"Whether I qualify isn't for you to decide." He narrowed his eyes, closing in steadily. "I offered you a choice. You squandered it."
"Choice?" I retreated until my back hit the wall. "That was a threat! It was kidnapping!"
"So what?" He was right in front of me now, hands planted on either side of my body, caging me in. "The outcome is the same. You're my wife. That's a fact."
"I'll never acknowledge this marriage!" His presence was suffocating, but I lifted my chin defiantly. "I hate you!"
"Hate me?" He leaned down, his hot breath fanning my face. "Good. Hate is a bond too."
"You're a psychopath! A control freak! A stalker!" I couldn't contain my emotions any longer; they erupted. "What am I to you? Your pet?"
"Pet?" Kholod laughed, a smile I'd never seen before—cruel and exhilarated.
"No, Noelle, pets are for pampering." He leaned in closer, hands still braced, trapping me. "You..."
He bent to my ear, his voice a devilish whisper. "You're for taming."
"Who the hell do you think you are, trampling my dignity like this?!" His words ignited a fury in me, and I struggled more fiercely.
"Dignity?" He straightened, towering over me. "We don't need that useless crap between us."
He lowered his head to kiss me; I jerked my face away. The scorching kiss landed on my cheek, the cigar scent making me shudder.
"Let go!" I shoved him with all my strength.
My resistance seemed to set him ablaze. He abandoned the kiss, instead yanking me away from the wall like an object and hurling me toward the massive bed.
Caught off guard, I fell backward, crashing onto the mattress that sank like quicksand.
Before I could recover, he was on top of me, his massive frame pinning me down.
Rip—
The fragile silk of the nightgown tore apart in his hands. Cold air enveloped my exposed skin, making me shiver uncontrollably.
"You bastard!" I raised my hand to strike him, but he caught my wrist effortlessly and pinned it above my head.
He forced his knee between my thighs, hands braced on either side of me, his amber eyes churning with raw, undisguised desire.
Even enduring this brutal treatment, even with fear and hatred raging inside me.
But as my gaze drifted over his face, vivid with lust and devastatingly handsome, a forbidden thrill stirred deep within me.
I must be insane.
How could I feel this way for my father's killer?
Kholod's hands began to roam, rough and demanding, mapping the curves of my body as if he owned every inch. His fingers trailed down my sides, teasing the remnants of my torn nightgown before stripping it away entirely, leaving me bare and vulnerable beneath him. The air crackled with electric tension, and I despised how my skin tingled under his touch, betraying my resolve.
He smirked, that cruel glint lingering in his eyes, as he capturedmy lips in a punishing kiss. I resisted, biting back, but he only deepened it, his tongue claiming my mouth with the taste of cigar smoke and unyielding dominance. One hand cupped my breast, his thumb circling the nipple until it peaked, sending unwelcome sparks of pleasure shooting through me. "Fuck, you're so responsive," he growled against my lips, pulling back to drag biting kisses down my neck, leaving stinging marks that blurred the line between pain and arousal.
His other hand ventured lower, slipping between my thighs, fingers brushing my core. I gasped, my body arching involuntarily. He let out a dark chuckle, pressing a finger inside, probing. "Not so unwilling after all, huh? Look at you, already dripping wet for me." His voice was rough, triumphant. "Why is that, Noelle? You claim to hate me, but your body's screaming for more."
I whimpered, loathing the truth he exposed, the slick evidence of my arousal. He added a second finger, pumping slowly, stretching me with deliberate thrusts that made my hips buck against my will. The foreplay was merciless; he scissored his fingers, curling them to stroke that sensitive spot inside, making stars explode behind my eyelids. His mouth descended on my breast, sucking hard, teeth grazing the taut peak while his thumb worked relentless circles over my clit, coiling the tension until I was panting, my thighs quivering uncontrollably.
But he wasn't satisfied yet. He withdrew briefly, reaching for the nightstand drawer—always one step ahead, the bastard. He pulled out a sleek vibrator, high-end silicone with multiple settings, switching it on to a low hum that filled the room. "Gonna open you up properly," he rasped, positioning it at my entrance, teasing before easing it in inch by inch, the vibrations rippling through my core like shockwaves.
I moaned, clenching around the intrusion, the fullness both foreign and intoxicating. "Look at that," he murmured, his voice thick with smug satisfaction as he observed my every twitch. "So fucking tight... shit, you're a virgin, aren't you? This virgin pussy's been waiting for me all along." He twisted the toy deeper, cranking up the intensity, his free hand holding my hip steady as I writhed beneath him. "God, that gets me hard. Knowing I'm the first to take you likethis. See how it's gripping? It's begging for me, Noelle. You've been saving yourself for this moment, haven't you?"
