Untouchable (Untouchables, #1)

by Sam Mariano

No one is going to tell me how to feel about my own experiences, how to feel toward the people who hurt me.

“You can feel special if you want to. I’d rather make you feel dirty. I’d rather see all your feelings in your eyes when you hear the cold bite of my voice telling you how to please me. I’d rather you half-naked, on your knees, waiting for permission to suck my cock like a good little whore.”

There are exceptions to every rule, but generally men who cheat are the cowards, the weaklings, the needy assholes. No one worth missing once they’re gone.”

He pushes his fingers through my hair, letting go of his cock and leaning down to kiss me. It’s a tender kiss—passionate, but not rough and hard. Possessive. When he breaks the kiss, he murmurs against me, “You are mine.”

at the end of the day, we can both take off our public faces, shake off our snobby colleagues, and reconnect with what’s real. Every night, I curl up with a woman who knows me and likes me anyway, and every night, you get to curl up beside a man who finds you as endlessly fascinating as you find your work.”

“I spend every day of my life with people who like the look of a mask I wear, Zoey. You’re the only person who likes what’s underneath better.”

A romantic relationship can be the icing on the life-cake, not the flour in the batter.”

“You are not just another girl to me, Zoey. Can’t you see that? In a world full of phony bullshit, you’re the only thing that’s real. I do respect you immensely.

“You don’t have to do this, you know,” he says, suddenly calm and meeting my gaze. “If you think your dignity demands this response, it doesn’t. I will make it up to you. I can fix this. One mistake is not who I am, and it damn sure isn’t the sum total of our fucking relationship. Throwing it all away… it’s a waste.”

“Not mine?” he asks lowly, dangerously. “Oh, you’re still mine, Zoey. You’ll always be mine.

I love being the place he puts his darkness. I love being the keeper of the secret of who Carter really is. I love him, dammit. I didn’t entirely mean it when the words slipped out that night in a post-orgasmic bliss bubble, but God help me, I do. I love Carter Mahoney, and that means I am well and truly fucked.

“Do you know what you’ve done, princess? You just gave me the keys to the kingdom. There’s no stopping me now.” I swallow, so aware of the truth of that statement. I knew that when I said it, though. I may not be ready to trust him with my heart again, but I do trust him with my body. I’m not afraid he’ll break that. “I know,” I answer softly, meeting his gaze. “I don’t want you to stop.” For a moment, he just looks at me. As he does, he soaks up every last doubt I might have about the choice I just made, the big and the small. He might like to call me his plaything, but he doesn’t look at me like a toy. He looks at me like a treasure. Like the heavens opened up and dropped me into his lap, and he’s forever grateful for the gift, even if he doesn’t express it with words. Even if his way of loving is sometimes brutal and scarring, even if he is more predator than prince, somehow, he is the perfect fit for me.

I never even knew to look for you, but I sure am glad I stumbled across you.”