Page 13 of Hooked

Chapter 4

FROM ACROSS THE ROOM, he watched her wake, her eyes blinking open and staring at the unfamiliar ceiling overhead. Suddenly, she winced, her hand coming to her forehead to rub away what had to be a headache, as her delicate brows gathered together. Pink lips, usually soft and curved in a smile, were downturned as she grimaced and sat up in bed.

She looked down at the expansive king-size bed, her hand flaring out and smoothing over what he knew to be soft, sumptuous, mega-thread count sheets. Her head swung up and her eyes swept over the room. When she located him seated casually in a high-backed chair in the corner, her eyes flew wide and her cheeks, usually a lovely peaches and cream, flooded with crimson. She glanced away, looking everywhere except at him.

“Feeling better?” He tried to keep his voice even and not give away the mix of amusement and lust he was feeling, but he wasn’t sure he’d succeeded when her face scrunched up a bit.

“Fit as a fiddle, thank you,” she lied. Then she pushed aside the covers as she announced, “I should go.”

The echo of her words hadn’t faded when a loud crack of thunder made her jump. A flash of lightning followed immediately electrifying the air in the room.

“You’re not going anywhere tonight.” He stood and crossed to the bed. Using his full height to impart his authority, he stood close to the edge, staring down at her, his arms crossed imposingly over his chest. “I asked a question and this time I would like a truthful response.”

She glanced up at him briefly, her eyes reaching no farther than his chest then darted away, moving down to her tightly clasped hands in her lap. “I have a bit of a headache is all, sir. Truly, I’m fine.”

“How many cocktails did you have this evening?” As he posed his question, he crossed to the bathroom.

“One, but it was very large,” was her faint reply as he found aspirin in the medicine cabinet and filled a glass with water from the tap. He strode to her side and held them out for her, palm up.

“Aspirin,” he explained succinctly. “Take them without fuss, please.”

When she swallowed them down with only a small sip, he ordered further, “Finish it.”

Not hesitating in obeying this time, she downed the entire contents. He set her empty glass on the nightstand then sat on the edge of the bed, close alongside her, his thigh pressing fully against hers. Leaning forward, he set his fists on the soft mattress, bracketing her hips, which brought his face very near hers.

With him in her space, she had nowhere to go but flat on her back in the bed. Being vulnerable beneath him clearly not part of her plan, she scooted up toward the headboard and could retreat no farther. Her eyes darted about the room, once again looking for an escape, but his body had cut off all exit routes.

Left without options, she lifted her chin, eyes boldly meeting his.

“It’s late, you’ve been drinking, and there is a flash flood warning out until morning. That’s a dangerous combination, which you won’t be risking, not on my watch. We’ll be spending the night.”

She bristled. “Exactly when did it become your watch, sir?”

“The minute you walked into Club Decadence with your hair loose and gleaming like satin, wearing a dress meant to entice, in search of a dom. Tonight, I am that dom, Olivia. No other.”

He leaned in and, without making contact, forced her back until she was lying on the pillows. Her hands moved to his chest automatically as he hovered over her, his upper body containing hers. But she didn’t resist when his lips lowered to hers, drawn to them as if by an invisible force, with a magnetism he could no longer deny.

She whispered, “Don’t I get a say?”

“Certainly, you get to say yes.”

He took her mouth, her sweet and savory taste exploding on his tongue as it swept inside. Her lips on his were like feeding on ambrosia, as he’d always guessed they would be.

His hand tangled in her silky hair while the other slid around her back and pulled her body tight against his. He deepened the kiss, plundering her mouth greedily, and continuing in that mode until she whimpered softly in her throat.

Joseph lifted his head a mere fraction so that his lips brushed against hers as he spoke. “That was a sample, little one. Do you want more?”

“Yes, please.”

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