Hard. Desperate. Cutting off the words between us.
She froze for a moment, then her hands fisted in my shirt, and I couldn't tell if she was pushing me away or pulling me closer.
She bit my lip—hard enough to hurt, hard enough to draw blood.
"I hate you," she hissed against my mouth.
"I know." I backed her against the wall, my body caging hers. "Hate me all you want. But don't ask me to risk you. Don't ask me to choose my empire over our child."
"That's not—" Her breath caught as my hand slid up her thigh, fingers finding bare skin. "That's not what I'm asking."
"Then what?" I demanded, my other hand braced against the wall beside her head. "Tell me what you want, Sienna."
Her eyes blazed with fury and something darker, hotter. "I want you to stop treating me like I'm fragile. I want you to stop making decisions for me. I want—"
She grabbed my face and kissed me with bruising force, all teeth and anger and desperate need.
I groaned into her mouth, my control fracturing. This wasn't the careful, claiming sex of our wedding night. This was something rawer. More honest.
"Tell me to stop," I growled, even as my hands found the hem of her shirt.
"Don't you dare." She pulled the shirt over her head, tossing it aside. "Don't you dare stop."
I lifted her, her legs wrapping around my waist as I carried her to the small couch in my office. We fell together, a tangle of limbs and frustration and need.
"This doesn't fix anything," she said breathlessly as I kissed down her neck.
"I know." My hands found the waistband of her sleep shorts, sliding them down along with her underwear. "But I need you anyway."
"I'm still furious with you."
"Good." I stripped off my shirt, then my pants. "Be furious. Be anything. Just don't shut me out."
She reached for me, her hand wrapping around my cock with confident possession. I hissed at the contact, my hips jerking forward.
"You're an arrogant bastard," she said, stroking me slowly.
"Yes." I captured her wrist, pinning both her hands above her head with one of mine. "And you're a stubborn, reckless woman who nearly got herself killed trying to escape me."
"Maybe I should try again."
"Try it and I'll tie you to this bed." The threat came out rougher than intended, edged with real fear.
Her eyes darkened. "Promises, promises."
I released her wrists, sliding my hand down her body. My fingers found her center—already wet, her body betraying what her words wouldn't admit.
"Luca—" Her hands tangled in my hair.
"I promise," I said, my fingers stroking through her wetness, "that no matter what happens to my empire, I will keep you and our child safe."
I slid two fingers inside her, and her back arched off the couch.
"That's not—oh God—that's not what I want to hear right now."
"Then tell me what you want to hear." I curled my fingers, finding that spot that made her gasp. "Tell me, and I'll give it to you."
"I want—" Her voice broke. "I want you to admit you're scared."
