Page 48 of Emperor of Lust

“Hana…” I say, my voice firm but calm.

She flinches, turning to face me with wide, panicked eyes. “Don’t touch me,” she chokes, her voice laced with fear, her eyes wild and disoriented.

I grip her shoulders tightly, holding her still. “Stop moving,” I command, my tone full of authority. “It’s just the adrenaline. You need to breathe.”

For a second, she continues to fight, her hands pressing against me. But I hold my ground, refusing to let go. Her breaths are still short, panicked, her gaze darting around as if she’s still trapped in the chaos. “Just breathe,” I murmur, my steady voice anchoring her against the storm raging inside.

Slowly, her resistance falters. She’s still trembling, but her fight is fading, her breathing becoming deeper and more controlled. My hands slide down her arms, guiding her back to reality. Herforehead rests on my chest, and the rapid jackhammering of her pulse against my hand slows.

She lifts her gaze to mine, her eyes vulnerable in a way I’ve never seen before. Water streams down her face, mingling with the remnants of blood and soap, and for a moment all I see is raw, unfiltered emotion—a chink in her usually impenetrable walls.

Something inside me shifts.

Breaks.

Before I know it, I’m reaching for her, my thumb brushing away a water droplet on her cheek as I cup her face.

“What are you doing,” she whispers hoarsely.

“This.”

My mouth slams to hers, my lips capturing hers in a fierce and brutal kiss, like a hurricane making landfall.

An unstoppable force hitting an immovable object.

And when I kiss her—for the first time, I realize, despite everything else that’s occurred between us—the ground crumbles beneath my feet.

The world stops turning.

Her fingers clutch at my soaked shirt, kissing me back, a soft, desperate whimper on her lips.

It’s a release. A catharsis.

Something I never, ever expected.

And now?

There’s no going back.

15

HANA

The water beatsdown around us, hot and heavy, but all I feel, taste and know is him.

Damian’s kiss is rough, claiming, shattering every thought and fear, pulling me deeper, stripping away all my control until I’m left with only the burn of his mouth on mine.

He presses me harder against the cool tile of the shower wall, his hands roaming over me, pulling me closer. He breaks the kiss only to tilt his head, a dark gleam in his eye that’s both thrilling and a warning before his mouth drops to my neck savagely. I cry out, my heartbeat stuttering as his teeth pierce the skin, soothing the tenderness he’s created a moment later with his lips and tongue.

He lifts me, holding me in his unyielding grip, and I cling to him, my legs wrapped around his waist, weightless, floating, as he steps out of the shower and into the bedroom. The world around us blurs, shrinking to the heat between us, to our raw, reckless need.

He sets me down in the middle of the room and slowly begins to circle me, his jaw tight, his eyes fierce. Even when he walks behind me, I can feel his unrelenting gaze sear through me, igniting something dark and hidden.

Damian reaches for the thin neck strap of my dress at the back and tugs sharply, making me gasp as he rips it. The gown slips down my body, the fabric pooling at my feet as he continues his slow, predatory walk until he’s in front of me again.

Watching me. Devouring my nakedness with his gaze.

He turns his head, nodding to the padded bench at the foot of the bed.

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