I Thee Take: To Have and To Hold Duet Book Two by Knight, Natasha (books to read in your 20s txt) 📕

“He claimed not to know about Jacob’s death. Although he didn’t seem all that bothered by it. And he swore he had nothing to do with your kidnapping.”

“But you don’t believe him?”

“No. And I still don’t have one piece of the puzzle.”

“Who gave up the location of the house.”

I nod.

Scarlett’s forehead wrinkles. “From what I remember, Felix was never that clever.”

I give her a one-sided grin, wrap my arm around her waist and turn her. “The ones you don’t think twice about, who fly under the radar, they’re usually the most clever, Little Kitten.”

The wind picks up as if eavesdropping on our conversation. Scarlett shudders.

I shift my arm to wrap it around her shoulders and whistle for Cerberus.

“Let’s go to bed, Scarlett. I want to feel you beneath me again.”

12

Scarlett

I’m trying to wrap my brain around Felix Pérez taking over the cartel. Maybe I don’t remember him correctly. I was pretty young, I guess. I just can’t imagine it. He was more like an annoying bug that keeps buzzing by your ear. I remember neither of my parents liked him. But I’m not sure they liked Jacob either. I know my mom didn’t. She didn’t trust him, and my dad didn’t trust anyone who wasn’t blood. Even though Jacob took on the De La Cruz name, he was and always would be an outsider. And Felix marrying Jacob’s daughter, his niece, meant nothing to my father.

I think about that. About only trusting your own blood. That got my father killed. Blood is overrated.

“Cristiano,” I start once we’re upstairs. “Are you sure about Felix?”

He closes the door behind us. “I’m sure of one thing at the moment,” he says, unbuttoning my coat and slipping it off. He does the same with his and tosses them over the back of a chair. He spins me so my back is to him and unzips my dress. “I don’t want to talk about Felix or the cartel or any of it just for a little while.” He turns me to face him and slips the dress off my shoulders. It’s loose enough that it slides right off. I’m naked underneath. “Right now, all I want to do is look at my beautiful wife.”

His gaze slides over me, fist tightening as he takes in the striped flesh before drawing in a slow, deep inhale of breath. He closes his eyes momentarily, but when he opens them and looks at me, that anger is checked. Not gone, just cataloged for later.

“Right now, all I want to do is show my wife exactly how much she is mine.”

I don’t resist when he kisses me then. I don’t want to. My body remembers earlier. It remembers how he felt on top of me. Inside me.

Arms wrapped around me Cristiano walks me back to the bed. He sits me on the edge and pushes me backward so I’m lying flat, legs dangling off.

“Open them.” He gestures to my legs.

I swallow, take in the darkness of his eyes.

“I said open them, Scarlett.”

I do. I spread my legs and watch his eyes dip down to my sex.

“Wider.”

I lift my feet onto the bed and feel my face heat up as I expose myself to him.

As he unbuttons his shirt, he drags his gaze from my sex to my eyes. “Touch yourself,” he says, pulling the shirt off, then moving to pour himself a whiskey. He takes a seat on the armchair directly across from the bed. “Show me how you make yourself come,” he says, taking a sip and reclining back, long legs spread wide as he watches me, elbow on the armrest, head resting against the chair’s back.

“I…I don’t think I can do that,” I stammer, feeling embarrassed.

He grins. “I think you can. I’m pretty sure in fact. Do it. Put your fingers on your clit and rub.”

I’m tentative but I reach to touch myself. I’m swollen and wet already. He watches me casually, drink in hand. Fuck, it’s turning me on.

“Good girl. Now dip your fingers inside yourself and smear your juices all over. Good. Like that.”

It feels good. I like watching him watch me. I see the steel bar of his erection and I like that too. It makes me feel powerful.

“That’s it, sweetheart. Let me hear you. Let me hear how wet you are.”

I lick my lips and press my finger inside myself.

“You can do better than that, Kitten. Another finger.”

I add a second finger keeping the heel of my hand pressing against my swollen nub.

Cristiano swallows more of his drink then sets the glass aside and unbuckles his belt. Unzips his pants. He grips himself, pushing pants and briefs down as much as he needs to, and I watch him work his cock, pumping slowly, one corner of his mouth quirked upward as he watches me watch him.

“You like watching me?” he asks.

I lick my lips and nod.

“Dirty girl,” he says with a sly smile. “I like watching you too, though.” To my disappointment he tucks himself back into his pants and gets to his feet. Standing between my legs, he uses a hand to push one thigh wider. “And I think you like that. You like me watching you,” he says, looking down at my open pussy, my fingers working over my clit, dipping inside me.

I nod, my mouth hanging open, even though he wasn’t asking it.

“Say it.” He crouches down, keeping one leg wide. “Say it if you want my mouth on you.” He gives a teasing flick of his tongue over my clit and I buck, pushing my hips up. “Say it.”

“I like it. I like you watching me.”

“Good girl.” He takes the wrist of the hand working my clit and draws it away to close the whole of his mouth over the hard nub. He lays his tongue flat over my sex and licks, then sucks. I’m so close. So close to coming. But then he draws back. Puts my fingers back on me and stands.

“Why—”

“Shh. Don’t