INSATIABLE CRAVINGS
Insatiable Cravings – Episode 37
Subtitle; {Loving You Is A Loosing Game}
TAGS: Age-gap, Mafia, Forbidden Love, Drama, Tragedy and Betrayal.
Settings: United Kingdom, Russia and others.
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
~ Genevieve ~
“You know, when you mentioned brunch, I didn’t quite expect it to be a picnic,” I admitted, pleasantly surprised that I managed to maintain my composure at the sight of the beautifully arranged spread. “Are you absolutely certain you made this yourself?”
I was merely seeking confirmation of what he had mentioned earlier when I visited his flat. He didn’t need to know just how desperately I craved a ‘yes’ from him.
“Are you doubting my culinary skills?” Dominic turned to me with a bemused expression, feigning a discontented look that quickly morphed into a grin. His eyes sparkled in the afternoon light, and I found myself utterly captivated. “Don’t look at me like that.”
A wave of panic and embarrassment surged through me, akin to an electric shock, but I did my utmost to conceal it. I couldn’t afford to reveal my inner turmoil, at least not right now.
Well done, Genevieve. You were perilously close to ruiníng brunch even before it began. Keep it up!
At this rate, I might inadvertently incriminate myself before I could even express my feelings like a normal person.
“What do you mean, ‘like how’?” I blurted out, my mouth seemingly operating independently.
“Like you want me.”
“I do want you, quite a lot actually.” I realised my words may have sounded a tad too earnest. His eyes widened, clearly taken aback, prompting me to add hastily, “I don’t think anyone could look at you and not want you.”
“So, are you saying I’m irresistible?” he teased, his hair falling artfully over his forehead as he tilted his head.
So irresistible that he managed to ensnare my heart.
“Absolutely.”
“No one could possibly be more irresistible than you, Vixen,” he replied, sincerity lacing his words, and I knew he meant it. “You’re temptàtion personified.”
A smirk played at my lips as I edged closer to him. His gaze dropped to my mouth, and I took my time, deliberately licking my lips. “Am I temptiñg you right now?”
“Hmm,” Dominic nodded, his eyes heavy with admiration and desire.
I tilted my head just enough to bridge the gap between us, and his minty breath brushed against my face, making my eyelids flutter closed. In a voice low and sultry, just as I intended, I asked, “And what do you plan to do about it?”
Out of everything he could have said, “Feed you,” was certainly not what I expected. My mouth fell open in surprise.
“What?”
“If I don’t feed you now, you’ll get all grumpy.”
“When have I ever been grumpy?”
“When you’re hungry.”
I opened my mouth to protest but closed it again, as he was only partially right. Upon noticing my defeat, he wore a smug smirk.
“Is this you conceding that you can be a bit grumpy when you’re hungry?”
“N-no.”
His smirk transformed into a full-blown grin, pure joy shimmering in those golden-brown eyes of his. “You just stuttered.”
“And so what? Does stuttering mean I’m lying?”
“Your words, not mine,” Dominic replied. Just as I was about to respond, he popped a grape into my mouth, effectively silencing me. “Hear that?”
I strained my ears, trying to catch whatever sound he had detected, but all I could hear was the complete silence around us. I glanced away from him, surveying the tranquil and picturesque scenery, but still found nothing—just the two of us.
“It’s peace and quiet,” he said, bursting into laughter at the sight of my frown.
“Are you saying I talk too much?” I snapped playfully, to which he nodded. I let out a dramatic gasp and thumped my clenched fist against his chest. “Dominic!”
“Ow!” he feigned injury, but the small smile on his face and the spark of mischief in his eyes gave him away. “That húrt.”
Even though I knew he was joking, I pouted and said, “Serves you right. You called me a parrot.”
“When did I ever say that?”
“You nodded, though.”
“You are so pretty,” he said.
I tilted my head, confusion washing over me as I realised he was trying to distract me.
“That won’t work on me.”
“What won’t?” His innocent act made me raise my hand to poke his chest again, but he caught my wrist and pulled me closer, our faces mere inches apart. “Care to enlighten me?”
His hand settled possessively on my waist, as if it belonged there. It felt as though he knew, deep down, that I was entirely his.
Did he know it?
My heart began to race, pounding furiously as it tried to betray me, doing everything it could to prevent me from fainting from sheer embarrassment. I could almost imagine the inscription on my funeral card: “Diéd from a little too much blushing.” I’d rise from the grave just to díe again from embarrassment.
Even the fluttering in my stomach wouldn’t relent, likely due to the intense gaze we held. I wanted to look away, but I didn’t really want to; his eyes were simply mesmerising.
He was breathtakingly handsome up close—I had always told him so, but he just laughed it off. But it was the truth; he was utterly gorgeous.
My ridiculóus heart seemed bent on my destrúction, flipping and leaping in a way that made me feel faint. I exhaled, putting on a teasing frown and shaking my head, knowing that if I tried to speak, it would come out in stutters.
Dominic tilted his head slightly, and our lips were almost touching; they would have met if I hadn’t pressed mine together in defiance. He pulled back just an inch, a look of dissatisfaction crossing his features, which only made me smile.
“No kisses for you,” I said, shaking my head playfully.
A frown of his own formed on his lips. “That’s not fair.”
“Humans don’t kiss their parrots on the lips.”
A grin fought to overtake his frown, but he held it at bay. “If I take it back, will I get a kiss?”
“Hmmm, I don’t know. I’ll think about it after you take it back.”
“When did you get so mean?”
“Well, when you called me a parrot!”
“You know, for someone I invited out to make my not-so-wonderful day enjoyable, you’re not doing a very good job.” Dominic stuffed two grapes into his mouth as if they were rivals, rolling his eyes dramatically.
I seem to have had a rather significant influence on him, far more than I initially realised. Dominic wouldn’t even dream of rolling his eyes, calling me “mean,” or being his usual sassy self.
It’s rather amusing, really. It’s difficult not to find it utterly delightful.
So, I decided to take a leaf out of his book and rolled my eyes in response. “If I kiss you, will you stop whining like a baby?”
He looked genuinely taken aback by my words, but before I could fully bask in my victory, he came crashing down onto me. Despite my squeals of surprise, Dominic rolled us away from the picnic blanket spread on the grass, laying me down on the cool earth instead.
But I didn’t mind; not with a view as enchanting as this. In fact, it was the second most beautiful sight, because I, of course, was the first. No lies could possibly be detected.
He hovered above me, his hands on either side of my head, but then he changed his mind, trailing his fingers slowly down my ribs until they settled on my waist. A satisfied smirk played on his lips as his amber eyes sparkled with mischief and a deep-seated desire.
I wet my lips, drawing his gaze from my eyes down to my mouth and back again. My throat felt suddenly parched, my cheeks were flushed with warmth, and that familiar fluttering sensation returned to my stomach. With everything I was experiencing in that moment, it was no wonder my voice came out as little more than a whisper, “Dom…”
“Shhh,” he murmured, his warm breath brushing against my ear. I shuddered beneath him, my back arching involuntarily, my body responding to his presence in a way that was unmistakable. He, of course, noticed and hummed in delight, sporting an annoyingly attractive smirk. “What did you call me?”
Right, I had called him something. What was it, though?
My mind was hazy with his scent, his closeness, his everything. He was wielding his status as Dominic Morozov to his advantage, and for some reason, I was allowing it. Why?
Because I was utterly lost for words, for heaven’s sake! My tongue had seemingly forgotten how to function. That wasn’t the only thing rendering me speechless; his boyish, triumphant smile was certainly part of it.
“Huh? I could help you untwist your tongue if you’re tongue-tied—perhaps with my tongue, of course.” His fingers tightened around my waist, and I couldn’t help but let out a soft whimper. “So, tell me, what did you call me again?”
Typical Dominic, always seeking his revénge. So this was what he meant by making people pay for their misdeéds. But I considered myself a good girl; I hadn’t done anything wrong, apart from being selfishly beautiful.
There was no escape for me, no way I could emerge victorious. I had to concede, and I did so rather quickly, wanting to avoid dyiñg of over-blushing.
And yes, that is indeed a real thing!
I exhaled, flicked open my eyes, and met the gaze I knew and cherished, sighing in resignation. “If I take it back, will you stop tormentiñg me?”
“This isn’t tormént, Vixen.” A wicked smile crept at the corners of his mouth. “Shall I show you what real tortúre looks like?”
“Please, no.” I blurted out, aware of exactly what he was alluding to, and it was hardly appealing to me.
He had done it once before, when he caught Liam and me chatting a tad too closely for his liking—his words, not mine. He had punished me that night, relishing every moment until I was left yearning for release.
If you know, you know.
“Why?” Dominic asked, a teasing glint in his eye. “Getting flashbacks?”
I huffed in frustration. “You’re… ah, f+ck.” All coherent thoughts fled my mind the instant he sank his teeth into my neck, nibbling and sucking. “Dominic.”
“You know, I can’t decide which I prefer—hearing you say my name or when you m0àn it. Lucky me, I get to enjoy both.” He grinned and returned to my neck, leaving me with no choice but to clutch his shirt tightly, surrendering to the sensation of his sharp teeth grazing my skin.
Dominic paused for a moment, smiling down at the mark he had left on my neck, a rather conspicuous híckey that I would have to conceal come Monday at school, and winked at me. “Can I get a kiss now?”
“If I say no, will you let go of me?”
He didn’t hesitate for a moment in his response. “No, I’m never letting you go, Genevieve.”
I absolutely believed him.
I lifted my head and pressed my lips against his. A sigh of relief flowed from his mouth into mine, and I savoured it, angling my head to deepen the kiss. Lips against lips, tongue against tongue, we kissed as though there were no tomorrow.
The tension escalated quickly as the kiss grew more fervent, transforming into a proper make-out session, our bodies instinctively seeking friction as we pressed against one another.
I couldn’t envision kissing anyone other than Dominic Morozov. I doubted any other bloke could ever measure up to his standards—he was simply irreplaceable. That… that’s why I love him.
“Shall we eat?” Dominic tilted his head, a cheeky grin spreading across his face. “Don’t.”
Ah, he truly knows me far too well.
“I meant the actual picnic, the eating part—not whatever you’re imagining in that pretty little head of yours.”
“I don’t know what you’re on about,” I retorted, shrugging nonchalantly. “Maybe you’re the one with the naúghty thoughts in that little head of yours.”
“Nothing about me is little.”
“True, but eww.” I tossed a strawberry at him, and he laughed.
“It wasn’t eww when you were…”
Embarrassment flooded me as I interrupted, “Dominic Morozov, don’t say that.”
He gave me an innocent smile, as though he had no idea what he was doing. “Don’t say what? I haven’t a clue what you’re on about.”
“I hàte you.”
“No, you don’t.” Dominic protested, but little does he realise how true those three words of his really are.
Little does he know that I feel the complete opposite of hàte. I was still dreading how he would react to it. Knowing Dominic Morozov, I was certain it would be anything but easy to get him to say those words I longed to hear the moment I finally confessed my feelings.
That is, if I could ever summon the courage to say it and have him mean it. Anyway, fingers crossed.
TBC
