And for the first time I see him up close.He has dark hair, a single scar cutting through one brow, and icy blue eyes that pin me in place.His face is carved from stone, hard and merciless, but it’s his size that steals my breath.He’s massive.Broader and taller than any man I’ve ever been near, his sheer presence swallowing me whole.I shiver.Not from the cold but from his mere presence.
He studies me like I’m something on display, like I’m not a person at all but a piece of meat he’s paid for.My cheeks burn hotter.Shame twists in my stomach, but underneath it, darker and more dangerous, my body responds.My nipples tighten impossibly more, and slick trickles down my thighs, proof of my body’s betrayal.
His nostrils flare and his jaw tightens.Oh.My.God.He can smell me.
“Spread your arms.”His voice is rough silk, dark and edged with steel.
My mouth opens.“Please...”
“Now.”The single word vibrates with Alpha command, leaving no space for refusal.
My arms drop away from my chest before I realize I’ve obeyed.Heat scorches my skin as his gaze drags down my bare body, slow and unrelenting, settling between my thighs where my shame glistens.
A choked sound slips out of me.Half sob, half moan.
He steps closer, and I have to tilt my head back to keep his gaze.His hand comes up, rough fingers gripping my chin, tilting me higher.His thumb presses against my lip until it parts, leaving me breathless.
“So fucking fragile,” he murmurs, almost to himself.His eyes burn into mine, cold and hungry all at once.“And already dripping for me.”
Humiliation flares again, but so does something else.The need I can’t smother, the ache low in my belly that only intensifies as his thumb pushes deeper into my mouth.My tongue brushes the pad of his finger without permission, and his eyes darken, a curse rumbling from his chest.
I should be afraid.Iamafraid.But my body is already his.An enemy, betraying me, begging for what my mind swears I don’t want.I can’t breathe as he leans down, his lips near my ear, his voice a growl that shreds through me.
“You’re mine.For as long as I want you.”
My knees nearly buckle, and all I can think is, I don’t know how I will survive the next twelve hours.
Chapter Three
Ruin
Zion
The suite door clicks shut behind me, and the sound is final, heavy, sealing us in.It’s just the two of us now.The faint echo of the lock threads through the room, sinking into my skin like a brand.I can feel her trembling presence in the air before I even look at her.
The room itself is designed for indulgence, deep navy walls lined with dark wood paneling, the faint gleam of polished mahogany catching the glow of low, golden lamps.Everything here is meant to drown you in decadence.Heavy velvet curtains spill to the marble floor, muting the world outside.A fireplace smolders low in the corner, filling the air with a faint scent of smoke that clings to the back of my throat.The centerpiece is the bed, massive, dominating, made up in navy silk sheets smooth enough to glisten under the warm light.A predator’s den disguised as luxury.
