The Author

Before I could respond, his hand tightened slightly against my waist and suddenly his lips crashed against mine.

The kiss stole the air from my lungs instantly.

Fast.

Desperate.

Messy in the way fear sometimes becomes desperation.

I froze completely, fingers instinctively gripping his shirt as his mouth moved against mine like he still hadn't recovered from the panic of almost losing me tonight.

I should've pushed him away.

I knew I should.

And maybe I tried to.

A little.

"Richard-"

But he followed immediately, one hand sliding behind my neck as he kissed me again, slower this time. Deeper. Somehow even more dangerous.

A shaky breath escaped me before I could stop it as his thumb brushed lightly against my throat, his warmth surrounding me completely .

And the worst part?

I stopped resisting.

Not because I fully understood what I was feeling.

But because in that moment, I could feel everything inside that kiss.

Fear.

Relief.

Obsession.

The terrifying depth of what I meant to him.

Richard finally pulled back just enough for our uneven breaths to mix together, his forehead nearly resting against mine.

Then quietly-

Dangerously soft-

"Tell me to stop, babygirl."
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Richard Donaldson hated books almost as much as he hated people-until he heard Olivia Collins playing the piano at a ballroom and accidentally found one of her novels. Somewhere between her words and melodies, the feared mafia boss fell in love with a girl he barely knew. But when he finally decided to find her, he discovered something terrifying:

someone else had already been watching her first.