Page 44 of Hate Mates

THREE

Dominic

The moment our mouths collide, the world narrows to the taste of her. An intoxicating cocktail of sweetness and sharpness.Just like her words. I know she’s poison, but I’m the fool drinking her down anyway.

I’m so consumed by the fact that she’s devouring me that, for a moment, I forget the game we’re playing. Right now, the heat of her mouth, the way she’s pressed against me, the fact that she hasn’t put a stop to my claiming of her, it all fuels me. Her fury calls to something primal inside of me.

Using the hand I have still tangled in her soft tresses, I angle her head to give myself better access to her mouth. She tenses momentarily, her hands coming up to rest on my chest, her fingers curling into the fabric of my shirt like she’s torn between shoving me away and clawing me apart.

Breaking the kiss, I trail my lips along her jaw before pulling back to study her features. There’s contempt burning in the glare that she levels at me. My thumb smooths over the column of her throat. Her pulse races beneath my touch, a fact that sends a jolt of satisfaction through me and straight to my dick. Dipping my head, I lick and nip my way down her neck until I reach her collarbone. Her moans and soft whimpers send a jolt of lust straight to my cock. It’s painfully hard in the confines of my suit pants. My teeth graze the skin, needing to mark her as mine even if that’s not really the case.

“Dominic,” she breathes, her voice strained and teetering somewhere between a warning and a plea.

I don’t give her time to think. Instead, I crash my mouth down on hers again as I back her against the vanity. It’s messy, our teeth clashing as our tongues fight to take control. I run my hand up her thigh and under her skirt. Her bare skin is soft, smooth, and maddening all at the same time.

When my fingers graze the lace covering her core, her legs tremble in a silent plea that I know she’ll never voice. Running my finger over her underwear, I follow the path of her slit before returning to her clit and applying a light pressure.

Caterina gasps, throwing her head back as a rosy blush spreads across her cheeks. Like this, I see her differently—unguarded, raw, beautiful even. But the thought curdles in my mind because she’s not supposed to look like this. Not for me, anyway.I’m the villain in her story.

Refocusing my thoughts, I take advantage of her arched back and kneed the full mound of her breast. Her wetness seeps through the thin lace of her underwear as she rocks her hips against my hand. “Look at you,” I mock, my breath ghosting across her neck. “Tell me, Caterina, how does it feel to want someone you despise? All of that hate and rage you carry around and yet you’re dripping wet forme.”

A whimper slips from her lips. It echoes around the bathroom, bouncing off of the walls and coating us in its incrimination. Lost in the moment, she widens her stance, digging her nails into my shoulders. It’s like she’s trying to hold on to her anger, even as her body betrays her.

Spurred on by my need to push her further, I slip beneath the fabric of her underwear, groaning at the slick heat I find. Caterina’s head falls forward, resting on my chest as I explore her pussy.

When she lifts her head, her doe-eyes seek me out. Swimming in the depths, I see her arousal and something that looks so familiar I could be staring at my own reflection—self-hate.

Her walls clench around me, her breaths coming in ragged gasps as I slide a finger into her tight pussy. Grinding into my palm and seeking more friction, Caterina’s eyes flutter closed. Adding another finger, I curl them and she gasps. My thumb continues its assault on her clit as I work the fingers inside of her.

If I wasn’t proving a point, I’d revel in the magnificence of her as her body trembles, teetering on the edge of her release. She cries out, her hips bucking against my hand as I increase the pressure, circling her clit, moving faster inside of her. When I feel her start to tighten around me, I withdraw my hand, denying her what she most wants. And ignoring my own all-consuming need to claim her, to bury my cock so deep inside of her that we don’t know where she ends and I begin. This might have started out as a punishment for her, but now it feels like I’m the one paying the price.

Caterina’s eyes fly open, blazing with an unleashed and wild wrath. She bares her teeth, her chest heaving. “Fuck you, Dominic,” she hisses, shoving me back, the evidence of her arousal drowning in her anger. The imprint of her palm burns through my shirt. “You think that what just happened means anything? That you’ve won whatever game you think we’re playing?”

Slowly, I bring my fingers to my mouth, making a show of licking them clean. The taste of her explodes on mytongue—tangy and sweet, addictive in a way I never expected. “Delicious,” I murmur, letting the word hang in the air like a taunt. Caterina’s jaw tightens, her body vibrating and I’m not sure if it’s from rage or frustration. I straighten my cuffs. “I think you’ve proven my point perfectly.”

She doesn’t have a chance to respond before the bathroom door swings open and Salvatore fills the space. “Sorry, I—” As he takes in the scene before him, his expression morphs from confusion to rage. He steps into the room, blinking as he looks between myself and Caterina. “What the hell is going on?” he bellows.

Caterina scrambles to straighten her dress, her eyes filling with humiliation and hatred directed solely at me.

Good.

I smirk at the chaos I’ve created. “I was simply making sure your wife-to-be was suitable,brother.”

“You bastard!” Salvatore roars, grabbing hold of my shirt. His fist connects with my jaw before I can react, the metallic taste of blood filling my mouth. He pulls me close as he spits, “I should have known you would do something like this, Dominic. You’re a disappointment to this family and you don’t deserve the Marchetti name.”

Movement in the doorway pulls our focus. “What’s happened?” Emilio, Caterina’s father, asks.

Salvatore stiffens before forcing his shoulders to relax as he releases me. He turns away, straightening his spine. “The wedding is off. There will be no merging of our families, Emilio.”

“What?” Confusion fills Emilio’s voice and his eyes dart around the room. “I don’t understand. Caterina, what have you done?” he demands.

“What haveIdone?” Her voice cracks, a mix of fury and something else I can’t quite pinpoint. “Ask him.” She pointstoward me, before dropping her hand to her side. “He’s amonster, intent on ruining anyone in his path.”

“I can already tell you, this is all on my brother,” Salvatore adds, his contempt clear.

Salvatore storms out of the room, closely followed by Emilio. Caterina brushes past me, her eyes finding mine one last time. The hatred and humiliation are there, but beneath it, something darker lurks, something that she’ll never admit. And for the first time, I wonder if I’ve underestimated her.

FOUR

---