Page 35 of Dark Promise

Her eyes glisten, her jaw tightening as she fights whatever war is raging inside her. And I see it—the moment she stops fighting, the moment the walls crack and crumble, leaving her exposed, raw, and breathtakingly beautiful.

Before she can say another word, I reach out, cupping her jaw in my hand, tilting her face up to mine. Her skin is soft, warm, and when her eyes meet mine, there’s no anger left, only a fragile, dangerous kind of surrender.

“I don’t want to want you,” she whispers, her voice trembling.

“But youdowant me,” I murmur, leaning in, my lips brushing against hers, barely a whisper of contact.

“I can’t,” she whispers, pulling away.

“You can,” I say.

I lift her left hand, trace the tip of my finger along her naked ring finger. “You’re no longer engaged.”

“No,” she whispers.

“Good.” And then I pull her against me and take her in a hard kiss, claiming the woman who is mine.

It’s not gentle. It’s not careful. It’s a clash of heat and hunger, of everything we’ve been holding back for far too long. Her hands grip my shirt, her nails digging into my chest as she pulls me closer, her lips parting beneath mine with a soft, breathless sound that makes my pulse roar in my ears.

The fire crackles behind us, its warmth nothing compared to the heat of her body against mine. I deepen the kiss, my hand sliding to her waist, pulling her closer until there’s no space left between us.

She moans into my mouth, and the sound shatters what little control I have left. I lift her effortlessly, her legs wrapping around my waist as I carry her toward the bedroom.

She doesn’t protest, doesn’t pull away. If anything, she holds on tighter, her lips trailing fire along my jaw, my neck, driving me to the brink of madness.

By the time we reach the bed, I know there’s no turning back. Not now. Not ever.

And I don’t want to.

Not with her.

She pulls back, eyes wide,. Then she turns her face away, my warrior goddess, fighting to the last breath.

I cup her cheek and turn her face to me once more.

Her lips part, trembling, and I see the exact moment she realizes there’s no escape—not from this, not from me. Her fire, her anger, it only fuels the storm raging inside me. I close the distance between us, tilting her face up to mine. The heat of her skin burns against my palm, a stark contrast to the chill that still clings to the air.

“Sabina,” I murmur, my voice rough and low, “stop fighting me.”

Her breath hitches, her eyes flashing with defiance even as her body arches closer to mine. “I’m not fighting you, Nikolai,” she whispers, her voice trembling but bold. “I’m fighting myself.”

Her words shatter the last shred of control I have.

I capture her lips with mine, the kiss hard and claiming. She stiffens for a heartbeat, her nails biting into my chest, but then she melts against me, her hands fisting in my shirt as she pulls me closer. I feel her surrender in the way her body presses against mine, the way her lips part to let me in, the way she gasps into my mouth like she’s been waiting for this as long as I have.

I pull her closer, my hands sliding down her back, over the curve of her ass. Her soft moan vibrates against my lips, sending a jolt of heat straight to my cock. My fingers tighten on her buttocks, squeezing, kneading, desperate to feel more, to claim her in every way.

She pulls back just enough to catch her breath, her cheeks flushed, her lips swollen.

“You’re impossible,” she whispers, her voice shaky but fierce.

“And you’re irresistible,” I growl, my mouth moving to her jaw, trailing hot, open-mouthed kisses down her neck. Her head tilts back, her breath hitching as I find the sensitive spot just beneath her ear.

“Nikolai,” she breathes, my name a plea, a command.

“I’ve wanted you like this,” I rasp against her skin, “for far too long.”

I slide my hands to her thighs, lifting her effortlessly. Her legs wrap around my waist, the heat of her body searing through the thin fabric separating us. I carry her to the bed, my movements deliberate, unhurried, every step echoing the inevitability of what’s about to happen.

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