Exhaling heavily, I put my hands on her thighs. Her breath stuttered as I slid my palms up the soft fabric of her dress, stopping just below her hips. “No one,” I growled, my voicerough with possessive heat, “will ever see you like that again. Besides me.”
Her defiance faltered, her pupils dilating as her chest rose and fell rapidly. “You don’t get to control me,” she said, though her voice lacked conviction.
I ignored her as I worked my fingers under the waistband of her panties. She tensed, but she didn’t stop me as I tugged them down slowly, the damp fabric clinging to her skin. She let out a soft whimper as the toy inside her shifted, and I clenched my jaw as my fingers grazed her slick heat and primal need coursed through me.
“Gods, you’re fucking soaked.”
The atmosphere between us crackled with tension, the bond throbbing with desire. We didn’t need words to know what we were both feeling—what we both wanted.
Her lips parted, her voice a breathy whisper. “Are you going to punish me?”
The corner of my mouth twitched, but I didn’t smile. “I already punished you with the vibrator, and I dare say you enjoyed it. Not much of a punishment, huh?”
She arched a brow, her defiance rekindled. “Who says I enjoyed it?”
I leaned closer, my breath ghosting over her lips. “I could feel it, Vivian. Every gasp. Every moan. Every fucking second you wanted me to take control.”
Her gaze darted to my mouth before snapping back to my eyes. “You’re insufferable.”
“And you’re a fucking menace.” I slid my hand up her thigh, stopping just shy of where she wanted me most. “But that doesn’t mean I’m letting anyone else see what’s mine.”
She inhaled sharply, her legs parting slightly as if her body had a mind of its own. “I’m not yours.”
I trailed my fingers over the sensitive skin of her inner thigh. “You keep telling yourself that, sweetheart.”
Dipping my head, I brushed my lips against the hollow of her throat. She tilted her head back, giving me access, and I took full advantage, pressing a line of heated kisses along her pulse point.
“Raffaele,” she murmured, her hands finding their way to my shoulders. Her fingers tightened, nails digging into my skin as I nipped at her collarbone.
“Tell me to stop,” I whispered against her skin. “And I will.”
Her body arched into mine, her nails scraping down my chest as she panted. Our bond flared, her desire feeding into mine in an endless loop that made it impossible to think of anything else.
I brushed my lips against hers. “You drive me insane.”
“Good,” she whispered.
My gaze dipped to the wetness glistening between her thighs, the evidence of how far I’d pushed her, of how much she wanted this, even if she couldn’t bring herself to admit it. My cock throbbed at the sight, and I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to hold on to the thin thread of control I still had left.
“Fuck,” I murmured as I trailed my fingers along the inside of her thigh. Her body jerked, a soft whimper escaping her lips.
Her cheeks flushed a deep red. She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t have to. The energy between us was charged with something neither of us could ignore. We were past the point of no return, and we both knew it.
“You think you can pull a stunt like that and get away with it?” I said as I braced my hands on either side of her head. “You wanted my attention, didn’t you? Well, now you’ve got it.”
Her lips parted. “I wasn’t?—”
“Don’t lie to me. I saw you, Vivian. On my balcony, with your hand between your legs, acting like you didn’t care who was watching.” My hand slid higher, brushing against her heat, andshe gasped, her hips jerking involuntarily. “Do you know what that did to me?”
Her hands came up to press against my chest, as if she thought she could push me away, but her touch was weak. “You’re an arrogant bastard,” she spat. “I fucking hate you.”
“Good.” I flashed her a dangerous smile. “Hate me all you want. It doesn’t change the fact that you’re mine.”
Before she could respond, I crushed my mouth to hers. The kiss was rough and punishing, a collision of teeth and tongues as I poured all my frustration, anger, and obsession into it.
I slid my fingers through her slick heat. “You’re dripping for me, Vivian.”
“Shut up,” she snapped, but her shaky voice betrayed the desire she was trying so hard to hide.
