Page 65 of Vow to Hate You

My pulse thrashed as he led me toward the back of the restaurant until we halted at a door markedPrivate. He pushed the door open, pulling me inside before closing it, flicking the lock before releasing my hand. I scanned the large room, seeing the massive rectangle table in the middle with at least twenty cushioned chairs around it. There was a small table on the back wall with bottles of all kinds of alcohol. Two leather couches were on the side wall with a small glass table in front of them.

Damian stepped in front of me, his arm snaking behind me before he fisted my hair, forcing my face up. The wicked gleam in his hazel eyes shot a thrill through me, and I grinned deviously, determined to show him that he couldn’t shake me.

“Are we going to order dinner?” I asked sweetly.

His lips tipped up as he pulled me toward the table, his grip on my hair controlling my movements. A cry escaped my lips as he forced me down, bending me over the smooth table.

“We’re not eating dinner. I’m going to spend the night proving how well I can satisfy you.” His free hand landed on my bare back near the strap of my dress. The soft touch of his fingertips caused a delicious heat to build in my stomach, andI squirmed in his hold. “As your husband, it’s my job to knoweverything.”

Flashbacks of how he had me spread like this on his dining room table the night I’d first found his romance book collection went through my head. I bit my lip, my breaths coming out faster as his fingers trailed over my dress until they were teasing my lower back.

“I need to know what makes you scream,” he continued, his hand grasping my hip. “Your sweet spots that will have you trembling in my hold. What I have to do to make my name fall from your lips as you’re begging. You think I can’t fulfill your needs, Talie? Let me prove how fucking wrong you are.”

A flurry of emotions washed over me. His words had my stomach pulsing with desire. But my heart was thudding uncontrollably. It was clear he’d overheard the conversation, and there was no doubt he was pissed.

“You remember the safe word?” His question made my breath hitch. “Say it.”

“And if I don’t?” I snarked, my voice coming out higher than normal.

“Then I’ll keep you right here,” he answered roughly. “Bent over in this short dress. I could stare at this beautiful ass all night.”

I wiggled in his tight hold, which only resulted in him pushing against my ass to keep me in place. He kept my wrists in place with one hand while his other left my hip to graze his fingertips over my ribs, the thin fabric of my dress doing nothing to stop his touch from making heat flush through me. I pressed my lips together even though it was a losing battle. He might be an asshole, but there was no denying he got under my skin in all the right ways. It still didn’t mean I would give in to what he wanted.

“Stare all you want,” I forced out, refusing to bend to him. “You think you can stalk me, and then I’ll fall at your feet begging for sex? Fuck off, Damian.”

“Stalk you?”

A cry escaped me as he pulled me off the table. I wrapped my legs instinctively around his waist when he lifted me, carrying me across the room. My spine hit the wall, my heels clicking on the wooden floor when he released me. His palms landed on either side of my head, making sure I stayed where I was.

“I know every store you went to today,” he admitted, his eyes meeting mine. “I get notified every time you use the card I gave you.”

I scowled. “I didn’t use my card at this restaurant, or even near this hotel.”

“True,” he mused, not sounding apologetic at all. “But I was in the city and wanted to surprise you. I caught you and Charlotte leaving the last store, so I waited to see where you two were heading next.”

“Surprise me?” I repeated in disbelief. “You followed me without my knowledge. Stop acting like a jealous husband when you have no damn right.”

“I have every right,” he growled, his eyes gleaming in warning. “I’ve told you again and again. You want sex, then you come to me.”

Oh, he was furious. His usual self-control was absent as he leaned closer, pressing me against the wall. His chest was heaving, and then his hand landed on my bare thigh, right beneath the hem of my dress.

I smirked. “Didn’t you hear me earlier? I need someone who can fulfill my needs—and that’snotyou.”

He remained silent even as his eyes lit up with challenge. His fingers squeezed my thigh before they slowly inched upward. My eyes widened slightly, but I didn’t voice a protest when hepushed the fabric until his hand was nearly brushing my pussy over my thong.

“Tell me to stop,” he dared me in a low voice.

“I know the safe word,” I sneered, purposefully getting under his skin. “I know I won’t need it—because you’ll leave me unsatisfied, just like thismarriagehas.”

His eyes flashed dangerously when I emphasized the safe word, along with a dig about our fucked-up relationship.

“Maybe if you didn’t run away five years ago, you’d have a different opinion.”

“Maybe ifyou’dstood up to your father like you promised, I wouldn’t have left,” I shot back. “If I leave again, I’m not coming back?—”

The next thing to leave my lips was a gasp when he pushed my thong to the side, his fingers landing on my clit. His shoe nudged my heel, spreading my legs wider, his eyes staying locked on mine. He rubbed slowly, each soft stroke making my body plead for more.

“I’m convinced,” he murmured, his voice downright sinful, “that you love getting under my skin. Do you like my handprint on your ass that much?”

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