“How fucking dare you. A woman is dead and you’re challenging me for what reason? Being loyal to you? You wanted me to care about your father’s murder, which is a horrible thing, but you can’t have any respect for an innocent victim taken from her family and friends because of the twisted games you play? Fuck you, Alexander.”
While the slap stung, the annoyance was pushed into something entirely different by her words.
They would haunt my conscience far into the future, but her act I couldn’t ignore.
Nor the desire I refused to set aside.
I grabbed both her wrists, yanking them over her head. Her yelp was ignored as I took long strides, driving her against the wall. “I told you exactly what would happen if you said those words to me again. I always make good on my promises.”
Without giving her time to object, I crashed my mouth down on hers. Her lips parted immediately, allowing me to indulge in kissing her as every woman should be kissed.
As if a man was dying and the woman was the only hope of saving him.
I gladly took on the notion, wrapping one hand around both her wrists, keeping her from escaping. She wiggled in my hold, undaunted by the circumstances or the sheer difference in our physicality.
The taste of her was far too sweet for a man like me, a reminder of who and what I was. I captured every moan as I explored her mouth, relentless in my actions. She’d made me a crazed man, incapable of realizing what I was doing was wrong on any level.
Especially since her body was surrendering. She’d arched her back, trembling yet the heat radiating was as undeniable as her desire. I could feel it in my bones. The shockwave of longing was making me crazed, the hunger something I wouldn’t be able to resist.
It would be easy to do nothing more than to kiss her all night. The woman was all about righting wrongs, exposing corruption in a world full of criminals, yet her body was the one demanding to be corrupted.
I had every intention of doing so.
When I finally broke the kiss, I fisted her hair with my other hand, yanking until I exposed the long line of her neck.
Her eyes were closed, every inch of skin on her face shimmering from a rush of heat. The scent of her desire was stronger than mine.
“You bastard,” she muttered.
“Yes, I am.” The admittance seemed to surprise her and the expression of hatred returned if only for a little while.
Panting, she was doing everything in her power to ignore the connection, but the stiff peaks of her nipples were proof her hunger was as off the charts as mine. Her soft murmurs weren’t ones of hatred, but of her needs.
I dragged my tongue along the underside of her chin, taking my time as I explored every inch. She pursed her lips as if closing me off, but everything she was doing was enticing me more than before.
Every time she wiggled in my hold, flexing her hands or mewing from pleasure, my cock pushed against the stark confines of my trousers. I crushed my body against hers, shifting back and forth so she was completely aware of what she did to me. As my need to touch her only continued to grow, I released my hold on her hair, sliding my palm down her side.
She lowered her head, her chest heaving and with her eyes dilated, there was no doubt she was as entangled in the moment of passion as I’d become.
With her hot breath cascading across my face, I crawled my fingers under her skirt. The touch of her skin alone was enough to scald my fingers. She was far too enticing, too much for my control to handle.
Her mews turned to strangled moans when I slipped my finger under the elastic of her thong. The first swipe of the tip forced her eyes to open wide and she pushed herself onto her toes. The conflict was still there, a direct need to fight me with every ounce of strength she had.
“I don’t want you,” she managed.
“Your body tells me otherwise.” I went to kiss her again, maybe to provide her with the proof she needed when she captured mylower lip with her teeth. She bit down with enough force the taste of blood filled my mouth.
As before, her actions surprised me and I broke away from her. With anyone else I’d backhand them, but I couldn’t bear the thought of striking her beautiful face.
I pressed my fingers against my mouth just a split second before she bounded away. My God. This woman was going to drive me insane if she hadn’t already. I craved ruining her, breaking her to the point that she’d no longer crave anyone but the man who gave her everything she needed.
As insane as it sounded even to me, she was already mine.
“What do you think you’re doing, Catherine?” The taste of blood wasn’t new, but somehow it was sweeter because she’d forced it.
“I told you not to use my name. If you must, call me Ms. Devereaux. What I’m doing is coming to my senses and getting the hell away from you.” She had her back to me. Did she honestly believe I’d allow her to go under any circumstances?
Like hell.
