her back, reclaiming my position on top of her.

She huffs, her pretty brow furrowing with annoyance as she looks up at me. “You’re drunk.”

“You’re beautiful.”

She sighs, looking away from me. “Stop saying things like that.”

“Sorry, I thought we were stating the obvious.” She tries to push me away as I come down on top of her, but I easily push her hands out of the way, pinning them to the bed beside her.

She looks up at me, still annoyed.

“Kiss me back, goddammit.”

It’s the only warning she gets, then my lips are on hers again.

She still wiggles beneath me, her goddamn tempting little body rubbing me in all the wrong places if what she really wants is to settle me down.

I don’t believe that, though. It wasn’t true in the shower, it’s probably not true tonight, either.

Whether it’s true or it isn’t, I don’t listen. I hold her down, lacing my fingers together with hers, keeping her body pinned beneath my weight. I wedge a knee between her thighs and kick her legs apart so I can position myself between them. I kiss the goddamn brat until finally… finally, she kisses me back.

So much tension eases out of my body as her lips soften beneath mine. I let go of one of her hands so I can touch her face, then I slide my fingers through the silky strands of her hair.

“I miss you already,” I murmur against her lips. “You’re not even gone yet, and I fucking miss you.”

Her expression softens. Before I said that, she may have finally kissed me back, but she hadn’t given in. Her brow was still furrowed, her expression still guarded against me and thoroughly aggravated.

I feel her chest sink beneath me as she sighs.

It’s defeat for her, but victory for me.

She reaches up to push a few strands of hair back off my face—a gesture of tenderness.

Her eyes glint with sadness I know I put there.

I can tell she wants to say something, but whatever it is, she keeps it to herself.

Instead of speaking, she slides her hand around my neck and pulls me down closer to her.

Her lips are soft and sweet again, inviting me to kiss her.

I kiss her like I’m drowning and she’s the only dry land I’ll ever find.

My hands are rough and greedy as I reach for her panties—the only stitch of her clothing I haven’t yet removed. I resent them for being in my way, so I shove the fabric down her long, shapely legs.

I have to break away for a moment to unhook her panties from her ankle and toss them, to drag off my shirt and kick off my pants. To free my cock and guide it between her thighs.

She gasps when I shove into her, hooking her arm around my shoulder so she can hold on. She feels so fucking good as she struggles to adjust, taking every inch of me raw and without much preparation. I feel her stretching to accommodate me, feel the strain of her muscles as she shifts beneath me, trying to get more comfortable.

She looks up at me with her wounded heart in her big blue eyes, letting me have her one last time when she knows damn well she shouldn’t.

I could fall in love with you, I told her.

I didn’t tell her I’ve already started to fall.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Autumn

We get a late start leaving the following morning.

Everyone is awake, which is unfortunate. It was a long night,