I made a sound I'd never made before, something between a whimper and a moan, and he swallowed it. His other arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me so close I could feel every hard line of his body.
This was nothing like I'd imagined. Nothing like the romance novels I'd read in secret or the fantasies I'd had lying awake at night. This was raw and consuming and so intense I couldn't think, couldn't breathe, couldn't do anything but hold on.
His mouth moved from my lips to my jaw, down to my neck, and pleasure shot through me so sharp I gasped.
"Kai—"
"Say it again." His teeth scraped against my pulse point. "Say my name again."
"Kai."
He groaned against my skin, the sound vibrating through me, and his hands gripped my hips hard enough to bruise. Good. I wanted marks. Wanted proof tomorrow that this had been real.
When he pulled back, we were both breathing hard. His eyes werenearly black, pupils blown wide, and the way he looked at me made more heat pool between my legs.
"Come with me." His voice was rough.
"Where?"
"Somewhere private." His hand cupped my face. "Because if I keep touching you here, I'm going to do something that'll get us both arrested."
My brain was screaming that this was insane. That I didn't know him. That good girls didn't leave clubs with strange men.
But I'd been a good girl my whole life. And it had gotten me exactly nowhere.
"Okay."
He grabbed my hand and pulled me through the crowd toward the exit. The cool night air hit my overheated skin, but it did nothing to clear my head.
Kai backed me against the brick wall of the building, his hands on either side of my head, caging me in. His eyes burned into mine.
"I need you to understand what's going to happen if you come with me." His voice was strained. "I'm not taking you for coffee. I'm not going to be a gentleman. I'm taking you to a hotel, and I'm going to spend the rest of the night showing you exactly what you've been missing."
Every word sent heat flooding through me.
"I've never—" I couldn't finish the sentence.
"I know." His thumb brushed across my swollen lips. "And after tonight, you'll never forget. So I need you to be very sure, Aria. Because once we leave here, once I get you alone, I'm not going to stop. I'm going to take you apart. I'm going to make you mine in every way that matters."
I should have been scared. Should have said no. Should have thanked him for the kiss and gone home.
Instead, I looked into his dark eyes and said: "Then take me."
His hands were on me immediately, pulling me against him as his mouth found mine again. This kiss was hungrier, moredesperate. His tongue swept against mine and I couldn't stop the sounds escaping my throat.
When he finally pulled back, we were both shaking.
"My car's two blocks away." His voice was wrecked. "We're going to walk there, I'm going to drive to the closest hotel, and then—" He stopped, jaw clenched. "Last chance to change your mind."
I thought about Papa's promise. About Salvatore. About the fact that if I did end up married to that man in three months, this would be my only chance.
"I'm not changing my mind."
Something fierce and possessive flashed across his face. "Then let's go."
He grabbed my hand and we started walking. My phone buzzed in my pocket—probably Sophie checking on me—but I ignored it.
Tonight was mine. This choice was mine.
