Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Gabriel Dantas

— I hate you, you know? — I blurt out, my breath coming in ragged gasps, still tasting him on my lips.

Leonardo raises an eyebrow, that damn smirk playing on his lips, slowly spreading as if he'd been waiting for exactly that sentence.

— I know — he replies, with the most cynical face in the world. — But hate is just the spice of love.

I roll my eyes, forcing out a dry laugh.

— You're ridiculous.

— And yet, you're still here — he retorts, closing the distance between us with a slow step.

Before I can think of a sharp retort, he pulls me by the waist, pressing our bodies together again. The kiss comes hard, hungry, as if he wants to devour me right there.

And, to be honest, part of me wants exactly that. Even knowing it's wrong, reckless, dangerous. Even with fear throbbing in the back of my chest.

His hands slide down my back, then rise, gripping my nape firmly, as if trying to hold me captive. To throw me against the present, to tear me away from the chaos that still dominates me from within.

Without warning, he lifts me into his arms and sets me on the dressing room shelf, knocking over makeup jars, brushes, towels, and perfumes without caring about the noise.

— Leonardo! — I protest, my face etched with shock. — Have you gone mad? Someone could walk in at any moment!

He presses his hips against mine, his gaze wild, hot, determined.

— I don't give a damn if anyone walks in or not — he mutters, hoarsely, his eyes locked on mine. — You're mine today. I want to possess you now, and I'm crazy with desire, Gabriel.

My hands reach for his chest, in a ridiculous impulse to push him away, but his body is too hot, too firm, and the touch burns me. He starts unbuttoning my shirt with nimble fingers, as if he'd already imagined this a thousand times.

— Leonardo... — I whisper, on edge. But my voice falters.

He brings his lips close to my ear, his quickened breath brushing against my skin.

— Be quiet and feel me — he says, with an intensity that tears through my self-control.

I feel his fingers trace my skin, descending slowly, provoking violent shivers. With each touch, the tension grows. My heart hammers in my chest as if it wants to burst out. I try to maintain reason, but it slips through my fingers like wet sand.

He looks at me like a predator who has finally found its prey and won't give up for anything. And when he kisses me again, it's not just lips, it's urgency, it's surrender, it's fury mixed with pleasure.

Hands pull my hair, make me tilt my head back, and his tongue traces my neck with a raw, almost animalistic hunger.

— I'm going to make you mine right here — he whispers between kisses, as he pulls me closer to the edge of the shelf, our bodies fitting together in a precise movement.

I take a deep breath, trying to find some logic, some anchor, but all that remains is his heat, his scent, the sound of our breaths mingling. The world outside ceases to exist.

And I surrender.

I sink into this chaos, this forbidden desire, this man I claim to hate... but who, with a touch, makes me burn from within.

His hands slide under my open shirt, as if mapping every inch of my skin. The touch is demanding, hot, firm. I feel his fingers marking my body, and every inch he reaches seems to implode within. My head rests against the wall behind the shelf, my body already surrendering before I even admit it out loud.

He kisses my chest, licks slowly, sucks the skin with force, leaving marks of possession. Each mark he makes makes me gasp, and he knows it. He knows exactly the effect he has on me, and he takes advantage of every second of it.

— You're mine, Gabriel — he says between kisses. — Only mine.

I try to respond, but his mouth covers mine again, and all I can do is give in. Give in to the heat that takes over my belly. Give in to the desire that explodes like gunpowder.

His hands are already working on my belt, and the way he does it — with his eyes locked on mine, his breath ragged — makes me even more vulnerable. He descends slowly, leaving me exposed, watching me with that indecent look he's always known how to use to dismantle me.

— Leonardo... — I whisper again, almost in a plea. — This... this is madness.

He raises his eyes, smiles crookedly.

— Then let's go mad together.

And then he proves me right in the middle of the dressing room, among broken bottles and spilled perfumes, he shows me what it is to lose yourself in someone. What it is to be consumed. What it is to desire someone so much that you forget the rest of the world.

His movements are rough, intense, as if he's angry at his own feelings. As if he wants to bury himself in me until he's torn away any doubt, any fear, any other memory that isn't him. He squeezes my thighs, holds me captive, dominates me. And I let him. Because part of me wants this. Wants this surrender, this hot imprisonment, this touch that burns.

My mouth seeks his again, and our moans mingle. He bites my lip, slides his hand up my thigh and squeezes as if he needs to feel that I'm real, that I'm there with him.

— You drive me crazy — he murmurs, his forehead pressed against mine. — I don't know how to pretend I don't want this anymore.

— Then don't pretend — I release, almost without thinking. — But don't hurt me, Leonardo.

He locks eyes with mine. For a moment, everything stops.

— I would never hurt you. — His voice falters. — I just don't know how to love you the right way.

— No one does. — I pull his nape. — But we learn… or we burn trying.

His breath quickens. And then it comes again, deeper, firmer, as if the words have unlocked something inside him.

As if now it's not just desire, but need. He wants me, and he makes a point of showing me this with every thrust, every suffocating kiss, every rough touch.

The whole dressing room seems to spin, and only the two of us remain — sweaty, breathless, lost in each other. He makes me forget my name, the day, what came before. Everything boils down to now. To his body inside mine. To his hands gripping my waist tightly. To his hoarse voice moaning my name like a desperate prayer.

And when everything explodes, and pleasure reaches us like lightning, he holds me even tighter, as if I'm going to run away. But I don't run. Not now.

I just collapse with him."