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“Then what is it?” I demand, my voice rising. “What is this, Nico? Because it looks like a twisted game of obsession and control.”

“It’s not a game!” he roars, his composure finally snapping. “It’s never been a game, Katerina! Not to me.”

He releases me abruptly, turning away and raking a hand through his hair.

I can see the tension in every line of his body, the barely leashed fury and frustration.

“You have no idea what you do to me,” he says, his voice low and raw. “No idea how much I’ve risked, how much I’ve sacrificed, just to keep you safe. To keep you with me.”

I stare at him, my heart pounding in my throat. “I never asked for that. I never asked for any of this.”

He whirls back to face me, his eyes blazing. “No, you didn’t. But here we are, Katerina. Here we are, and there’s no going back. Not for me. Not anymore.”

He advances on me, crowding me back against the wall. His hands come up to frame my face, his touch searing my skin. “I can’t change what I am, Katerina. I can’t change the things I’ve done. But I can’t let you go. I won’t.”

I stare up at him, my breath coming in short, sharp gasps.

There’s something wild and desperate and terrifyingly intense.

It sends a shiver down my spine, a heat curling in my belly.

“I can’t do this,” I whisper, my voice cracking. “I can’t be what you want me to be.”

His thumb brushes over my lower lip, his gaze following the movement. “You already are, Katerina. You’re everything.”

Then, before I can respond, before I can even draw a breath, he’s kissing me. His mouth is hot and demanding on mine, his tongue sweeping in to claim me, to possess me.

I should push him away and tell him to get the hell away from me. But my body betrays me, melting into him, my hands fisting in his shirt to pull him closer.

He groans into the kiss, his hands sliding down my back to cup my ass, hauling me against him. I can feel him, hard and insistent, pressing into my stomach. The evidence of his need, his want, is unmistakable.

It’s too much, too fast. I tear my mouth from his, panting harshly. “Nico, wait. We can’t…we shouldn’t…”

“We can,” he murmurs, his lips trailing down my neck, his teeth grazing my pulse point. “And we should.”

His hands are everywhere, tugging at my clothes with a desperate urgency. I hear tearing as Nico rips away my shirt, his palms hot and callused against my skin. I arch into his touch, my own hands fumbling with his belt, his zipper, seeking the hard heat of him.

He groans into my mouth as I wrap my fingers around his length, stroking him from base to tip.

He’s so, so hard, pulsing with need.

I swirl my thumb over the sensitive head, smearing the bead of moisture that’s gathered there, and he bucks into my touch with a guttural curse.

“Fuck, Katerina,” he pants, tearing his mouth from mine to trail hot, open-mouthed kisses down my neck. He finds the sensitive spot just below my ear and sucks hard, his teeth scraping over my skin.

I know it will leave a mark, a brand of his possession, and the thought sends a dark thrill through me.

He yanks my bra down, exposing my breasts to his hungry gaze.

His hands cup the sensitive flesh, kneading and squeezing, his thumbs brushing over my nipples until they pebble and tighten.

I moan, arching into his touch, my head falling back against the wall.

He takes advantage of my exposed throat, nipping and sucking a path down to my collarbones.

His mouth is hot and wet on my skin, his tongue soothing the sting of his teeth.

I'm lost in a haze of sensation, my body thrumming with need.