Page 143 of The Carnage We Keep

My gaze drops to her throat, lingering on one of the marks I left. Bella sucks in her breath softly when I press my mouth to the wound.

I start to pull away.

“You missed a spot.”

I cock a brow. “Excuse me?”

She grins a sleepy, happy smile at me. “Hey, you bite it, you kiss it.”

“Are those the rules?”

She snorts. “They are fucking now.”

Her finger lands on another of the vicious red marks quickly turning into welts on her throat. “Here…”

I lean close and gently kiss it.

“And here…” she mutters, biting back a grin as she indicates another spot. “Fucking savage.”

I smirk as I kiss there as well, letting my tongue swipe at the bite this time.

“Anywhere else in need of medical attention?” I say dryly.

Bella chews her bottom lip, her face heating. Her hand presses her stomach, then slowly pushes down until she slides her hand over her pussy and cups it gently, her breath catching.

“I’m pretty sore here,” she whispers. Her teeth rake over her lip. “Do you think you could kiss it all⁠—”

She shrieks when I suddenly flip her onto her back and shove her legs apart. Then all I hear are her soft, cooing moans as I settle between them.

A dark, possessive feeling settles deep in my chest.

Fuck.

This thing between us was supposed to be just sex. Two people with needs, nothing more.

But I’m starting to think my monster didn’t get the memo.

24

BELLA

“Yeah so this man can fuuuuck.”

Arianna almost chokes on her boba tea as she snorts with laughter. “I did not need to know that about Damiano?”

So…yeah.

Ari knows.

I know the marriage is supposed to be a secret so as not to mess up my and Damiano’s families’ ongoing business deals, and it’s not like I’ve exactly been itching to tell people anyway.

But when someone’s seen you stripped completely bare, and looked your monster in the eye without running?

Of course I told Ari.

Sometimes I think about how weird our friendship must look from the outside. Or would, if anyone knew just how close we are.

Because even though Ari and I have been friends for a very long time, and know things about each other that nobody else does, we don’t really advertise it.