“I hate you,” Aurora breathes, but her hands contradict her words as they slide beneath my jacket, nails digging into my back.
“No, you don’t.” I capture her wrists, pinning them above her head with one hand. “You hate that you want me.”
With my free hand, I trace the curve of her hip, slowly inching her sweater upward, revealing a strip of pale skin. The cool night air raises goosebumps across her stomach. I brush my fingers along the edge of her jeans, feeling her abdominal muscles contract under my touch.
“Hunter...” Her voice is barely audible, half warning, half plea.
I press my thigh harder between her legs, feeling her heat against me. The friction draws a gasp from her lips that shootsstraight to my groin. I want to devour the sound, so I claim her mouth again, swallowing her moan.
Her resistance melts with each passing second. When I release her wrists, her hands immediately tangle in my hair, pulling me closer with unexpected force. The aggression surprises me. I growl against her mouth, my hands finding the bare skin of her waist, fingers digging into her flesh.
“Tell me you want this,” I demand, breaking the kiss to look into her eyes. “Say it.”
Aurora’s chest rises and falls rapidly, her lips swollen from our kisses. “I shouldn’t...”
“That’s not what I asked.” I slide my hand higher under her sweater, tracing the underside of her breast over her bra. “Tell me you want me.”
She arches into my touch involuntarily. “Yes,” she whispers, eyes closing in surrender. “God help me, yes.”
I reach for the button of her jeans, my fingers working the metal disc free when?—
A security light flashes on near the kitchen entrance. Through the windows, shadows move inside the house. Aurora freezes against me, her eyes widening in panic.
“Someone’s coming,” she hisses, pushing at my chest.
I remain pressed against her.
“This isn’t over,” I promise.
Aurora’s eyes flash with something between fear and defiance. She pushes against my chest harder, creating distance between us.
“No, Hunter. It is over.” Her voice trembles but firms with each word. “It has to be.”
I reach for her wrist, but she steps backward, evading my grasp. The security light casts harsh shadows across her face, highlighting the conflict in her eyes.
“You don’t mean that,” I say. I know what I felt in her response to me. Her body doesn’t lie, even when her mouth does.
“I do mean it.” She wraps her arms around herself, as if physically holding herself together. “This was a mistake. All of it.”
I take a step toward her. She counters with another step back.
“You need to stay away from me,” Aurora says, her eyes darting toward the house again. “And I need to stay away from you.”
“We both know that’s not possible.”
She shakes her head, a strand of dark hair falling across her face. “It has to be. You’re engaged to my sister.”
“An arrangement that means nothing.”
“It means something to her.” Her voice cracks slightly. “And she means everything to me.”
I study her face, noting the way her pulse still races at her throat, how her pupils remain dilated despite her protests.
“You can say whatever you want, Aurora, but we both know the truth.”
“The truth is you need to stay away from me.” Her voice hardens with determination. “This ends now.”
Before I can respond, she turns and runs toward the house, moving quickly along the stone path. I watch her retreat, noting the slight stumble in her step, the way her hand briefly touches the wall for support as she reaches the solarium doors.
