Page 124 of Bitter Heat

“What did you do, Roth?”

“This isn’t about her. It’s about us.This.” His hands splayed on her stomach before they swept up to her breasts and squeezed as he pressed against her from behind. “This is all that matters.”

“Sex doesn’t solve anything!”

He found that spot on her neck and lapped at it with his tongue.

“There’s nothing to solve. You’re back where you belong, and everything’s as it should be.”

Her eyes fluttered shut against her will. “This is wrong.”

“For the first time in years, everything is right. You know it, but you keep fighting it, fighting me.” His teeth scraped over her nape, and she shivered. “You can fight all you want. You won’t win.”

She fought his spell and stared at the flames as she asked, “When we were in Colorado, were you already pursuing Hennessy & Co?”

“Yes.”

Rage trumped desire. She stomped his shoe with the heel of her foot. He hissed, and a second later, he lifted her high against his chest so her feet were dangling in the air.

“Behave,” he hissed against her ear.

“I’ve beenbehavingall fucking day. You’ve been pulling the strings for weeks, manipulating me, boxing me in. You took over my life, threatened my family, threatenedme. I’m done. Let me go.”

“No.”

When she tried to bruise his shin, he carried her to the bed and threw her on top of it. As she floundered in the sea of skirts, he flipped her onto her back and yanked her to the edge of the bed. As she struggled to sit up, he spread her thighs. She froze when he pressed his crotch against hers.

“You want to kick off our wedding night with me spanking your ass?” he asked as he loomed over her.

“This isn’t a real wedding night. It’s an expensive charade so you can solidify your rule of New York by showing you have the support of my family.”

“Is that what you think?”

“Yes. This is about revenge.”

“A part of it.”

“And the other parts?”

His eyes dropped to where he was pressed intimately against her. “You know the rest.”

He pulled her into a sitting position. She tensed, ready to punch his dick. He disarmed her by tunneling his hands into her hair and gently tugging out the bobby pins. She closed her eyes as she fought the surge of comfort caused by the simple action. This was far more seductive than sexual fondling. She swayed toward him before she caught herself.

She had grown up without hugs or kisses. Affection was something she received in small doses from Thea when her father wasn’t looking. Everyone kept her at arm’s length, afraid of inciting her father’s wrath. In boarding school, the teachers pushed them hard, knowing their jobs would be forfeited if the students didn’t excel. When she was engaged to Ford, she was giddy over hand-holding and pecks on the cheek. She was starved for touch. Roth seemed to sense that and used it to bind her to him. Did he remember? Was that why he sifted his hand through her hair slowly, soothing her when she wanted to fight? When she tried to pull away, he pressed her face against his abdomen and massaged her nape, coaxing her to relax. How could she hold out against him? She didn’t know how to battle his tender onslaught.

He’s going to ruin you.

Her eyes opened as Kaia’s words echoed in her mind. “Why does she think you’ll ruin me?”

“Why would I do that?”

“To punish me for leaving you?”

“Does this feel like punishment?”

She swallowed hard. “I don’t know how to do this.”

She didn’t know how to compartmentalize when it came to him. They had history, so he wasn’t a faceless fuck. Once upon a time, he had been her best friend and savior, and now… She had no fucking idea what they were. Enemies? Partners? It was only hours into day one, and he had her all fucked up.

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