Page 36 of Ruthless Desire

But it's useless. The memories flood in, vivid and merciless. Dante pinning me to the bed, his weight delicious and terrifying. The press of his lips on my throat, teeth grazing my pulse point. His voice, rough with desire, whispering filthy promises in my ear.

"You're mine, Natalie," he'd growled, his cock thick and hard against my thigh. "Every. Fucking. Inch."

And God help me, in that moment, I'd wanted to be his. To surrender to the dark hunger in his eyes, to let him consume me whole.

No. I grit my teeth, nails digging crescents into my palms. I won't let him break me. Won't let him shatter my sanity piece by piece until there's nothing left but his twisted reflection.

I'm stronger than that. I have to be.

For Dad.

The thought of my father sends a fresh wave of anguish crashing over me. Where is he? Is he looking for me? Does he even know I'm gone?

I press my forehead against the cool glass, fighting back tears. "I'm sorry, Dad," I whisper, my breath catching on a sob. "I'm so sorry."

The click of the lock snaps me back to reality. I whirl around, heart thundering, as Dante strides in. He's devastatingly handsome in a charcoal suit that hugs his muscular frame, power and danger radiating from every pore.

"Good evening, solnyshko." His voice slides over me like velvet-wrapped steel. "Miss me?"

I bare my teeth in a snarl, hating how my body reacts to his presence. "Like a hole in the head."

He chuckles, the sound dark and rich. "Such venom. And here I thought we were making progress."

"Progress?" I laugh, the sound jagged and brittle. "Is that what you call kidnapping and psychological torture? Your definition might need some work."

Dante's eyes flash, something dangerous and hungry flickering in their depths. He stalks towards me, each step measured and predatory. "I prefer to think of it as... enlightenment. Freeing you from the cage of mediocrity you've built around yourself."

I back up until I hit the wall, trapped between cold stone and the heat of his body. He braces his hands on either side of my head, caging me in.

"You have so much potential, Natalie," he murmurs, one hand coming up to trace the curve of my cheek. I flinch, but there's nowhere to go. "So much fire, so much darkness lurking beneath the surface. I'm going to set it free, mold it into something exquisite. Something worthy of my... attention."

His thumb brushes my lower lip, and I hate the way my mouth parts instinctively. "I don't want your attention," I rasp, but my voice wavers, betraying me. "I don't want anything from you except my freedom."

Dante's laugh is low and dark, vibrating through me like a physical caress. "Oh, but you will," he purrs, leaning in close enough that I can feel his breath on my skin. "In time, you'll crave my touch, my presence, the very air I breathe. You'll ache for me until the thought of escape becomes nothing more than a distant memory."

His hand slides down to cup my throat, fingers resting lightly over my hammering pulse. "You're already responding to me, Natalie. I can feel it, see it in the flush of your skin and the dilation of your pupils. Your mind may resist, but your body knows the truth."

I try to turn away, to break free from the spell of his gaze, but his grip tightens subtly, holding me in place. "You're delusional," I breathe, the words feeling hollow even as I say them. "I could never want a monster like you."

Something dark and primal flashes in Dante's eyes. "We're all monsters here, solnyshko. The only difference is, I embrace it while you cower from your true nature."

He leans in, his lips a hairsbreadth from mine. "But not for much longer. By the time I'm done with you, you'll be begging me to unleash the beast within. To set you free in ways you never dreamed possible."

I'm trembling now, every nerve ending alight with a toxic mix of fear and need. Some traitorous part of me wants to close that final distance, to taste the forbidden fruit of his lips and damn the consequences.

But I can't. I won't. I may be trapped in this gilded hell, but I refuse to let him ensnare my mind as well.

With a burst of desperate strength, I shove hard against his chest. He lets me, stumbling back a step more from surprise than the force of my push.

"Get the fuck away from me," I snarl, my voice shaking but resolute. "I will never be what you want me to be, never surrender to your sick fantasies. So you might as well kill me now, because I will fight you every step of the way."

For a long, tense moment, Dante just stares at me, his expression unreadable. Then, to my shock, he throws his head back and laughs. The sound is rich and melodious, totally at odds with the situation.

"Oh, Natalie," he sighs, his eyes glittering with dark amusement. "My sweet, defiant little paintbrush. You have no idea how much your resistance pleases me, how it stokes the flames of my desire."

Before I can blink, he's on me again. One hand fists in my hair, the other grips my hip, yanking me flush against his hard body. "By all means, fight," he purrs, his lips brushing the shell of my ear. "Struggle, scream, rage against the dying of your precious light. It will make your inevitable surrender that much sweeter."

He spins me around, pulling my back against his chest. His arm bands across my waist like steel, pinning me in place. His other hand grips my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze in the ornate mirror across the room.

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