I kissed him, drinking him in as if he were the juice of immortality—a draught of pure lust, unstoppable desire, eternal longing.
Ever since I met Eduardo, I had been questioning myself, my behavior.
He blurred the lines of our professional roles, and his irresistible charm turned me into a helpless teenager.
I was only partially aware of my actions, acting mostly on instinct, guided by a strange, deep trust I couldn’t explain.
It didn’t matter how messed up I was; he was always there to clean up the pieces, and not just because he was my paid bodyguard.
I devoured his mouth, my tongue tangling with his while my fingers caressed his hair, his neck, the shell of his ear.
A single kiss and my loins were on fire.
“Oh, you have no idea how much I’ve missed you…” I whispered against his lips before lowering my kisses to his neck.
One of his hands found my hair and gently pulled my head back, putting distance between us.
“No,” he said.
“Please, stop.” His voice was tight with agony.
“I’m begging you to stop.”
He was clearly fighting himself, but I didn’t press him.
I moved back a little on the floor.
“Fine,” I said, getting up.
“Have it your way.” I forced a laugh.
“I hope you won’t sue me for harassing you at work.”
His eyes widened.
He knew I was kidding, trying to lighten the mood, but he couldn’t hide his frustration.
“You aren’t serious about this, are you?” he asked. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
“Okay,” I said.
“You’re silly enough to reject me, Eduardo, but you can’t be *that* silly, can you?” I fluttered my eyelashes.
He smiled and nodded.
“I swear by whatever gods there may be, there is nothing I want more than you in this world.” He paced, seeming to search for an excuse—or invent one.
“But?” I prompted, curious what he would say.
He spread his arms, a smile touching his lips.
“I was jogging. I’m sweaty and dirty, ma’am,” he said, finishing with a wink.
I laughed so hard at that, I burst into tears.
“You are a silly, silly man,” I said, catching my breath.
He took a few steps toward me and grabbed me by the waist.
He caressed my cheek, a touch that faded my laughter in seconds.
The way he looked into my eyes reminded me of diving into the ocean.
I wondered if he was searching for something in my expression, some permission to move forward, or if he was simply enjoying the view—the way I enjoyed getting lost in his.
“I don’t deserve you at all,” he whispered.
“I’m so very dirty.”
I put my arms around his neck and smiled.
“I can help you with a bath, if you’d like,” I said, giving him a slow wink.
But the playfulness didn’t reach his eyes.
I cupped his cheek. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
“Eduardo, what is it?” I asked, my own smile fading.
His mood was beginning to worry me.
“Oh, God,” he said on a sharp exhale.
“Did you have to be so beautiful?”
I smiled at that.
“Is that your problem? Me being beautiful? Okay,” I said.
“Then my problem is you being so handsome.”
“Oh, *Dio*,” he breathed.
“Your beauty is beyond compare. It comes from your very self. The way you are…” He paused, his gaze wandering the room as if to find the right words.
“God damn it,” he said in frustration.
“I’m so dirty.”
My patience was wearing thin.
“Eduardo, take a shower, then!” I snapped.
“Oh,” he said, “you don’t get it. You can’t understand this kind of filth, and I’d die to prevent you from ever finding out.”
I placed my hands on his shoulders, pushing him back slightly so I could see his face, search his eyes for an answer.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I…” He hesitated.
“Say it,” I demanded.
“I love you so damn much,” he said, as if confessing a sin.
“Would you come with me, if I asked you to?”
***