RUTHLESS DEVOTION: THE EMPIRE BETWEEN US

SHATTERED RESTRAINT

Amilah's heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird.

Looking up into the dark, shadowed hollows of his eyes, she realized she was no longer dealing with a man. This was a beast, driven entirely by a fever she didn't understand. Panic seized her throat. Before she could think, her tiny fist flew out, striking him hard across his broad chest, desperate to force a single step of distance between them.

The blow didn't even make him flinch.

Instead, a low, deep chuckle vibrated in Lowin's chest,a dark, rumbling sound that sent a cold shiver straight down her spine. With a swift, terrifyingly effortless movement of his left hand, he caught both of her small wrists, wrapping them in a grip of cold iron, and pinned them securely behind her back.

He leaned down, his face inches from hers, his breath hot and uneven. "Why are you starting a fight you can't win, sweetheart?"

Amilah gasped as his free right hand came down to her waist. His long, slender fingers began to trace slow, deliberate circles against her soft skin, burning through the thin white silk of her gown. His gaze didn't just look at her; it bored straight into her, mapping the frantic panic written across her features. She could have sworn he was staring directly into her soul, stripping away every defense she had left.

"Let me go," she hissed, her voice shaking with an angry, volatile mix of fear and defiance. She twisted her body, straining against the unyielding lock of his arm. "You crazy psycho, let me go!"

But the movement backfired. As she struggled, the deep, plunging neckline of her gown shifted, forcing her full, round chest to heave up and down violently before his eyes. The sight of her flawless, fair skin glistening with a light sweat was the final blow to Lowin's fracturing sanity. The beast inside him, clawing frantically to get out, completely took the reins.

With a sudden, ruthless jerk, he pulled her by the waist flush against his massive, solid frame. Her arms were still locked helplessly behind her back, her chest crushed against his.

Before Amilah's mind could even register the shift in gravity, his shadow fell over her completely.

His lips captured hers.

It wasn't a request; it was a violent, intoxicating takeover. The kiss was hot, dangerous, and dripping with a possessive hunger that instantly turned Amilah's mind into a blank, spinning void. The sheer force of his mouth sent a jolt of pure fire rushing straight to her lower abdomen, paralyzing her.

She only snapped back to reality when she felt the heavy, burning weight of his right palm slide upward, cupping her left breast through the fabric.

A shockwave of adrenaline tore through her. Acting on pure survival instinct, Amilah clamped her teeth down hard, biting his lower lip until the metallic taste of blood burst between them.

Lowin pulled back sharply. He didn't yell. He didn't rage. Instead, he let out a low, breathless chuckle, his thumb wiping a drop of his own crimson blood from his lip. He leaned into the hollow of her ear, his voice dropping to a gravelly, dangerous whisper. "So wild."

"Have you gone completely crazy?" Amilah cried out, the dam finally breaking. Soft, hot tears began to spill over her eyelashes, tracing wet paths down her flushed cheeks. "What are you doing to me? Can't you just call a doctor or something? Just... please, let me go."

Seeing her tears, a flicker of panic pierced through Lowin's drug-induced haze. He didn't want to hurt her. But the primal beast was fully awake now, and it thrived on her beautiful torment, intoxicated by the way she trembled in his arms.

"No, baby," Lowin murmured, his eyes turning entirely pitch-black as he leaned over her. "You can't just walk into my kingdom and leave as you wish. I'll decide when you leave, little bird. Now behave yourself."

His long fingers trailed slowly down the slope of her cleavage, a torturous, agonizingly slow burn. He leaned his head down, burying his face in the soft crook of her neck. He kissed his way up to her jawline, his teeth gently nibbling on her sensitive skin.

An involuntary, breathless moan slipped past Amilah's lips when his lips brushed the shell of her ear.

"Good girl," he growled against her skin, his hand tracing the soft, hourglass curves of her hips, causing her entire body to shudder violently beneath his touch.

Amilah's mind and heart were locked in a vicious, agonizing war. Her mind screamed at her to run, to fight, to remember that this man was a stranger. But her heart and the thick, heavy ache spreading deep in her lower abdomen wanted nothing more than to dissolve into this terrifying new feeling. Her body was entering a state of total, helpless surrender.

In one swift, seamless motion, Lowin scooped her petite body into his arms. He strode through the dimly lit penthouse and into the expansive master bedroom, tossing her gently onto the sprawling, plush mattress. Turning away for a fraction of a second, his shaking fingers ripped open the remaining buttons of his dress shirt, tearing the expensive fabric off and throwing it carelessly across the room, exposing the hard, shadowed expanse of his chest.

Amilah saw her window to escape. Desperate, she scrambled across the silk sheets, her feet reaching for the edge of the bed.

She didn't even make it to the floor.

A large, heavy arm snared her waist from behind, dragging her back into the center of the bed with terrifying ease. In a heartbeat, Lowin pinned her beneath his massive frame, his large hands clamping her wrists together and securing them firmly over her head.

"Please," Amilah whispered, her voice cracking as she stared up at him. "I don't want to. Let's just call a doctor for you."

"Sshh... shshh," Lowin murmured, silencing her with a low, hypnotic tone.

Slowly, deliberately, his right hand snaked underneath the white silk of her gown, his palm gliding up the smooth skin of her inner thigh until it reached her most sensitive core. Amilah's eyes squeezed shut on pure instinct, her chest rising and falling in sharp, shallow pants.

Lowin let out a low chuckle at the sight of her reaction. "Are you sure you don't want this, baby girl? Your body is so obedient under my touch."

Amilah bit her own lower lip, a soft gasp escaping her as his long, slender fingers began to tease her inner core through the thin barrier of her panties.

That simple gesture tore away the last remaining thread of Lowin's control. He had intended to tease her, to stretch the agony out, but his own shaft was throbbing in a tight, painful ache that demanded instant release. He couldn't tolerate the barrier of his clothes for another second.

With rough, frantic movements, he unbuckled his belt and stripped out of his tailored suit trousers and boxers, throwing them blindly to the floor in a desperate hurry.

He captured her lips again, this time violently, his ragged breathing filling the quiet room. His fingers shifted her lace panties to the side, sliding a single finger directly into her safe haven. It was already dripping wet, slick and hot.

Amilah let out a loud, broken moan that drove him completely over the edge.

"f**k," Lowin growled against her mouth. He trailed a path of biting kisses down her throat to her cleavage, his finger working inside her core at a rhythmic, demanding pace that drove her absolutely wild. A minute ago, she wanted him to stop but now, the fire consuming her blood needed to be quenched at all costs.

When Lowin added a second finger, deep and unyielding, Amilah's mind went entirely blank. Her body shuddered violently beneath him, her hips lifting off the bed in a pure, involuntary reflex.

To Lowin, she was the most intoxicating sight on earth. He freed her arms, and in one swift, aggressive motion, he pulled the white silk gown completely over her head, throwing it to the floor. Amilah was left in nothing but her bra, her twin cherry blossoms full and round, packed tightly inside the lace.

Embarrassment washed over her, her face turning a deep, furious crimson as she instinctively crossed her arms over her chest to hide herself.

Lowin flashed her a devilish, predatory smirk. "Drop them, sweetheart."

Slowly, as if under a spell, Amilah's hands dropped helplessly to her sides. Her body was listening to his voice more than her own mind. Lowin reached behind her, unhooking her bra with a practiced flick and discarding it. The sight of her bare, perfect breasts made him let out a ragged groan from the depths of his throat. His primal instincts completely took over.

He slid her panties down her long legs, towering over her completely naked form. His mouth trailed hot, branding kisses down her stomach, before he blew a warm, heavy breath over her left n****e, which stood firm and hard under his gaze. He teased the peak with his tongue while his other hand cupped her right breast, squeezing the soft flesh gently.

Amilah arched her back off the mattress with every touch, soft, needy moans breaking from her throat. And when his fingers returned to tease her sensitive bud, she completely lost it.

"Pl-please... aah, please..." she begged, her lower abdomen throbbing so hard it was a physical ache. To her own absolute shock, she was begging him to put out the fire.

Lowin couldn't hold back for another second. His long, thick manhood was fully rigid, throbbing in a tight, desperate ache for release. He positioned his long manhood at the opening of her safe haven, his breath hiking as he felt her incredible heat.

Slowly, deliberately, he deepened inside her. The fever had completely eroded his rational mind; he didn't even notice her eyes filling with a fresh wave of tears.

The moment he entered her, a sharp, tearing pain made Amilah gasp, her body stiffening. The deeper he pushed, the more intense the pain became. She placed her tiny hands against his broad shoulders, trying to push him away, but he simply pinned them back over her head, his gray eyes consumed by a dark, feral desire.

He drove himself all the way in with one deep, heavy thrust, letting out a guttural groan. Her tight muscles grasped his length so fiercely it nearly brought him to his knees right then and there.

He began to move, his thrusts powerful and deliberate. Slowly, the sharp pain Amilah felt began to melt away, replaced by a crashing, overwhelming wave of pure pleasure. Lowin let out soft, ragged groans as his free hand trailed all over her trembling body, marking every inch of her skin as his.

"Oh... ooooh," Lowin groaned, his pace quickening.

"Aah-uuh..." Amilah cried out, her fingers tangling in the sheets.

On the nightstand, Lowin's phone was ringing endlessly, the screen flashing bright in the dark room, but neither of them heard it. The bedroom was entirely filled with the heavy symphony of their gasps, moans, and deep groans.

Finally, a sharp, golden wave of completion crashed over Amilah, her body shuddering as she hit her release. Lowin followed a moment later, his body stiffening as he poured himself into her with a deep, breathless growl.

Thinking it was finally over, Amilah let her eyes close but Lowin wasn't done. Gripped by the lingering aftershocks of the drug, he rolled her onto her side, pulling her hips back against him, and entered her from behind. Amilah went completely crazy, riding one crashing wave of release after another until her limbs felt heavy and entirely numb.

When the storm finally passed, she couldn't even force her eyelids open. Exhaustion dragged her down, and a deep, dreamless sleep carried her away. Lowin pulled her flush against his chest, catching his breath in the dark before drifting off minutes later, his arm locked securely around her waist.

---

Back at the gala, Victoria Jackson paced the hallway outside the presidential suite like a caged animal.

She had been waiting for Lowin Vance for almost three hours. The clock had already struck midnight, and the silence from his end was deafening. She had tried calling his direct line at least a hundred times, but it went straight to voicemail every single time.

Frantic, she pulled out her phone and fired off a text.

[Victoria]: Is he still inside?

A response from her contact popped up a second later.

[Unknown]:No, he is not here.

Victoria stamped her high heel against the marble floor, her jaw clenching. Where could he be? Did he go home? No, Lowin wouldn't just leave without telling her, and besides, she had explicitly told the driver to leave early to force Lowin to stay with her.

She immediately dialed the driver's number.

"Hello, ma'am," the driver answered on the second ring.

"Did you send your boss home?" Victoria demanded, her voice sharp and laced with venom.

"Ma'am, you told me he was staying the night at the hotel, so-"

"I asked you a simple question," Victoria snapped, cutting him off. "Did you take him home or not?"

"No, ma'am. I left the premises immediately after you asked me to."

Victoria slammed her thumb against the screen, abruptly ending the call. A cold, heavy weight of disappointment settled deep in her chest. This gala was supposed to be her perfect opportunity, the moment she could use a controlled hotel scandal to force their relationship into the public eye. And now, it was slipping right through her fingers.

He was out there somewhere, heavily drugged.What if he meets another woman?

The thought made her blood run cold. Suddenly, the image of the fragile woman in the white dress from the VIP corridor flashed in her mind. Victoria spun on her heel and rushed back into the grand ballroom.

The party was clearing out, the elite guests leaving one by one under the dimming chandeliers. She scanned every corner, her eyes wild, but the white dress was nowhere to be found.

"Victoria? Are you okay?"

Annah Vance stepped into her path, her brow furrowed in confusion at Victoria's frantic expression.

Victoria instantly masked her face, forcing a tight, practiced smile onto her lips. "I'm fine, Annah. Just looking for someone... it's nothing."

"Oh, okay. Enjoy your night, then," Annah said smoothly, waving her off as she walked toward the exit. Annah had been waiting around to see if Amilah would come back to say goodbye, but assuming the young designer had left early, she decided to head home herself.

The moment Annah was out of sight, Victoria stormed back into the presidential suite. Blind with rage, she grabbed a heavy crystal vase from the glass table and hurled it across the room. It shattered against the wall with a loud, violent crash.

She slammed herself down onto the sofa, her thoughts spinning out of control.

He isn't with that woman... right?

No. Lowin was cold, clinical, and completely untouchable. He wouldn't do something like that. But as she recalled the dark, heavy way Lowin had looked down at the girl in the hallway, her confidence fractured. He must have gone to a private hospital, she told herself, desperately clawing at the only explanation that kept her sane.

The mere mental image of Lowin in another woman's arms fueled a toxic, burning rage in her chest.

"If she dares to touch him," Victoria whispered into the empty, ruined suite, her eyes narrowing into slits, "I'll break her hands myself."

She vowed the threat to the empty room, completely blind to the truth.

Miles away, in the quiet darkness of the penthouse, her man was already fast asleep, with a beautiful stranger tucked securely in his arms.