Page 69 of Bound By Hate (Born in Blood)

“More like bondage. It’s about control. I’m a dom. I want you to be my submissive once you’ve fully healed.”

“Do I look submissive to you?”

“No. You’re not naturally submissive at all. But I think you want to be. I’ve seen you this past week, eating when I tell you to. You needed my permission. You needed me to be in control because I think you feel out of control.”

“And you’re an expert on how I feel?” I ask, shifting around, unable to meet his gaze. That’s not the norm for me, but this conversation is definitely not the norm for me, either.

“I can read you. I can tell you’ve felt out of control, especially with what happened with Gleb. I want you to trust me. I want you to know I’ll keep you safe.”

“By controlling me?” I shake my head. “I don’t think so. I’m not going to kneel before you and beg for you to touch me. In fact, I don’t want you touching me at all.”

He smirks. I hate how handsome it makes him. I also hate the slight flash of arousal between my legs. “Still pretending you hate me?”

“I do hate you, Aleksander. Just because I’ve been eating doesn’t change things. You want to control me, and that’s the last thing I want.”

He scoots in closer to me and rests his fingers on my temple.

“What are you doing?” I ask and swat his hand away. But he just places it right back into the same position. The touch of his fingers to the sensitive skin of my temple makes me feel … things. Things I don’t want to feel for him.

“Your mind is uneasy. You may not want me to be in control, but we both know you need it.”

“Stop telling me what I need.Iknow what I need.”

“Is that why you’ve been making yourself throw up? Because that’s what you needed?”

“Is this a trick question?” I ask.

He never looks away once. “It’s an honest question.”

“I’m not going to kneel for you, Aleksander. If you want me to, you’ll have to make me.”

His fingers trace down my temple to my lips. “I don’t want to make you. I want you to choose me. And I think, deep down, you want to.” He traces my lips over the top and over the bottom. I let my lips part.

I’ve never been touched like this before. Aleksander talks about wanting to control me, but I’ve never felt more out of control than around him.

There’s no way I’m going to kiss him. I hate Aleksander. I always will.

He’s just another man intent on doing me harm.

But as he leans closer, I don’t move away.

“I think you want to be with me,” he says in his deep voice, sending a shiver over me. “I think you want to know what it’s like to kiss me.”

“No.” Yes. Maybe.

“Fine. Then pull away from me.”

I don’t move a muscle.

His fingers move from my lips to my cheek. “Your bruise is healing. It’s almost gone.”

“Not so ugly anymore, am I?”

“You were never ugly, Viktoriya. You’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen.”

“You’re not going to charm your way into my pants.”

He raises an eyebrow. “What pants? You’re wearing a dress.” He rests his hand on my knee, his thumb drawing circles into my skin. I can admit it feels … tantalizing.

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