Even if it destroys me.
Chapter 14: Damon
She's still pressed against the wall where I left her, looking at me like she's not sure whether to run or stay.
"You said you wanted to know what it means to belong to someone like me," I say.
"I did."
"Then come here."
She hesitates, then steps away from the wall. When she's close enough to touch, I reach out and trace my fingers along her face. She leans into the touch despite herself.
"First lesson," I say. "When I tell you to come here, you come. No hesitation."
"And if I don't want to?"
"Then you tell me. But you don't play games about it. No maybe, no hesitation, no making me guess. Yes or no. Simple."
She nods slowly. "Okay."
"Good girl." The praise makes her flush, and I file that reaction away for later. "Second lesson. I take care of what's mine."
"What does that mean?"
"It means you're sore, and I'm going to fix that."
"How?"
"Hot water. Slow hands. Things you should have had last night if I'd known what I was dealing with."
I take her hand and lead her toward the bathroom. She follows without resistance, though I can feel the tension in her fingers.
The bathroom is all marble and glass, with a shower that's big enough for four people. I turn on the water, adjusting the temperature until it's just shy of too hot.
"Take off your clothes," I tell her.
"Damon—"
"You want to learn what belonging to me means? This is part of it. I take care of you. All of you."
She stares at me, then slowly pulls her shirt over her head. Her shorts follow, and then she's standing there in her underwear, arms crossed like she's trying to hide from me.
"All of it," I say.
"You too."
The demand surprises me. Most women I've been with are happy to let me stay in control, let me set the pace. But Viviana isn't most women, and something about her refusal to be completely passive turns me on more than it should.
I drop the towel.
Her eyes widen slightly as she takes in my body, and I see the heat building in her gaze.
She reaches behind her back to unhook her bra, and I watch as she reveals herself to me slowly. She's breathtaking, all soft curves and smooth skin, exactly the kind of woman who could make a man forget everything else that matters.
The kind of woman who could get me killed if anyone knew what I was thinking about her.
And doing.