Alessio’s Pov
The heat in the room wasn’t just hers anymore. It had crept beneath my skin too—slowly, then all at once.
I could see it in her eyes, how the fire was eating her up from the inside out. The flush of her cheeks, the sheen of sweat across her collarbone, the way her fingers trembled slightly every time she gripped the sheets, every part of her was screaming for relief, even though her mouth kept spewing defiance.
I had to say it.
“I think I’ll have to mark you.”
She blinked at me like I’d grown a second head. “What do you mean, try to bite me? Are you insane?”
I met her glare, calm but firm. “Yeah. That’s the only thing that’ll stop this. For now. You understand that, right?”
Her expression twisted in fury. “Never. You would never—don’t even try that nonsense on me.”
Th
