her.
I knew I was pissing her off. Her jaw twitched every now and then, and after each drink of coffee, her lips pursed a little tighter. I wouldn't have been surprised if she'd been thinking of all the ways to hurt me. I would have gladly taken every single one if it meant it killed the awkwardness that was lingering between us.
I didn't usually stay this long after sex, and I got the feeling Adriana had been having the same fuck and fly relationships I'd been having.
“You can stop staring at me now. I'm hardly a Van Gogh painting.”
“Nah, you're right. You're closer to Picasso.”
Her jaw dropped. “You pig.”
“You walked right into that.” I grinned. “Maybe you're not a Picasso... Probably the Mona Lisa, judging by the look on your face right now.”
“Are you saying I'm grumpy?”
“Yes.”
She put down her mug and turned to face me, her arms folded across her chest. “You're starting to piss me off, Rosso.”
“Good. Great things happen when you're pissed off.” I winked.
She didn't find me funny. “Yeah? Are you gonna think its so great when I finally tire of your bullshit and twist your balls up your asshole and into your gut?”
“Feisty.” I waggled my eyebrows, goading her further.
“I'm not even responding to you anymore.” She pushed off the side. “You're just doing this to annoy me deliberately. I'm wasting oxygen here.”
I laughed and darted in front of her before she could leave the room. She glared at me and put her hands on her hips.
“What do you want now?” she demanded of me, her eyebrows shooting up.
“Nothing,” I answered, lying through my teeth. My eyes dropped to her mouth, and I traced the curve of her plump lower lip with my gaze. They parted and she sucked in a breath when she realized where my eyes were.
I figured I was already going to Hell when I died, so kissing her was only going to get me a first class ticket down there.
I stepped forward and gave in to temptation. My hands curved around the sides of her neck, my thumbs resting along her jaw, and I tilted her head back as I pressed my lips to hers. It was nothing like earlier, that fast, hurried, desperate sensation. This was closer to the way she'd kissed me on the beach.
Slow. Easy. Gentle. Savored.
Adriana's hands rested against my sides, and she leaned into me. She was so small compared to me, and I moved closer without taking my mouth from hers. I wanted to enjoy this moment, just breathe her in and surround myself in her while I could.
Every second our lips touched, a foreign, protective instinct roared to life inside me until it became more than just protective. It turned obsessive, possessive... Dangerous. And it wanted one thing.
I wanted one thing.
Her.
Adriana.
I wanted Adriana Romano to be mine, and I knew in that moment that I'd go to the very edge of the universe and fight my way back if that's what it took.
I broke the kiss and rested my forehead against hers. She breathed deeply, keeping her eyes shut, and a few loose hairs tickled my cheek. She didn't speak or try to move away from me. I didn't want to do either things myself, but I had to.
She wasn't going to walk out of this kitchen, away from me, without knowing that I wasn't playing.
If she had any doubt that I wanted her, I was going to erase that shit quicker than she would know what was happening.
I moved my mouth to her ear, wrapping one of my arms around her tiny waist. “I have no idea how you feel about Gaige Pontarelli, but I'm not a fool, Addy. He wants you, but that's tough shit. You were mine before he even knew your name, and you're still mine now. You never stopped being mine.”
“That's a bold statement for someone sent to kill me,” she whispered.
“It's a pathetic statement for someone who'd take the bullet for you.”
“You're losing your mind, Carlo Rosso.”
“You always made me do stupid shit. Why would now be any different?”
She shuffled back half a step and looked into my eyes. “You're not a dog, Hunter. You don't have to piss on me to mark your territory.”
My lips twitched to one side. “You're right. The bite mark on your tit does that well enough.”
She jerked her head from side to side until she saw the light purple bruise flowering on her right boob. “Shitting hell, Hunter!” She pushed me away