Page 174 of Damsel in Disguise

Heat bleeds through the thin barrier of our clothes. The warmth of her core presses against me and sinks straight into my bloodstream.

My cock stirs awake instantly, throbbing with painful insistence as it strains against my pants, demanding immediate attention.

My hand finds the back of her neck, fingers tangling into her golden-brown hair as I drag her down for another thorough kiss.

It turns savage almost immediately. Tongue and teeth. Biting and sucking. Just taking from each other with no giving in return.

Ariella kisses me back with equal desperation, deliberately grinding herself against my cock.

The friction tears a rough groan from my throat. My grip tightens involuntarily as pleasure flashes hot beneath my skin.

Then she’s moving lower.

Sloppy, open-mouthed kisses trail down my chest, across my sternum, over the ridges of my abs, each one damp and sensual.

If not for the fact that every trace of lipstick has long been kissed away, she would’ve left marks everywhere. Instead, only the natural color of her swollen lips remains, flushed darker from our relentless kissing.

Fuck. If she keeps this up, I might actually come in my pants.

Needing something—anything—to redirect my attention, I reach for the zipper on her back and pull it all the way down.

The moment the fabric slips off her small frame, she freezes. Eyes snap to mine, suddenly wide with bashfulness. Color floods her cheeks.

A sight so unexpected that it nearly makes me laugh.

“Shy now, little kitty?”

Her small palms clutched onto the discarded fabric against herself before glancing away. “I’m not wearing anything underneath.”

Her voice comes out so small, so uncertain, that for a moment I forget she’s the same girl who dragged a blade across Delilah’s throat without hesitation.

My hand rises to her face. I brush away the loose strands hanging from her ruined hairstyle, tucking them behind her ear.

The gesture feels strangely softer than I intended.

Before I can dwell on it, I hook an arm around her waist and roll us over in one swift motion, putting her beneath me once again.

A startled gasp escapes her, with her chest rising and falling rapidly beneath me.

One hand pins both of her wrists above her head while the other reaches to undo my belt.

“What are you gonna do, Alistair?”

“Do you trust me?”

Ariella slowly nods, no longer looking away from me. No longer hiding away that she wants me.

“Good kitty,” I pull the belt free of the loop and lean over her, wrapping the leather around her wrists before fastening them tightly together.

Her lips part, teeth catching her bottom lip.

My thumb immediately slides across the abused flesh, freeing it from between. “Only mine to bite.”

I lower my head and capture that lush lower lip between my own to prove my point. A rough tug makes her gasp, still careful not to break the delicate skin.

Surprisingly, I don’t want to hurt her anymore. The realization unsettles me more than the tender act itself.

Her cheeks burn brighter when I finally peel the remaining fabric from her body and toss it aside. With her bound hands, she can do nothing about it anymore.