The sweet words were delivered with a hard edge. She swallowed. “Let go of my neck.” She needed to think—away from him.
His hold tightened around her jugular. “No. We’re settling this today. Go back.”
She had no choice but to climb the steps backward, her gaze caught in the dark vortex of his. Before she knew it, she stood at the top. If she could just get the right leverage, she could shove his ass all the way down.
As if reading her thoughts, his lip quirked. “Centuries won’t be enough to tame you,” he rumbled.
“Damn straight—” She yelped as he stepped into her, his massive body backing her down the entire hallway to their bedroom. He could’ve easily picked her up and was still making his point. Her butt hit the door, and he reached around her to twist the knob.
“Inside.” His voice lowered to guttural.
She swallowed and backed into the darkened bedroom. The storm raged outside, hiding the sun and casting a snowy gray glow through the quiet space. “I’ve had about enough—”
His mouth slammed down on hers. The firmness of his kiss was a shock that drove the oxygen from her lungs. There was no gentleness, no softness. Only fire and demand.
She’d seen the predator inside him.
This was the first time shefeltit. Her own body responded as if she’d been sleeping her entire life and had just been shocked awake. The rush of energy cut through her with a blade of pain, narrowing the entire world to that second, to his touch, to Jared Reese.
The clarity brought on was too bright, too much, too everything.
She needed more. He’d chosen her, and she’d already done the same thing. Yet this edge to him kept her off balance, and she couldn’t think.
Her whimper rolled up her chest and into his mouth.
He released her lips so she could pant frantically for breath. “You’re gonna make that noise a lot today. Take off your clothes.”
She tried to breathe, tried to fill her lungs. They compressed, pounding in time to the tingles along her skin, zapping her clit. No way could she give in so easily. “Make me.”
This time, he gave her no warning. He flipped her around, wrapping an arm around her waist. “Gladly.” He growled low, holding her in place and plunging his hand into her panties.
Her legs turned to rubber, barely holding her up.
He chuckled against her hair, his heated breath providing even more warning. With ruthless efficiency, he zeroed in on her clit. Sparks flew through her, making her ache.
Fire burned through the tiny nub as he rubbed and circled.
“Oh, God.” She shut her eyes, leaning into him, trusting him to take her weight. His touch became her reality, and she gyrated against his talented fingers.
Smoother than possible, he flipped her around and took her mouth again, his tongue demanding entry, stroking in and out in perfect sync with his fingers on her clit.
She tried to rub against him, to open her legs wider, to get enough friction to fall over. More. She had to have more and now. It was too much and not enough at the same time. Lights flashed behind her eyes.
He pulled his hand away. “Oh, sweetheart. You’re gonna beg before you come this time.” Setting her away from him, he crossed his arms, leaning against the door. His eyes glittered, and a flush wound over his cheekbones. Dominance stamped hard on his face, rolling off him in a tension she could feel against her skin. “I told you to take off your clothes.”
Chapter 11
Jared could smell her. The arousal, the desire, the fire-spitting woman.
His.
Oh, he’d been gentle with her, but that was over. He could lie to himself that he wanted to tame her, to make her submit, in order to gain her obedience in battle just to keep her safe from danger.
That’d be a fucking lie.
He wanted her submission, period. And he’d get it.
She knew it as well as he did—he could see it in her eyes. But he was gonna have to work for it.
