Page 22 of His to Command

"The moment I saw you in that meeting, something... changed." I struggle to articulate what I've never had to put into words before. "Like recognition. Like finding something I didn't know was lost."

"That's just attraction," she argues softly. "Chemistry."

"No." The word comes out sharper than intended. I moderate my tone. "I know attraction. This is different. This is..." I search for the word, find only inadequate approximations. "Necessary."

Her lips part slightly, eyes widening at the raw honesty in my voice.

"You hide," I continue, reaching to touch her face. "Behind shapeless clothes and tight buns and professional distance. You make yourself small, invisible. And yet I saw you immediately. Only you."

"Why?" The question is barely audible.

"Because you're extraordinary." My thumb traces her lower lip. "Because you challenge me. Because you see me—not the CEO, not the billionaire. Me."

Her eyes search mine, looking for deception, for manipulation. She won't find any. For perhaps the first time in my adult life, I'm being completely honest.

"Hudson, this is?—"

"Let me finish." I cup her face between my palms. "I want you to understand what's happening here. What I'm offering."

She nods within my grasp, pulse visibly racing in her throat.

"I will tear down the world if it means keeping you." The vow emerges from some primal place I didn't know existedwithin me. "My company, my reputation, my empire—none of it matters compared to having you."

Tears gather in her eyes, but don't fall. "That's insane."

"Yes." I lean closer, our foreheads nearly touching. "Completely insane. Unprecedented. Terrifying."

"You don't even know me." It's her last defense, weak and crumbling.

"Then let me." I release her face, hands moving to the hem of her t-shirt. "Show me all of you, Robin. Not just your body. Everything you hide."

A shiver runs through her. Fear? Anticipation? Both? It doesn't matter. She raises her arms, letting me pull the shirt over her head.

The sight of her bare breasts in the morning light steals my breath. Full, lush, perfect—everything about her body is an ode to femininity, to softness. I've been with models, actresses, women society deems flawless. None of them affect me like the sight of Robin's generous curves.

"Beautiful," I murmur, hands hovering but not touching yet. "So fucking beautiful."

She crosses her arms instinctively, trying to hide. I gently pull them away.

"No more hiding." I guide her to lie back against her pillows. "Not from me."

Her breathing quickens as I look my fill, memorizing every dip and curve, every freckle, every place where her skin flushes under my gaze. I strip away her panties, removing the last barrier between us.

"Hudson," she whispers, uncertainty in her voice.

"Shhh." I press a kiss to her sternum, feeling her heart race beneath my lips. "Let me worship you."

I take my time, using mouth and hands to map every inch of her body. I trace the curve of her hip with reverent fingers,kiss the soft swell of her belly, nuzzle the underside of her breast. Places she's been taught to be ashamed of, I adore with deliberate attention.

"You're perfect," I tell her between kisses. "Every inch of you. Made for my hands. My mouth. My cock."

She moans as I take one nipple between my lips, suckling gently then with increasing pressure as she arches into my touch. My hand slides down her stomach, finding the wet heat between her thighs. She's already slick, ready for me.

"Look at you," I murmur against her skin. "So responsive. So eager."

"Please," she gasps as my fingers circle her clit, building a rhythm that has her hips lifting off the mattress.

"Please what?" I nip at her throat, leaving a mark that will show tomorrow. Let everyone see she's claimed. "Tell me what you need, Robin."

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