Page 23 of Hearts Of Darkness

“And I know you like the dress.”

Son of a bitch.

I glare at him as a rush of warmth sharpens my senses and quickens my pulse rate. I hate him. I want him.What the hell is wrong with me?

He takes a step in my direction, and I take a step back. In another time and place this man would be so easy to fall for. Regardless, he continues to prowl toward me, his sinful eyes never once leaving my face. I’m backed up against the mattress now. There’s nowhere left for me to run.

“Join me for dinner,” he says, reaching out to brush away a stray crumb from my upper lip and then frowning as I flinch.

“No, thank you.”

“It wasn’t a request.”

“Then I was right before. I have no free will, not as long as you’re attracted to me.”

“I believe you were referring to a one-sided affair…” He cocks his head to the side. “I think we re-established those parameters last night, don’t you? Or do you need another reminder?”

He’s so close to me. I can feel the heat radiating off his body, and his heady scent is scrambling my senses. I watch him glance down at the outline of my nipples, so prominent through the thin fabric of my dress. He knows the effect he’s having on me, and he’s loving every minute of it.

“Where are you from?” I whisper. “What country?”

He frowns. “I’ll tell you over dinner.”

“I don’t want to have dinner with you.”

“And I said you didn’t have a choice,mi alma. Do I have to fuck you into submission again? Do you need a reminder of just how much you bend to my every whim?”

I inhale sharply. His words are like a lit match to my lust. I’m still aching from last night, but this burning need to have him inside of me is overriding everything.

“Screw you!” But my voice is as weak as my resolve, and it’s fading fast.

He tuts at me. “Don’t say such tempting things. You have no idea how much I want to lift up that dress and see how snugly your new lingerie caresses your cunt. Are you wet? I bet you a million dollars you are. So white, so angelic… Just how I requested it. My maid has exquisite taste, don’t you think?”

My eyes widen in shock. No man has ever spoken to me like that before. He’s right, though. My core is throbbing stronger than ever.

He reaches out and slowly draws a line with his finger from my cheek all the way down to my collarbone and then lower still to my left breast, cupping and kneading the tender tissues, lightly running his thumb over my erect nipple and making me shudder.

He inclines his head and drops a kiss to my temple, intimidating me with the sheer scope of his masculinity again. With his other hand, he catches the hem on my dress and draws it all the way up my thigh before sliding a teasing finger across the front of my underwear. I drop my hand to his to stop his progression, but my efforts are half-hearted at best.

“Just as I thought,” he murmurs, nudging my legs apartwith his foot. “I could take you right now and just slide on in.” As if to prove the point, he pulls the material to one side and pushes a rough finger in between my folds.

“Stop…”

“No.”

He withdraws it, and then thrusts again. One finger becomes two. My head tumbles forward into his shoulder, and my moans are muffled by the soft fabric of his T-shirt.

“Do you like that,mi alma?”

“No,” I pant again, aching for more as my inner muscles start gripping him.

He laughs. “Liar.”

He forces a slow and steady rhythm, his thumb brushing against my clit and shooting heart-stopping sensations throughout my pelvis. I can feel his other hand on the nape of my neck, pressing my face even tighter into his body.

I want to pull him closer, rip open his zipper, and have him climb inside, yet a part of me refuses to give in completely to this man. If I’m to learn more about my brother’s killer, I can’t let him claim every part of me.

My breathing is all over the place as he continues to drive his fingers in and out of my body. I’m so close… He could tip me over the edge at any moment. As if sensing this, he presses the hard heat of his palm against my clit.

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