I have the unsettling feeling that I'll survive just long enough to regret it.
Chapter Five
Austin
There's no way I'm surviving this date. It's not physically possible when Serena's dressed for war in the sexiest dress and highest heels I've ever seen. Acres of olive skin are on full display, her lips painted ruby red.
I jerked off twice before I left the house, and my dick is already straining against my fly like he's trying to escape.
"Jesus H. Christ," I mutter, trying to get my shit together as my gaze drifts up and down her perfect body.
One dark brow lifts. "Is that a compliment or a complaint?"
"Definitely a compliment," I growl, reaching for her hand to tug her forward. My lips brush her cheek, her lilac scent swirling around me. I'm not strong enough for this. I already fucking know it. Her ass may damn well end upon the news again before the end of the night. "You look beautiful, baby."
"Thanks." She places one hand against my chest, her lips curving upward as she meets my gaze. "I thought torture was appropriate, given the situation."
"It's fucking working," I growl. "I'm so goddamn hard, it hurts."
"Poor baby," she coos, her expression savage. "Guess you'll just have to get used to chafing."
"Or we could skip dinner, and I could eat you."
"Mm." She taps her lips, pretending to think about it, before a bright, savage smile spreads across her gorgeous face. "Nah. I think torturing you for a few hours sounds like more fun for me."
"Then you haven't been properly eaten, Serena."
"Guess you'll never know," she says sweetly, grabbing a clutch from her credenza before stepping outside and pulling the door closed behind her. "Let's get this over with, Austin."
Get this over with? Oh, hell no.
I don't give her a chance to turn away. I back her up against the brick wall of her building, caging her in with my arms, my body pressed to hers.
She looks up at me like I'm genuinely going to eat her alive, and I want to do it. Right here and now.
"What are you doing?" she asks, the question nine kinds of breathless.
"Let's get one thing straight, princess," I say, my lips brushing her ear, my voice low enough that only she can hear it. "This isn't punishment. You're going to have fun. Don't make me make you come right here to prove it."
She gasps, her breath stuttering, her body melting against the bricks behind her. She's a contradiction—fiery, defiant, and yet so fucking soft when I touch her. I want to tear that dress in half and make her scream, but I resist the urge, because as much as I want her in my bed, I actually want this date.
I want to see what happens when she lets herself forget the photos and just have fun. I want to see what she does when she realizes just how much she wants me.
"This is a date, not torture," I say, nipping at the soft skin of her throat. Christ, she tastes so goddamn good.
Her hands ball in my shirt, her nails biting through the fabric. "Back up," she orders, but the words are breathless, her eyes dilated with desire.
"Not until you admit you want this." I press closer, letting her feel exactly how much I want her. "Tell me you want to go out with me, Serena. Say it."
She clings to dignity for exactly half a second. "Austin, dammit—"
"No, baby." I run my mouth down her neck, nipping and sucking at her skin. "I want to hear you say it. I want you to want it more than you want to breathe."
She whimpers, the sound shooting straight to my cock. "Fine," she breathes, her voice breaking. "I want to go out with you."
I place a gentle kiss on her throat, a silent reward, then pull back to smirk down at her. "See? That wasn't so hard."
She glowers at me, her breath coming fast, her hair a little wild. "Has anyone ever told you that you're the devil?"
