Vicious Seduction

17

“Baby, you have no idea the lengths I’d go to.” She crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed angry blue eyes at me. “Fine, I swear no other man will see the lingerie.” My smile was slow and lupine as it crept across my face. “Wrong answer.” She could try to sass me, but it wouldn’t get her far. The small flame barely kissed the thin black tissue before the hungry flame devoured the paper. Lina’s jaw plummeted, her eyes going wide with horror. And was that … a touch of … sorrow mixed in? s**t, I didn’t want to hurt her. I’d been trying to prevent that. Being near Wellington, clothed or not, was dangerous for her in so many ways. I tossed the smoking bag away from us and caged her in against the stone wall, forcing her watery gaze to mine. “Look at me, Lina.” Questions and uncertainty spun in her eyes like little blue whirlpools of chaos. “Why, Oran? Why are you doing this?” Only an inch separated us, and my body screamed with the need to close the gap, so much so that my breath grew choppy and shallow. “Because you need me to. You need my help, whether you want it or not.” It should have been a lie—a line I fed to her to win her over—but instead, it rang with sincerity even to my own ears. Where she was concerned, my actions were no longer purely motivated by revenge. I didn’t know what that meant for me and didn’t want to think about it. I lowered my face to hers, drawn by an invisible force impossible to ignore. My lips ghosted over her skin—her temple, her cheeks, her lips. I never touched her, though. I made sure of that. My body vibrated inside with restraint, but I kept control of myself. Lina trembled beneath me. Her lips parted a fraction, and I felt her warmth as her chest lifted and strained closer to mine. We lingered in a timeless moment of suspense, all the while the whisper of my words from the club echoing in the air around us. Kiss me. Kiss me. Kiss me. Like a needle to a balloon, chaos exploded when Lina launched herself at me, her lips colliding with mine and arms tugging me close. Thank Christ. I responded with equal abandon. Pulling her luscious body against mine and devouring her kiss. The sweep of her tongue along mine turned my c**k to solid stone. It pressed so hard against my zipper I worried it would leave a permanent mark. My physical reaction to her was undeniable. What amazed me even more was my emotional response. The second her body melted into mine, I went feral with the need to own her. To possess her so thoroughly she forgot any other man had ever existed. Her submission to the desire pulsing between us was a sign that I was making progress. It made me ravenous for more. The small glimpse of what it would be like to have her for myself had my world tilting on its axis. The breathless moan that snuck past her lips. The tug of her fingers in my hair. The nip of her teeth on my bottom lip. How could kissing anyone else ever compare to this? It was impossible. She’d decimated my prior standards and permanently altered my perceptions. She’d marked me in a way that couldn’t be seen, but I knew it was there, and I’d be damned if I didn’t find a way to return the favor. I hated how much I wanted her. She wasn’t even hiding the fact she was keeping secrets, and I’d sworn I would demand nothing short of absolute transparency in any future relationship. Lina was the epitome of everything I didn’t want. I couldn’t understand what was wrong with me, and the loss of control over my own desires was maddening. We reluctantly came apart in our need for air. Her eyes remained closed as if savoring the moment. Or regretting it. Both were equally likely where she was concerned. I released a deep, resigned breath, my forehead coming to rest against hers. “This doesn’t change anything, does it?” Slowly, so agonizingly slowly, her head shook side to side, a gentle caress against my skin like a whispered apology. “Good thing I don’t give up easily,” I murmured, the hint of a smile fish-hooked the corner of my lips at the small chuckle I drew from her. “You’re impossible.” She pulled back, her eyes cutting over to the now flaming bag of paper and silk. “And you owe me a new bra and panties set.” I waited to respond until her eyes returned to mine. “Baby, you tell me I’m the only one to see you in them, and I’ll buy you the whole goddamn store.” “I don’t want a store.” “And I don’t want you to go near him.” Her teeth tugged against her bottom lip. “I have to go now.” I allowed her to slip away, a frosty chill lancing through my chest. Lina’s previously confident strides were now measured and cumbersome as if burdened by the weight of the world. Something or someone had a hold on her with a death grip. Figuring out exactly what had her in its clutches would take time, which was in low supply between my plans progressing more quickly than expected and my patience rapidly dwindling. Now that I’d tasted the desperation in her kiss, I made the easy decision that it was time to force the issue. It would be best for everyone involved. She’d be free of Wellington, and I’d no longer have to worry about falling for the wrong woman because Lina would hate me once I executed my plans. Any longing in her eyes would turn to pure resentment. It was the smartest move I could make, and I f*****g hated it.