“A man who paid five thousand dollars to fuck a stranger in a hotel room.” The words hit their mark. I see his knuckles go white on the steering wheel. “Tell me, was I worth it?”
“Stop talking.”
“Why? Does it hurt to remember?” I rest my head on the headrest. “God, you made me come so hard I cried.”
“I said shut up!”
“Fuck you!” I scream, thrashing against the chains. “Fuck you and your whole goddamn family!” The restraints dig into my wrists as I fight them. “Let me out! Let me out of this fucking car!”
He reaches for his gun. Points it at me with one hand while steering with the other. “One more word and I’ll blow your fucking head off.”
“Do it!” I scream, not caring anymore. “Shoot me, you fucking piece of shit! Do it! Death would be better than fucking being your wife!”
The car swerves violently as he pulls onto the shoulder, gravel spraying, tires skidding. We’re on a dark stretch of highway, nothing but trees on both sides. Only a couple of cars have passed us so far.
He slams on the brakes, and the car lurches to a stop.
Before I know what’s happening, he’s kissing me, our mouths crashing together and tongues tangling. I’m kissing him back without hesitation, desperate for more of him. But the angle is wrong, the chains are in the way, and I can’t get close enough. He pulls back, breathing hard.
“Fuck this.”
He gets out of the car and slams the door so hard that the whole vehicle shakes. A second later, my door is yanked open, and he’s hauling me out by my arms, the chains forcing me to stumble.
My feet hit the gravel. The air is too quiet out here. No noise but our breathing and the distant hum of tires far down the highway. A single streetlight flickers behind us, casting shadows over the car. The moon is full above us. Bright and clear, like it’s watching.
He pushes me back against the door of the car, his mouth finding mine again. This time there’s nothing stopping us.
I kiss him back just as desperately, my chained hands fisting in his shirt, pulling him closer. The taste of him floods my senses, making my brain short-circuit.
Sparks fly behind my closed eyelids as I remember this exact feeling, this exact taste. The way his lips move against mine, demanding and gentle at the same time.
God, I forgot how this felt. How free I feel when he touches me, even with chains around my wrists. Like nothing else matters except this moment, this connection that shouldn’t exist but does.
His hands are sliding up my thighs, gripping my waist, cupping my ass, tangling in my hair. Each touch sends electricity shooting through my body, waking up parts of me I thought I’d buried.
When he breaks the kiss to trail his mouth down my throat, I hear myself moan. The sound surprises me—when’s the last time I made that noise and meant it?
“I hate you,” I whisper against his ear, but my body is saying something completely different.
His hand tangles roughly in my hair, yanking my head back so he can look at me. His eyes are dark and dangerous.
“Shut up,” he growls, and his mouth crashes against mine again, harder this time. “I’ll teach you a lesson.”
I feel his other hand slide down to my ass and squeeze roughly. When I gasp against his mouth, he bites my bottom lip hard enough to make me whimper.
This isn’t gentle like that night in the hotel. This is raw, angry, desperate, and I’m letting him because God help me, I want it too.
He spins me around suddenly, pressing my chest against the car. My hands are cuffed, useless in front of me. Alaric is behind me, his body hot and solid. I feel him shift, then grip my hips with both hands, pulling me back into him.
The thick bulge in his pants presses right against my ass and I stop breathing. I feel him, every hard inch of him, grinding slow and heavy against me. The metal of the car is cold against my chest, but everything else is burning.
His mouth comes close to my ear. I can hear his breath catch, like he’s trying to hold himself together and failing.
“You see what you’re doing to me?” he whispers.
I close my eyes. My heart is in my throat.
“Look what you’ve done to me, Kasimira.”
