Page 89 of My Sweetest Temptation

I reluctantly let her go and set her on her feet. She slowly pivoted to face me and glared daggers at me, her chest rising and falling in a rhythm that screamed “I’m going to kill you.”

I smirked.

“I can’t believe you just threw me in there,” she spat, her voice filled with indignation. “What kind of person does that to another human being?”

I didn’t say anything, just listened to her rant because I loved hearing the sound of her voice. She placed her hands on her hips and looked around where I had taken her. I drove us to the park near my home because I wanted to prove to her that she couldn’t run away from me, but also because I wanted to keep her. For whatever reason, the need to touch her, hold her, kiss her, and just have her near settled the war battling in my soul. I didn’t know if the realization scared the hell out of me or put me at peace.

“Look, Nico.” She exhaled deeply. “I just want to go home, okay?” Her eyes locked onto mine, pleading for freedom.

“Not going to happen, Angel,” I replied, my tone firm.

Her expression shattered, and I felt a pang in my chest at the sight. What the hell was this feeling?

“Why?” she demanded, her hands flailing in an almost theatrical manner.

I pushed off the car, stepping closer until her heart-shaped face was cradled in my hands. My gaze flickered between her bright golden eyes and her trembling lips. “Because you woke up something in me that I thought was dead for the longest time,” I said.

She tilted her head slightly, confusion etched across her features. The lines on her forehead deepened, and I could see the wheels turning in her mind. She didn’t look afraid, just… curious.

“I don’t know what that means,” she replied quietly, her eyes never leaving mine.

A small smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. “All you need to know is that now that I have you, I’m never letting go,” I assured her, watching her eyes widen in shock. I continued. “Now… you’re going to do as you’re told and get in the car. I won’t put you in the trunk, as long as you behave.”

“Then you’ll take me home?” she asked, hope flickering in her voice.

“No. I’m taking you to my home for the night,” I emphasized.

“Why me?” she pressed.

“Because I want you,” I replied. “Why is that so hard for you to understand?”

She began to shake her head, her defiance surfacing as she reached for my wrist, trying to push me away.

“Don’t,” I warned, my grip tightening slightly.

“How can you say you want me when you don’t even know me? I work for you. You’re my boss and I’m your employee. That is the only relationship you and I will ever have.”

I shook my head slowly, my eyes never leaving hers. “That’s where you’re wrong, baby. You belong with me now.” My voice was deep and commanding, leaving no room for argument.

She bristled at my words, her eyes flashing with anger. “I don’t belong to anyone, especially not to a man who thinks he can have any woman he wants.”

That was the wrong thing to say.

I flinched as if struck, my hands tightening around her delicate jaw, my thumbs caressing her cheekbones. She struggled against my iron grip, her nails digging into my wrists, but I held firm, pulling her closer, our noses nearly touching.

“The days of me fucking anyone who meant nothing to me were long gone the moment I first laid eyes on you. Whether you like it or not, you belong to me. You will answer to me. You will never escape me.”

Her body shook in my arms. I could see the conflict in her eyes, the war between her desire and her fear. I felt it too. I wanted her, body and soul, and I hated that I couldn’t say no to this power she had over me.

“Now,” I growled, “I need you to go back to the car.”

“No. Please, Nico, just take me home.”

“I said no.” I gritted my teeth, anger slowly starting to boil over because of her stubbornness and the way she challenged me at every moment she could.

I was shocked as hell when she wrenched her face from my hands, her eyes sparking with newfound determination. She took a step back, holding my gaze, her chin raised like a disobedient child.

“You may think you have the power to have others bow down to you like a king, but I will never submit myself to you. I’m not even your type!” she shouted.

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