The Cruel King

Chapter 5: Consumed by desire

The cold air wrapped around us, thick with unspoken words and unshed tears. Evelyn's sharp breaths filled the silence between us, her trembling form rigid beneath me. My little wildcat—so fierce, so stubborn.

Her body said one thing, her lips another.

"Let you go?" I repeated, tasting the words like poison on my tongue. "Why on earth would I ever do that?" My voice was soft, dangerously calm, but I knew the effect it had on her. The way she shivered, the way her fists clenched as if bracing herself.

Her eyes, wide and desperate, burned into mine. "Please... please let me go. I don't—" She swallowed, her voice breaking. "I don't want this."

A cruel smile tugged at my lips. "That's the problem, baby." I leaned closer, letting her feel the warmth of my breath against her cheek. "I don't care what you want."

Her nails dug into my forearm as she struggled against me, fire flashing in those doe-like eyes. My expression hardened as she pleaded, my grip on her hair tightening ever so slightly

Good.

I wanted her to fight. I wanted her to hate me.

Because the more she fought, the more I could consume her.

Her resistance was intoxicating.

I gripped her chin between my fingers, forcing her gaze to stay on me. "I said no, didn't I?" My voice sharpened, the authority in it making her flinch. "You don't get to decide anymore." My hold tightened ever so slightly, my patience slipping.

Her lips parted, but no words came. She just stared at me, eyes shimmering with defiance.

"Stop looking at me like that," I muttered, my voice rough.

She blinked, gritting her teeth. "Like what?"

Like she could still slip through my fingers.

Like she didn't belong to me.

"Like you don't know exactly what you're doing to me." My fingers tangled in her hair, tugging slightly—just enough to hear her soft gasp. A dark chuckle rumbled from my chest. "That sound," I murmured, my lips brushing against her ear, "it drives me insane." i pulled her head back gently, baring her neck to me. my mouth moving further down her neck, my lips lightly grazing her skin, leaving a trail of gentle kisses as I moved towards her collarbone.

She jerked her head to the side, breaking the contact. "You're sick."

I grinned. "Yet here you are, still in my arms." I continued to kiss and nuzzle her neck, my hand still gripping her hair, keeping her head in place.

Her breath hitched. She hated me.

And I loved it.

"You hate me, don't you?" I mused, watching the war in her eyes.

"Yes," she hissed, the venom in her voice making my blood rush faster.

"Good," I murmured, my nose grazing along her jawline, inhaling her. "Hate me all you want. Just don't stop looking at me."

Her body trembled beneath mine, but she clenched her jaw, her expression hardening. "I will never forgive you for this."

Something dark and primal curled inside me. I tilted my head, studying her. "That implies I care about forgiveness, sweetheart."

She pushed at my chest, but I caught her wrists, pinning them down with ease. "You can fight me all you want, Eve. But in the end, you'll still be here. With me. Always."

Her body stilled. I saw the way her throat bobbed, her lips parting in another protest she couldn't force out. Her fingers started to dug on the mattress near her as she felt my breath so close. I moved closer, my chest pressing against hers, my breath hot against her skin, my hand still holding her head back, giving me full access to her neck.

I let my thumb brush over her bottom lip, reveling in how soft it felt against my skin. "So pretty," I murmured, "even when you're glaring at me."

"Hayden, s-stop," she whispered, her voice unsteady. I chuckled as she stumbled over her words, my lips barely brushing against her neck, sending shivers down her spine.

I ignored her, my fingers tracing the curve of her jaw. "I don't think you understand," I said, my voice dark with promise. "I've already decided, Eve. You're mine."

Her breath came quicker, her heart pounding against her ribs. And I felt every second of it.

"don't touch me"

"you're lying" i murmured my lips brushing the curve of her neck "Your body betrays you every time you try to deny it. I know what you want"

"You don't know what I want" she said trying to free her wrists from my hold.

I was about to say more, to push her until she broke apart in my arms, She had trembled beneath me, her lips parting as if she wanted to say something. To fight back.

But then—

"Sir, we've arrived," my driver called out.

I cursed under my breath, closing my eyes for a brief second. The voice snapped me back to the present.

I blinked, my grip tightening on the iPad as I exhaled sharply, forcing myself out of the memory. My jaw clenched as I ran a hand through my hair, shifting slightly to adjust myself.

Fuck.

Did I really just get hard from our memory?

I straightened my suit, schooling my features back into the mask the world expected of me. This was a big day—the deal with the Russians. I couldn't afford to lose focus.

For the world, I was the billionaire. The heir to a multi-million-dollar empire.

But beneath it all?

I was a king. And every illegal deal in underworld had my name stitched into it.

Still, none of it mattered.

Because for my Evelyn, I was just a man. not a dangerous mafia, the only secret i kept from her.

and she?

she is mine.