Torn and lost.
“I can’t decide,” he says low, dropping his hand from around my neck. “Not even the world’s most beautiful woman is taking my mind off of you. She doesn’t hold a candle to you in my eyes.”
The earnest compliment has me blushing, but not enough to shake my resolve to resist him. “Yet you brought her here tonight. Why?”
“Because you’re a dangerous temptation. Giving in to you would be fatal.”
The harsh truth stings my soul.
He sees it flash on my face.
I do not attempt to hide it. “Then you need to stop playing games with me where you chase me, drag me into corners, touch me when we’re alone, and interfere when I talk to other men.”
The muscle tics in his square jaw at the last part. Menacing energy rolling off him in thick, scary waves.
Separating my wrists to cup each in his hands, he twists them behind my back and forces me to stretch on my toes. My heart thunders behind my ribs as he bends and growls against my lips, “Do you know why you’re fatal to me, angel? Because I can’t control my impulses when I’m around you. I did what you asked, treating you like any other business colleague of mine, and you couldn’t look more butthurt when you walked out that day.”
I open my mouth to refute his claim.
“Don’t you fucking deny it,” he warns lethally.
“But-”
“Ari.”
My lips snap shut.
“You’re smart enough to know you don’t want to get tangled up with the likes of me, even if your body doesn’t know any better. So, I’m setting the boundaries for both our sakes. You do not push my buttons by flirting and laughing at other men…”
“Oh, but you can kiss and touch other women?”
“I didn’t kiss her. After tonight’s failure, I won’t be wasting my time with petty games either.”
My eyes widen in shock. “Is that why you asked her out, to get over me?”
“No,” he snaps irritably. “I did it so I won’t find excuses to touch you. Yet here we are. All because you had to taunt me.”
“Don’t you blame me.”
“You haven’t taken your eyes off me once tonight or stopped passing dirty looks at Samaira in jealousy.” His fingers flex on my imprisoned wrists. “It’s you who can’t conceal her reactions, taunting and enticing me at every turn to retaliate harder. You’re as much to blame, little minx.”
I have no rebuttal as he throws the naked truth in my face.
My heart rate picks up, crushing my breasts against his solid chest. His eyes flare, feeling my hard nipples. There’s not an inch of space between us for me to shift away.
“O-okay,” I rasp, wanting this conversation to end so he stops touching me and I can breathe properly. “I’ll hide my emotions.”
“Don’t ever turn your back to me and run away because Iwillchase you every single time.”
His threat has an opposite effect on me.
It thrills me.
Do I possess that much power over him? I’m so fucking tempted to disobey him and find out.
“You’re doing it again, Ari,” he says.
“What?”
