Page 68 of In Shadows We Dance

“Open your eyes. Look at me, Ballerina. See what you’re doing to me.”

Click.Acceptance.

Click.Need.

Click.Her lips parting as I claim them.

“You’re mine now. And I’m never letting you go.”

CHAPTER 35

Breaking Her Down

ILEANA

His mouth crashes against mine,stealing my breath and crashing through every rule I've ever lived by. Years of staying hidden, of obeying my father’s demand to remain unseen, shatter beneath the weight of Wren’s kiss. His fingers knot in my hair, pulling tight, keeping me exactly where he wants me. The other hand—God, his other hand—continues its devastating exploration of my breast, the pressure almost unbearable.

I should push him away. Scream. Anything but arch into his touch like I’m doing now.

But I can't stop.

The soft click of his camera punctuates every move he makes, every kiss he steals, every stroke of his fingers. Each sound is a mark of ownership, a declaration that this moment, this piece of me, belongs to him.

"That's it," he breathes against my mouth. "Show me how much you want this. How much youneedit."

The haze in my mind clears just enough for his words to sink in. To remind me of who he is. Of what he’s doing. How deeply he’s torn through every safeguard I thought I had, stripped away every protection. My head twists, trying to break away from his hold.

“No.” His grip tightens, his control absolute. The single word carries a command to it that makes me shudder. “No more hiding. No more pretending you don’t feel this.” His lips trail down to my neck, hot and insistent.

"I don't?—"

“Liar.” He catches my lower lip between his teeth, a teasing nip that sends a shock through me, then soothes it with his tongue. “You can’t lie to me, pretty Ballerina. I see it. The way you respond to my touch, the little sounds you try to hide ..."

As if he’s proving his point, his finger circles my nipple, drawing a gasp that I can’t swallow down in time. My face burns, mortified by the noise I make.

Does he know no one has ever touched me like that?Seenme like this? Or is that why he’s so relentless?

"I can't?—"

“Can’t? Or won’t?” His lips close over my nipple, sucking gently, and it’s like a lightning strike between my legs. I choke on a moan, and he laughs softly, lifting his head. “Don’t care about Daddy’s rules when my mouth is on you, do you?”

The mention of my father sends ice through my veins. The reality of what I’m doing—how I’m betraying everything I was taught—crashes over me.

What would he think if he knew what was happening in my bedroom right now? What would he do if he saw this?

Wren pauses, eyes narrowing as though he can read my thoughts, and his fingers flex in my hair. I reach to pull my top down, to cover myself, but his hand clamps around my wrist, stopping me.

“Oh no, you don’t.” His voice is low, dangerous. “I want you exactly like this.”

“Someone could walk past and see?—”

“That’s the point.” His lips curl in a dark smile as he raises the camera again. “Look how beautiful you are.” The soft click makes me flinch. “When you have nothing left to hide behind. Naked. Stunning. Mine.”

Heat crawls up my neck, my nipples tightening painfully under his stare. My gaze darts toward the window, toward the possibility of someone—anyone—catching me like this.

“You’re coming with me.” His eyes lock onmine, holding me captive. “And you’re going to stay exactly like this until I decide otherwise.”

“No—” The protest falls flat as he pinches my nipple, the pain blooming into pleasure, and I can’t stop the gasp that escapes.

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