[Music recommendation: everybody loves an outlaw - i see red (slowed + pitched + reverb)]

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Gavriel never kissed gently. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Just like he had told her before, his kisses were unrestrained, hard, and fierce. The faster he paced the kiss, the deeper he loved to dive in, successfully turning Aliana’s mind into complete putty.

But lord, how good he was!

It was as if his tongue knew exactly what to do to keep her moaning in a tune only he wanted to hear. As if he were playing a fine instrument... except, in this case, Aliana was the instrument.

And don’t even get her started on his hands.

They loved to pull her deeper against him, as though he were trying to merge their bodies completely, or trying to memorise every slight curve and detail of her frame.

Not only did his touch ignite a fierce heat deep inside her, but it also felt so incredibly possessive. He held her like a beast marking his territory, an apex predator who refused to share what was his, and Aliana secretly loved every second of it.

His hand moved down from her jaw until it came to rest on her breast, cupping her through the fabric before squeezing tightly as he swallowed more of her moans.

But she knew things were about to get out of hand, and there were still so many things that needed to be done, especially with an injured friend resting downstairs.

Not only that, but there were also other men staying under the same roof who absolutely loved to make an appearance at the worst possible moment.

With Nigel and Winston already being here, Cillian had also happily decided to move into the estate the moment she requested to bring Jade and Nigel along after the incident.

Since she and Gavriel were out here heavily making out in the open hallway, it was the perfect recipe for embarrassment to land right in her lap once again.

So, just as he sucked on her tongue, she forced herself to pull away, releasing a deep, breathy moan as she broke the contact.

Gavriel stared down at her, his voice rough and darkened with hunger. "Let’s go inside and take off your clothes."

Alarm bells rang in her head, and she looked at him incredulously. "What?"

"Like I said, I’ve noticed some changes in your body. Don’t you want to check?" he asked with a completely straight face, though the devious glint in his eyes did not escape Aliana’s notice.

Just as she parted her lips to reply and he leaned in to capture her mouth again, but this time she slapped her hand over his lips before he could advance.

After taking a deep breath, she stabilised her breathing before she looked up at him. Only to see him narrow his eyes at her in clear displeasure. She pressed her lips together tightly before clearing her throat.

Still blushing furiously, she said, "Gav, I think we need to hold back for the time being."

As expected, his eyes narrowed even further, making his utter lack of amusement obvious.

Aliana quickly continued, "Only until we get through our wedding."

When he continued to keep his intense gaze locked onto her, she softened her tone, adding, "It’s not that I am trying to be traditional about it. It’s just that... I need some time to process everything. We are moving at such a fast pace, especially with all the chaos happening in my life."

She let out a soft sigh, finally lowering her hand from his lips as she admitted, "I just need my limbs fully functioning to plan for the engagement and everything else. And I know now that you... you are an actual beast. You know no restraint, so I need you to exercise just that until our wedding. Can you do that?"

Gavriel remained silent for a beat before asking, "The question you should be asking is if you can hold out until then."

"What?" Aliana blurted, her face flushing an even deeper crimson.

He suddenly curled his fingers around the back of her neck, pulling her face close to his until his lips brushed teasingly against her own. "You’ll beg me," he whispered.

Aliana’s eyes widened.

He ran his nose slowly along her cheek until he reached her ear, his breath hot against her skin.

"You’ll beg me to fuck you."

Her heart jolted violently at the sheer audacity of his words, but in response, he simply squeezed her hip firmly and murmured, "And I won’t give you what you want until you do, Aliana."

With that, he pulled back, looking down at her with a raw hunger that genuinely terrified her. It terrified her because of how close she was to proving him right. That she would be the one who ultimately wouldn’t be able to hold back.

Gulping hard, she suddenly took a staggering step back, creating some much-needed distance before her body could do something stupid and betray her completely.

She continued to retreat until her back hit the cool surface of the opposite wall, realising instantly just how overheated her skin felt against the contrast of the stone. Closing her eyes, she took another deep breath, fighting to regain any semblance of her sanity.

When she finally opened her eyes, she locked her gaze with his and whispered, "You’re on."

The devil simply put his head back against the wall, watching her as a devastating smile curled around his lips. "You’ll lose, baby."

His intense blue eyes moved over her body like a physical caress, making Aliana’s breathing turn even harsher.

He looked back up to meet her gaze, whispering, "I can already see how your body is ready to protest the words that just left that beautiful mouth of yours. I can see how erratic your pulse is, and how you’re already weeping down there, waiting for me. Waiting for my tongue, my fingers, and more."

His smirk widened, and he added more knowingly, "You’ll lose, baby."

Even though her heart galloped at his provocative words, which were, in fact, entirely true. Aliana still managed to narrow her eyes at him challengingly, murmuring, "We’ll see."

"So then," Aliana suddenly said, clearing her throat once more. "No touching each other until the wedding."

Savouring the incredibly alluring sight of her face, Gavriel stayed still, admiring her for a few seconds longer. Then, he pushed himself off the wall to loom over her like a predator. Curling a finger under her chin, he tilted her face up to his and declared, "Not completely."

"What do you mean?" she asked breathlessly, though her underlying wariness did not escape his notice.

"A kiss," he murmured. "Every night before you go to sleep, my future wife will give me a goodnight kiss. Starting tonight... if you want me to hold back, that is."