The moment our lips met again, something inside me snapped, like a dam breaking under the weight of a flood. Bruno's kiss—what began as cold, calculated, filled with suspicion—had turned into something else entirely.
His mouth was fierce, demanding, but there was a strange tenderness woven through it, a kind of hunger I hadn't expected from him.
I felt the tension draining from his body, the suspicion melting away as his hands gripped my waist, pulling me closer as if he couldn't stand even an inch of space between us.
I never thought I'd see him like this—so vulnerable. Bruno Alfonzo, always in control, always the one giving orders and never taking them, now losing himself in this moment. And God, I was losing myself too.
The warmth of his body was overwhelming, radiating through the thin fabric of my dress, seeping into my skin. It was intoxicating. His scent, that earthy, masculine smell of cologne and something deeper, something purely him, invaded my senses, clouding my thoughts.
I wasn't supposed to feel this way. I wasn't supposed to want this. Mrs. Alfonzo's words loomed in the back of my mind, the weight of what I was supposed to do heavy on my shoulders. But right then, in that moment, all I could think about was Bruno—the way his hands roamed my back, firm yet tender, the way his lips moved over mine with a hunger that mirrored my own.
I didn't recognize this version of myself—the Maria who gave in to this, who willingly fell into Bruno's arms. But I couldn't stop. The more I touched him, the more I wanted.
His body responded to me in ways I hadn't anticipated, ways that surprised me. I thought I was in control, seducing him because I had to, because I had no other choice. But now… now it felt like something else entirely.
His hands gripped my hips harder, pulling me closer, and I let out a soft moan, my head falling back as his mouth continued its assault on my neck, my collarbone.
My skin burned beneath his touch, and I found myself arching into him, craving more, needing more. I didn't know when it happened—when this stopped being about manipulation and started being about something real. Something I couldn't control.
Bruno pulled back for a moment, his breath heavy as he looked down at me. His eyes were dark, filled with a desire that sent a shiver down my spine. I'd never seen him like this—so unguarded, so raw.
His chest heaved with every breath, and I could see the muscles of his shoulders and arms straining beneath the fabric of his shirt, his body taut with tension and need.
"Maria," he breathed, his voice low and rough. His hands moved to my face, cradling it gently, and the tenderness in his touch took me by surprise. "What are you doing to me?"
I didn't have an answer. I didn't know what I was doing. All I knew was that I couldn't stop. I didn't want to stop.
I pulled him down again, crashing my lips against his, my hands tangling in his hair as I pulled him closer, as close as I could get him. I needed to feel him, all of him.
His hands were everywhere, roaming my body with a kind of urgency that made my head spin. I didn't recognize him like this—the cold, distant Bruno who'd always kept me at arm's length now melting into me, needing me as much as I needed him.
His lips moved against mine with a desperation that matched my own, and I felt his hands tugging at the hem of my dress, his fingers brushing against the bare skin of my thighs. I shivered at his touch, my skin tingling, and I couldn't help the small gasp that escaped my lips.
He pulled back just enough to look at me, his eyes dark with desire, his breath ragged.
His hands gripped my waist tightly, pulling me flush against him, and I could feel every hard line of his body pressed against mine. His breath ghosted over my skin as he searched my eyes, as if looking for permission.
"Tell me to stop," he whispered, his voice rough and strained. "Tell me to stop, and I will."
I should have. I knew I should have. But I couldn't. I couldn't bring myself to say the words.
Instead, I pulled him closer, my hands gripping his shoulders, my lips finding his once again. I kissed him with everything I had, pouring all of my fear, my desire, my confusion into that kiss. And he responded in kind, his body pressing against mine, his hands gripping me as if he couldn't bear to let go.
His mouth moved against mine with a kind of desperation that made my heart race. I'd never seen him like this, never felt him like this. It was as if all the walls he'd built around himself were crumbling, piece by piece, leaving him exposed, vulnerable.
And I realized, with a jolt, that I was falling too. My defenses, the walls I'd put up to protect myself, were crumbling just as fast. I was losing myself in him, in this moment, in the way his hands felt on my skin, the way his lips moved against mine.
I'd never wanted anything more.
His hands slid up my thighs, gripping them tightly, and I felt a shiver run down my spine as he pulled me closer, his body pressing against mine with a kind of urgency that left me breathless. I could feel the hard lines of his body against me, every inch of him taut with tension, with need.
"Maria," he breathed, his voice rough and strained as his lips moved against my skin.
He didn't finish the sentence, but he didn't need to. I could feel it—the tension, the desire, the raw need coursing through him. And it mirrored my own. I'd never felt anything like this before—this overwhelming need, this uncontrollable desire.
I pressed my lips to his once again, my hands sliding up his chest, feeling the hard muscle beneath his shirt.
I tugged at the fabric, needing to feel his skin against mine, needing more. He groaned softly as I slid the shirt off his shoulders, my fingers tracing the lines of his chest, his stomach.
He was beautiful—more beautiful than I ever imagined. His skin was warm beneath my touch, his muscles taut with tension, and I couldn't get enough. I wanted more. I needed more.
Bruno's hands slid up my back, pulling me closer, and I gasped as his lips found mine again, hot and demanding. His hands roamed over my body, his touch igniting a fire deep within me, a fire I couldn't control.
I was lost in him—in the heat of his kiss, the feel of his hands on my skin, the way his body moved against mine. I'd never felt anything like this before—this overwhelming need, this uncontrollable desire.
And I didn't want it to stop.