Page 15 of Taming Achilles

“Take off your clothes, Pippa,” I instructed for the third and final time. “Or I will rip them off.”

Her eyes narrowed on me, un-moving from her place on the ground. “You wouldn’t dare.”

I leaned back in the armchair, like a king on a fucking throne and raised a brow. Was she daring me? Because I’d want nothing more than to tear Pippa Fox down to shreds, leaving her panting, exhausted, and used on my bed. I tapped my finger on the armrest, waiting her out, watching her features go from stubborn, to frightened, shocked, then crestfallen.

Chapter 6

Pippa

This person was a stranger to me. His normally warm, inviting brown eyes were now black pools of darkness. Sitting in his chair with one leg crossed over the other, he leaned back with a glass of whiskey in his hand. An icy chill radiated off of him that I had never seen before in my beloved Geo, who was so gentle and funny.

A Geo that I had loved … that I still loved with every fibre of my pathetic being.

It was unfair that he could be so cruel, and still so gorgeous.

He was so strong and handsome. He had me pinned to the ground with his intense gaze, unable to move or escape. I felt powerless beneath him. And there was something right about it. About this dynamic. Me, on my knees as he sat on a leather throne.

I unbuttoned my blouse with trembling fingers. The silk slipped off my shoulders, and my nipples hardened against my bra, painful and longing for his attention. When I unclasped it, he took in a slow, deep breath. I almost shattered in relief. He was still attracted to me, even if he didn’t love me anymore. It was better than indifference.

Without a top on, I should have felt exposed and degraded. But as I felt the wetness between my legs, it was clear that wasn't the case. And he knew it too.

The boy I shared a bed with in the distant past wouldn’t have seen past my walls. But this man, standing before me now, could uncover all my secrets. A part of me longed for him to expose me. Pry me from behind my mask, and let me tell you everything I've kept hidden for so long!

That's what made him so threatening.

But that boy I knew, the sweet one who had walked me through the streets of Venice when it snowed on Christmas, was the person I was protecting. I wouldn’t let them take him from me. The boy in my memories was the last bit of light in my dark existence, and I would protect him even if it cost me my soul.

“Stand up.” Geo’s voice was quiet and calm, hiding the gravel underneath. “Take off the rest. One at a time.”

I got up on shaky legs, my knees wobbling in my unsteady high heels. I used the wall to help me, before undoing the button at the waist of my skirt and letting it fall to the ground.

I hooked my thumbs into my panties, and he raised his hand, a gesture to make me stop. He flipped his palm up, and with one crooked finger beckoned me forward.

I stepped uneasily toward him. He lowered his foot so that his knees were wide. With a gesture of his eyes, he indicated for me to stand between them. I did. Until my shins touched the cushion of the seat he was on.

He placed his glass on the armrest and grabbed hold of my hips, pulling me closer to him. His nose brushed the sensitive skin near my hip, and he slowly moved down. His lips lingered just above my mound as his breath caressed the silk fabric of my white thong. He bit gently through the material and I gasped. My hands came to rest on his shoulders, feeling the coolness of his shirt beneath my palms. I tried to move away from him, but his hands tightened. .

He tsked, letting the cloth slip from his closed teeth.

“You don’t get to do that.”

“What?” I whispered, confused, my head in a fog.

“You don’t get to push me away.” His voice was low, almost sweet, but there was an implicit threat in his words. “Between sundown and sun up, this body belongs to me. Your choices are to open up and offer me what I crave, or to accept punishments for disobedience.”

“Punishments?” My eyes widened. This had never been him. He had never hurt me. Not physically. He’d never … surely?

“Aye,” he said, still looking down, his nose near the place where I knew my arousal had soaked the fabric. “And I know you’re not ready for that, Princess.” His warm, rough hands went down my skin, to the outside of my thighs, curling backwards until he kneaded my cheeks in his hands. “You would suffer, and scream. Your mind would rebel. In the end, you’d forget everything except the knowledge that you’re mine.”

I shook my head, the ends of my wavy hair tickling my lower back.

“Oh, aye, Princess you are mine.” He bit down again, right at the tender flesh where my thighs met my hip bone, sucking on the skin to soothe the pain. “From dusk until dawn, your body belongs to me.”

Always. My body belonged to him, always. The little voice inside my heart wanted me to declare those words. I love you, Geo. I’m yours, don’t let me go. Don’t leave me alone in this world.

My weaved through his coarse hair, until they twined with the rough strands at the nape of his neck.

I ached to feel his lips on mine, desperate to remember their warmth and sweetness. Yet, a strong sense of terror kept me from succumbing to my desires. If I tasted him, I wouldn’t be able to resist the urge to give him everything he wanted. I couldn’t risk that.

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