The warning should have scared me. Instead it made heat curl low in my stomach instantly.
“Oh no,” I whispered softly. “You’re finally threatening me properly.”
Something dangerous flashed across his face after that. Then he turned us both sharply until my back hit the edge of the massive black wardrobe beside the bed. The impact wasn’t painful. But it was enough to make my pulse spike harder. His hand slid down my throat afterward before stopping beneath my jaw, forcing my attention completely back to him.
“You wanted honesty?” he asked quietly.
“Yes.”
“I have been trying not to pin you against a wall since you appeared in that dress.”
My heartbeat stuttered hard.
“Oh.”
“That,” he continued softly while staring directly into my eyes, “was me behaving.”
That should not have been attractive. Unfortunately it was catastrophically attractive. His gaze dropped over the black fabric still clutched against my body before returning upward again.
“Turn around.”
The command hit me instantly. Something in his voice, low and certain and impossibly dark, sent a shiver racing down my spine before I could stop it. Heat flooded through me just as fast, sharp enough to leave me breathless. I turned slowly, almost afraid of what I’d see in his expression when I faced him again. The room fell silent except for the uneven sound of my breathing while silver fire flickered across the mirrors ahead, casting restless light over everything between us.
Then I felt him behind me. Close enough that my breath caught instantly. One hand settled against my waist while the other moved my hair over my shoulder. There was nothing gentle about the way he touched me now. Careful, maybe. But possessive enough to make my pulse stutter.
His mouth hovered near my neck while his fingers found the fastening along the back of the dress.
“You are going to kill every demon in that audience tomorrow,” he murmured softly.
“That sounds dramatic.”
“You have not seen the way they look at you.”
No hesitation left in him now. No trace of restraint either. Just hunger, open and impossible to miss. And God help me, that look on his face suited him far too well.
“You’re staring again,” I whispered.
“Yes.”
“No denial this time?”
His eyes lifted to mine in the mirror.
“No patience left for denial.”
Chapter 26
Eva POV
And for the first time since I’d met him, he’d stopped holding himself back. God, I didn’t even understand why that realization hit me so hard. Maybe because for weeks he’d touched me like restraint was the only thing keeping him in control. Careful kisses. Careful hands. Always leaving just enough distance between us to pretend he still could.
And now all of that control is gone. I watched him through the mirror while his gaze moved over me again, dark enough now to make my heartbeat stumble.
“You’re staring harder,” I whispered softly.
“Yes.”
There was no embarrassment left in me anymore. Under the way he looked at me, I felt almost painfully beautiful. His hand drifted upward along my side before he drew me back against him, slow and deliberate, until there wasn’t any space left between us. The sudden heat of his body at my back stole my breath. He was close enough to make my thoughts blur.
