Page 28 of Ruthless Desire

For a moment, we're frozen. Her hands grip my shirt, my arms locked around her waist. I can feel every heaving breath, every tremor that runs through her body.

"Let go of me," she whispers, but there's a hitch in her voice that betrays her.

I smile, slow and predatory. "Are you sure that's what you want?"

Her pupils dilate, a flash of heat in those stormy eyes. But then she blinks, and it's gone, replaced by renewed fury.

"Yes," she hisses, shoving hard against my chest.

I release her, letting her stumble back into the tub. "As you wish, tiny paintbrush. But don't say I never did anything for you."

She glares, chest heaving. "Oh, I'll be saying plenty about you. To the cops, the second I get out of here."

I laugh, the sound echoing off the tiled walls. "Oh, my naive little bird. Don't you know? The cops work for me. This whole city is mine." I lean in, voice dropping to a seductive purr. "And soon, you will be too."

She spits in my face, a poor show of defiance. I wipe it away slowly, never breaking eye contact. Then she lunges, nails raking down my cheek. I feel the sting, the warm trickle of blood, and something inside me snaps.

In an instant, I'm in the tub with her, pinning her against the porcelain. Water soaks through my thousand-dollar suit, but I couldn't care less. All that matters is the feeling of her body against mine, the fire in her eyes as she glares up at me.

"I will find a way out," she snarls, but I can feel the way she trembles, the rapid rise and fall of her chest.

"Never," I growl, one hand fisting in her hair. "You're mine, Natalie. The sooner you accept that, the easier this will be."

"I'll never be yours," she spits, but there's a hitch in her voice, a flicker of heat in those stormy eyes.

I smile, slow and predatory. "We'll see about that."

Without warning, I crush my mouth to hers. It's not a kiss – it's brutal and unrelenting. I groan, deepening the kiss, my free hand roaming her body. She arches into my touch, a broken moan escaping her lips.

"That's it," I murmur against her throat, nipping at the delicate skin. "Give in to it. To me."

For a moment, I think I've won. Her fingers tangle in my hair, pulling me closer. But then she stiffens, reality crashing back.

"No!" she cries, shoving hard against my chest.

I allow her to push me away, watching with dark amusement as her chest heaves, lips swollen from my kiss, eyes wild with a cocktail of desire and self-loathing.

"Enough games," I say, voice rough with need. "Strip."

She blinks, disbelief warring with outrage. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me." I lean back, making myself comfortable. "Take off your clothes. Unless you'd prefer I do it for you?"

For a long moment, she just stares at me. Then, slowly, she stands. Water cascades down her body as she peels off her soaked shirt, revealing inch after tantalizing inch of creamy skin.

I watch, transfixed, as she shimmies out of her jeans. She stands before me in nothing but scraps of lace, a goddess risen from the depths.

"Happy now?" she sneers, but I can see the way she shivers, goosebumps pebbling her skin.

"Ecstatic," I purr, drinking in every detail. "Now finish the job."

Her hands move to the clasp of her bra, then pause. A wicked glint enters her eye.

"You know what? I don't think I will."

Before I can react, she's out of the tub, bolting for the door. I curse, scrambling after her, but my waterlogged clothes slow me down.

By the time I make it back to the bedroom, she's nowhere in sight. But I'm not worried. This is my domain, my labyrinth. She can run all she likes – there's no escape.

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