Page 25 of Advantage Love

Her hair was swept to one side, soft waves cascading over her shoulder, and her lips painted a deep, dangerous red, curved into the faintest of smiles.

“Wow,” I said.

She arched a brow, her smile turning wry. “You clean up pretty well yourself.”

Her voice was light, but there was something guarded in her expression, a flicker of something she was trying to hide.

It was my fault. I knew that. And I was going to make it right.

The car ride to the fundraiser was tense. Avery was distant, her gaze fixed on the window, her hands clasped in her lap. By the time we arrived, my frustration had reached a boiling point, but the cameras were waiting, and I couldn’t afford to let them see anything but the perfect image we’d created.

So, I played my part.

I opened her door, offered her my hand, and held her close as we walked into the venue. The cameras flashed and congratulated her on her win today as she stopped and we posed together. I gathered her in tighter to me. She didn’t pull away, but she didn’t lean into me either, her body stiff and unyielding.

It drove me insane.

As the night wore on, I found every excuse to touch her.

At first, she stiffened, her body language screaming resistance. But as the night went on, she started to relax, or maybe she just gave up fighting it.

Either way, I wasn’t stopping.

By the time we reached the dinner portion of the evening, I could feel the tension between us building to a breaking point.

She sat beside me at the long, elaborately set table, but when I let my hand drift under the table to rest on her thigh.

“Luke,” she hissed, her voice low as she turned her head slightly toward me, keeping her smile in place for the people across from us.

“Yes, Avery?” I murmured, leaning in just enough for my breath to brush her ear.

Her fingers curled into a fist on her lap, her nails digging into her palm. “Don’t. Touch. Me.”

I let my thumb brush against her bare skin in defiance. “Why not?”

Her head turned toward me, her green eyes flashing with warning. “Because we’re in public,” she whispered sharply. “Or is this all part of taming me?”

“Dominate you? Yes. Tame? Fuck no.” I countered.

Her lips parted, a retort clearly on the tip of her tongue, but I didn’t give her the chance.

Before she could speak, I leaned in, capturing her mouth in a kiss that was anything but subtle.

Her gasp was muffled against my lips, her hands flying up to grip my jacket in surprise. I didn’t pull back or soften the kiss. I kissed her the way I’d wanted to all night—with possession.

The world around us faded. I didn’t care who was watching, and I didn’t care what headlines might come from this. All I cared about was her and the taste of her lips, the way her body melted against mine despite her protests. I wanted her to know she meant something to me.

When I finally pulled back, her cheeks were flushed, her breathing uneven, and her green eyes wide with a mixture of anger and lust.

I cupped her jaw, forcing her to meet my gaze. “You told me not to touch you,” I said. “So I kissed you instead.”

Her lips pressed into a thin line, her expression torn between frustration and desire. “You can’t just do that.”

“I can,” I said simply, leaning closer until our foreheads almost touched. “And I will. Because I know you want it as much as I do.”

She opened her mouth to argue, but the words didn’t come. Instead, her fingers tightened in my jacket, her gaze flicking to my lips before snapping back to my eyes.

“That’s what I thought,” I murmured, my thumb brushing against her cheek before I pulled back slightly.

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