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Her tattooed hand fell away from mine as it trailed up my arm, caressed my shoulder and wrapped itself aroundthe side of my neck. ‘Right here, Sunshine—where I can feel your blood pumping for me. I want it just below your ear, trickling down your neck and ending just before the curve above your collarbone.’

I shivered but nodded in agreement, not trusting my voice, worried it would break as desire flooded through me.

Zane coughed, breaking the spell between us, amusement on his face as he shook his head. ‘Let’s get this over with before you start fucking and ruin my sanitary field.’

V held my hand tightly throughout my tattoo; the supple flesh of my neck made the tattoo gun feel as if it were slicing through my skin like a gaping wound. My mouth dried, and my body shook from the pain. I refused to stop. By the time the pain got too much and a single tear rolled down my face, Zane was pulling away having finished. V bent down to place a chaste kiss on my lips, sweeping my hair from my face and whispering praises into my ear that had my insides melting.

‘Good girl.’

Those words had me losing myself. Forgetting Zane was in the room, I fisted her top, pulling her into me with such force that I fell off my stool, and as her body slammed into me, we went sprawling on the floor. Laughter burst through my chest, unable to contain the pure joy I felt radiating thorough me. Zane saw himself out without a word, but I could have sworn I heard him chuckle as he left.

The brothers would be working tonight which left V and me properly alone in this enormous house. We decided to snuggle up in the cinema room, and in poor taste, I picked out a classic mafia film calledCasino. I couldn’t believe V had never watched it. She cringed throughout the movie, talking about how unrealistic certain parts were and how her family would have dealt with the situationinstead. I would have thought fear would lick up my spine but instead it was lust. Her fingers had nestled on my thigh under the blanket and she hadn’t moved once. It was agony.

‘Tell me something you’ve never told anyone, V. I want to know you better than anyone else ever has.’

She studied me for a moment, biting her bottom lip deciding on what to share.

‘You know I don’t work in the family business the way Xav and Z do. I’ve always had my own dreams and it’s true—that is part of the reason. But there’s another part of me, Sunshine—a deeper, darker shred of my soul that knows if I fell too deep into that world, I would lose myself. I’m just like them, and sometimes that scares me because what if I’m the worst of them both? My brothers said that, since I was a girl, I had this look in my eyes. It was never there for long but it was blood-curdling. I fear who I really am if I was to let go of my control. What I’m truly capable of. And it’s not until I heard what Jason did to you that I truly understood why. It’s bloodlust, Sunshine. I have a vindictive streak in me that makes me want to hurt those that hurt me or the ones I love a thousand times more than they could even dream.

‘I keep my distance from the business as much as possible because if I didn’t, I fear my reputation would be on par with Zane’s in this city. It’s always bubbling under the surface—the need to hurt someone, lash out and make them break—so I’ve spent my life channelling those emotions that have nowhere to go into my art. But seeing what Jason did to you. This is the first time I truly cannot suppress it. I don’t even want to. I want to run toward this feeling and satisfy it. I just don’t know if I’ll be able to wholly find my way back to you after it, and thatscares me.’

My hands squeezed hers tightly and reassuringly, because even after that confession, I still didn’t fear her.

‘Well, it’s a good thing I fall into the category of people you love then,’ I joked. She wasn’t amused; concern rippled over her features as she glanced away.

‘V, look at me.’ I dragged her chin toward me. ‘If this is a scratch you need to itch then do it. To be honest, it’s something I need you to do. I know it’s selfish, but I wouldn’t feel sure or safe if it was anyone else ridding the world of Jason. But I will be there. I will be there for every moment, not just at the end. I will bear witness to it and I will pull you out if I see you drowning in it. I promise, you won’t lose yourself. I won’t lose you. I will not let that happen because I need you.Thisversion of you with a touch of insanity. I’ve got you.’ I was so sure of myself that the message seeped into her bones as her shoulders relaxed and her forehead met mine. I breathed her in as she did the same.

‘How can you be so sure? How come you aren’t afraid of me?’ she asked, barely above a whisper.

‘Because I know your heart, I know with every fibre of my being that you would never do anything to hurt me. Just the opposite. Because I am everything to you, you could never run from that or lose your way for long. You will always come back for me. For us. I know it in my bones, V. This isn’t just love. This is cosmic. The universe, the gods—no thing or being would allow us to be a part.’

She let out an exhale before tilting her chin up and pressing her lips to mine.

‘I am not scared of you. I could never be scared of you. You are my everything and I am well and truly yours,’ I reassured her, kissing her temple, then her forehead, tracing down her nose, kissing her eyelids, her cheeks—every square inch of her face. Lightly, delicately. I wastrying everything I could to reassure her that this connection went beyond our baser needs. I felt it in every fibre of my soul. I loved her; truly loved her. So those are the words I whispered to her as I placed chaste kisses all over her.

‘I don’t deserve you,’ she whispered, more to herself than to me, but I heard it nonetheless. I gripped the hair at the back of her head and pulled, forcing her to look at me. Really look. She was shocked for a brief moment before the flash of pain turned into desire. I knew then exactly what she needed. She needed to know I could control her when she couldn’t control herself.

‘Follow me,’ I demanded with a firmness in my voice that she hadn’t yet heard as I turned leaving her without glancing back. I entered our bedroom and stood by the bed. A few seconds later, she was closing the door behind me. I raised my hand, making her pause by the door and preventing her from stepping forward. ‘Take it all off.’

Her eyes flickered with desire. She pulled each piece of clothing off slowly, until she was left in a black lace bra and matching underwear.

‘Your hand.’ Her nostrils flared as she ripped off the bandage hiding her fresh tattoo. Slowly, she peeled the lace off her body, raising her brow in challenge.

‘On your knees and crawl.’ Turning my back to her, I walked the remaining feet to our bed and sat at the edge after pulling my own clothes off.

I watched her crawl; even with me above her on the floor, she looked like a predator stalking her prey. It almost drove me crazy. The heat in her eyes and the tension in her body. Ready to pounce. But I was in control this time. She stopped before me as I widened my legs in front of her. I had left my lace on, teasingly I dropped a finger and dragged it along my slit right over the lace. I loved thefeel of it, I could imagine they were her fingers trailing over me, in public under a table somewhere.

She moved closer, licking her lips, ready to devour, but I wouldn’t let her.

‘Uh, uh. No touching me and no touching yourself. Watch and squirm.’ I pushed my finger inside of me, feeling my wetness soaking the lace as I pushed it inside me, deeper. My head fell back as a breathy moan left my lips.

V’s thighs rubbed together, her frustration building. I fingered myself a few more times, thoroughly soaking my underwear before sliding them off my hips.

‘Open.’ She went to spread her legs, thinking I was rewarding her for listening. How wrong she was. ‘Your mouth,’ I said.

Realisation hit her as she stuck out her tongue. I placed my scrunched-up, soaking wet panties in her mouth, but before I drew my fingers out, I pushed them deeper into the back of her throat. She made a gagging noise and clenched her fists but didn’t move away.

Taking it.