Page 20 of Vow to Hate You

“You were expected to come home in two months,” he responded. “Does sixty days make that much of a difference?”

I didn’t answer him, moving forward when the elevator doors opened. I didn’t know what I was going to do in two months when my father thought I was going to come home. Though I was sure he would have found me. The resources he and Christian had were huge. A runaway daughter was something my father wouldn’t tolerate. My mother had been the only reason he didn’t drag me back five years ago. My excuses wouldn’t work anymore.

No one else came into the elevator with us, and once the door closed, Damian turned to face me. I frowned when a gleam of mischief hit his eye.

“What?” I snapped.

He reached beside him, hitting the emergency stop, making the elevator jerk to an abrupt halt.

“What the hell are you doing?” I asked, licking my lips nervously.

“We need to talk,” he replied, striding forward until he had me trapped against the wall.

“Damian,” I hissed. “There are cameras, and security is going to wonder why the elevator stopped. Your father will be pissed if you cause a scene to make your family look bad.”

“You’ve been gone so long, you don’t even know who owns this hotel,” he said, cocking his head. “Rhyett’s family does, and he’s here this weekend. We have five minutes before the cameras turn back on.”

My heart thudded as I stared at him. I didn’t fear him. He might be an asshole and a liar, but he would never physically hurt me. Though, I had no idea what he had to talk about that was so important to stop the damn elevator.

“So, I got you a necklace?” he asked in a low voice.

I grinned wickedly, swallowing my nerves. “Yes. A large and expensive one.”

His arm flew up, catching my wrists in his hold. I gasped in surprise when he pulled them above my head, keeping them pinned with one hand while his other went to my throat. His grip tightened until I couldn’t take a full breath, and then he kicked my legs apart as much as my dress allowed before wedging his knee between my thighs, making the fabric ride up until I was nearly exposed.

He leaned closer until his lips nearly brushed mine. “I like my gifts to be more personal. Especially for my wife.” He squeezed my throat more until I was gasping for air, while at the same time his knee brushed my bare pussy. “This necklace is just for you, baby. And I’ll give it to you whenever you want.”

“Damian,” I choked out, unsure whether I was protesting or wanting him to keep going. Because fuck me, even if I could barely breathe, pleasure was tearing through my lower stomach when his knee continued to rub against me.

“This necklace comes with something else,” he murmured, pressing against my clit to make his intention clear. “But only if you ask nicely. Much better than diamonds, don’t you think?”

I glared at him the best I could as he continued to move his knee. This smug asshole. Getting naked in front of him might have backfired. He hadn’t been lying when he said he’d tease right back.

“Does it feel good?” he questioned, slightly loosening his grip on my throat. “Tell me to keep going.”

“It doesn’t feel good enough to ask you for anything,” I breathed out, my voice coming out shaky.

He grinned before leaning down to brush his lips against my throat. “Then I guess I’ll have to try harder next time.”

With those words, he released me, stepping back before hitting the emergency button again. The elevator startedmoving, and I hastily tugged my dress back down, ignoring how my pussy was throbbing to be touched again. Damian leaned against the opposite wall, not hiding the fact that his dick was straining against his slacks.

I messed with my hair, trying to act unbothered when the doors slid open and three people stepped inside. I glanced at the panel, seeing we still had ten more floors to go until we hit the ground level.

I needed to get myself in check before we got back to the apartment because if Damian kept doing shit like that, I was going to end up sleeping with him.

Which could never fucking happen. I had every intention of keeping this marriage strictly business. No matter how much he got under my skin in all the right ways.

CHAPTER 9

damian

“Here.”

I handed Talie her purse, and she snatched it away before opening it to pull out her phone. With a frustrated sigh, she climbed off the couch, heading to the island to plug it into the charger. We’d just gotten back from the lunch, and she was still wearing the black dress because she was too stubborn to put my clothes on again.

I crossed the room, and she stood straighter, watching me get closer. Stopping at the barstool, I slipped my hand into my jacket pocket to pull out my wallet. Talie didn’t move from the other side of the island, watching me intently as I pulled out a silver card.

“Before you get any ideas, it doesn’t work internationally,” I told her, raising an eyebrow. “Don’t make me regret this, Natalia.”

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