019

Katherine Harrington Luciano stared at me like I had suggested we set the estate on fire for fun. “You are enjoying this too much,” he repeated, voice low and flat, the same tone he’d used while reading Helen’s crimes aloud. I smiled, slow and shameless, still kneeling in the middle of his massive bed in my wine-red evening gown. The silk clung to my skin, tight across my breasts, the slit up one thigh already riding higher from how I’d shifted toward him. “Yes,” I said again, softer this time. “I am.” His gray eyes flicked down to where the gown had parted over my leg, then back up to my face. A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Sleep, Katherine.” The command was quiet. Final. The same voice he used when he expected the world to obey without question. I didn’t. Instead, I crawled forward on my knees until I was right in front of him, the mattress dipping under me. Close enough that my breasts nearly brushed his bare chest. Close enough to see the water still clinging to the hollow of his throat. “But I’m not tired,” I whispered. My fingers traced the edge of the towel where it sat dangerously low on his hips. “I’m… energized.” Luciano caught my wrist before I could slip beneath the fabric. His grip was firm, warm, unyielding. “You’ve had a long night. Adrenaline crash is coming.” “I don’t want sleep.” I leaned in, letting my lips hover just beneath his ear. “I want you.” A low sound rumbled in his chest—half warning, half restraint. He still held my wrist, but he didn’t push me away. I took that as permission to keep going. I pressed a soft, open-mouthed kiss to the side of his neck, tasting clean skin and that faint cedar-smoke scent that drove me insane. Then another, slower, dragging my teeth lightly over the tendon there. His free hand fisted in the sheets beside my knee. “Katherine.” The word came out rougher. “Behave.” I smiled against his throat. “Make me.” That did it. Luciano moved like lightning—fluid, decisive, terrifyingly controlled. One second I was teasing him on my knees; the next he’d grabbed me by the waist, spun me, and pinned me beneath him on the bed. My back hit the mattress with a soft bounce, the gown riding all the way up my thighs as his body settled heavy between them. I gasped. He loomed over me, one hand braced beside my head, the other still gripping my waist hard enough I knew I’d bruise in the prettiest way. Damp hair fell across his forehead. His eyes had gone dark, molten steel. “You want to play?” His voice dropped to a dangerous murmur. “After everything tonight?” I arched up against him, pressing my body into the hard line of his. The towel had slipped lower. I could feel exactly how much he wanted me—thick, hot, and straining against the fabric. “Yes,” I breathed. “I want to play.” Luciano’s hand slid up my side, slow and possessive, thumb brushing the underside of my breast through the silk. My n*****s tightened instantly. He noticed, of course. His gaze dropped there, hungry. “You’re still in your gown,” he said, almost conversational, even as his fingers traced circles that made me squirm. “Then take it off.” He didn’t. Instead, he leaned down and kissed me—deep, filthy, claiming. His tongue stroked mine like he was tasting victory, like he’d been waiting to devour me since the moment I threw that wine. I moaned into his mouth, fingers threading through his damp hair, tugging. When he pulled back, we were both breathing harder. Luciano sat back on his heels, dragging me up with him so I straddled his lap. The towel was barely hanging on now. My gown had bunched around my hips, leaving nothing between us but thin silk panties and that last scrap of fabric. His hands gripped my ass, pulling me down harder against his c**k. The friction made my head fall back on a whimper. “f**k, you’re soaked already,” he muttered, voice rough. One hand slipped between us, fingers pressing against the damp silk, rubbing slow circles right where I needed him. “All this because I ruined your enemies?” “Yes—” The word broke into a moan as he pressed harder. “God, yes.” He leaned in, mouth at my ear. “You liked watching me destroy them for you.” I rocked against his hand, chasing the pressure. “I loved it.” Luciano growled—actually growled—and shoved the neckline of my gown down with one rough tug. My breasts spilled free. He bent his head and took one n****e into his mouth, sucking hard, teeth grazing just enough to make me cry out. His other hand kept working between my legs, two fingers pressing the soaked fabric against my c**t in perfect, relentless rhythm. I was trembling, grinding down on him, the thick ridge of his c**k sliding against my core with every roll of my hips. The towel had fallen away completely now. Skin on skin—hot, velvet steel against my panties. So close. So f*****g close. “Luciano—” I gasped his name like a prayer. He switched to my other breast, sucking harder, then bit down lightly. I shattered without warning—sharp, sudden, hips jerking against his hand as pleasure crashed through me. He didn’t stop, just kept rubbing me through it until I was shaking, whimpering, clutching his shoulders. When I finally sagged against him, he lifted his head. His eyes were pure predator now. He wiped his fingers on my thigh, then brought them to my lips. “Open.” I did, tasting myself on his skin while he watched with dark satisfaction. Then he kissed me again, slower this time, like he was savoring the mess he’d made of me. When he pulled back, his voice was low, rough, and full of promise. “Next time you tease me, little mate… I won’t stop at one.” I smiled, dazed and glowing, still straddling his very hard, very neglected c**k. “Promise?” Luciano’s hand tightened on my hip. His gray eyes darkened. “Sleep now,” he ordered, but the threat in his tone only made me grin wider. “Before I change my mind and ruin what little self-control I have left.” I leaned down and kissed the corner of his mouth. Soft. Sweet. “Yes, Your Majesty.” He grunted something that sounded suspiciously like annoyance, then hauled me down beside him and tucked my back firmly against his chest. One heavy arm locked around my waist. Possessive even in sleep. Still naked. Still warm. Still aching pleasantly. And as I drifted off, one thought settled happily into my mind. Tomorrow night, I was absolutely teasing him again. --- A horrifying sound ripped through the room. I groaned, covering my face with the blankets, but his chuckle and consistent hand movements on my body made it hard to keep the sleep. A deep arm slid around my middle. Without warning Luciano dragged me backward until my spine pressed against his bare chest. I smiled instantly beneath the blanket. There he was. Warm. Solid. My terrifyingly large personal heater. I twisted in his hold until I was facing him. His hair was slightly messy from sleep, silver threaded through black, his jaw rough with the faintest shadow, storm-gray eyes still heavy-lidded. Moon Goddess. He was unfairly attractive before sunrise. “Good morning,” I whispered. He made a low sound. Not quite a reply. More acknowledgment that I was speaking too early. I reached up and poked his chest. “My sunshine.” One eye opened fully. Luciano stared at me. “My what?” I smiled sweetly. “My sunshine.” He looked personally insulted. “I am many things, Katherine. Sunshine is not among them.” I snorted. “You literally hold me like a heated blanket and keep saving my life. That's sunshine behavior.” His arm tightened around my waist. “That is called mate retention.” I laughed. He looked at my smile for a long second. Then his mouth moved—barely. The tiniest ghost of a smirk. Dangerous. Lethal. Unfairly handsome. I poked his cheek. “Oh my God,” I gasped. “Was that a smile? Someone notify the empire. The Tyrant has emotions.” Luciano rolled on top of me so fast I squeaked. His forearm pinned me gently into the mattress. Storm-gray eyes hovered inches from mine. “Continue mocking me,” he said in that deep morning voice, “and I will ensure you do not walk properly at training.” My pulse jumped. I grinned anyway. “Good morning to you too, sunshine.”