my side, holding one of the blades over the flame of a lighter. “We don’t want him bleeding to death,” he says, heating the knife until it glows red. Then, he presses the flat side of the metal against the stumps of Viktor’s hand, filling the room with the scent of searing flesh. Viktor doesn’t stir, but when he wakes up, he’ll be in for a world of hurt and a long recovery. I doubt he’ll ever walk again, and he’ll never be able to grip a gun or swing a fist with the same lethal accuracy. He’ll be walking prey, marked with the shame of having crossed the king of the Pérez Family.
Diego turns to face me then, his chest heaving and his eye burning like hot coals. Through his sweatpants his cock is at full-mast, tending the fabric. “Fuck, gatita,” he growls. “I don’t think I’ve ever found you sexier.”
The tension between us has finally reached its breaking point, and I can’t wait another minute. I don’t take the time to be concerned that the dark atmosphere of this room is adding to my arousal, making me feel powerful and closer to Diego than I ever have. There’s nothing left to question. After all, I let myself fall in love with a kidnapping, murdering loan shark with a mean streak. He’s ruthless and cruel and flawed … and he’s all mine.
I pull my shirt off over my head while holding his gaze, leaving streaks of Viktor’s blood along my belly. Diego seems frozen in place, lips parted as he watches me peel off my sports bra, then kick off my shoes.
“Elena,” he says. “Are you sure … right now? Here?”
“Yes,” I reply, shimmying out of my leggings. “I’m ready. I want you so fucking bad. Get over here.”
That’s all it takes to close the distance between us. Before I can push my panties down, Diego is on me, lifting me off my feet and carrying me to the surgeon’s table. The cool metal kisses my back, and his lips crash into mine with unleashed passion. I moan and arch under him, submitting when he takes my arms and stretches them over my head. His fingers clench around both my wrists, while his other hand runs down my body, squeezing each of my breasts and working my nipples into stiff peaks.
“I missed you, gatita,” he rasps, kissing his way down my neck and licking at one of my aching nipples. “I missed you so fucking much.”
“Yes,” I moan, each lap of his tongue at my nipple sending jolts of intense pleasure between my legs. My clit throbs, and I know it won’t take long for him to get me off. I’m so wound up, wanting him so badly it hurts. “I missed you, too.”
We’re both beyond taking things slow, the reunion of our bodies too important, too urgent for romance and sensuality. We’ll have that later tonight, when the end of the day and the privacy of our bedroom brings us into a cocoon of happiness and love. This isn’t about feeling cherished or being reassured. This is a new contract between us, forged in fire and flesh and blood … the start of our new lives, for real this time.
Diego releases my hands, and I tear his shirt off over his head as he curls his fingers in the sides of my panties and yanks, tearing the fabric. Then he spreads my legs wide and pushes my knees up toward my chest, lowering his head between them. He flattens his tongue against my pussy and drags it up my slit, swirling over my clit and lapping up my wetness. I grip his shoulders and grind against his mouth, leaving streaks of crimson over his bared skin. Diego moans with his face buried in my cunt, as if I’m the best thing he’s ever tasted. He licks and sucks and makes me wetter and wetter, tonguing my opening and the tight pucker of my ass.
In a dizzying move, he snatches my legs back down, jerks me up and spins me around. He grips the back of my neck and pushes me so my torso is flat against the cold steel. Using one foot to push my legs as wide as they’ll go, he fumbles with his clothes for a few seconds before the blunt, wide head of his cock press between my ass cheeks.
I grab hold of two leather straps, the buckles biting into my palms as I push