Page 183 of The Rules
His hand slips higher, fingers skimming the edge of her underwear, teasing where she’s hot and aching and already soaking for him. She gasps, body bowing toward his hand, seeking friction, relief,him.
But just when she thinks he’ll give her what she needs—
He stops.
His touch vanishes. His body pulls back.
She lets out a choked sound—devastated, dazed. Her hands fall away, suddenly weightless without him to hold onto.
Kath blinks up at him, lips swollen, pupils blown wide.
Her chest heaves with each ragged breath. She’s wrecked. Shaking. Hungry.
And all he does is look.
Look at the mess he’s made.
At her hair tangled from his hands. At the unmistakable proof of want between her thighs.
Then—his smirk returns.
Cruel. Wicked.Satisfied.
“At least you’re following some rules,” he murmurs, voice low and lethal, laced with heat and smugness.
He steps back.
But the distance doesn't ease the tension. If anything—ittightens it.
The air between them feels charged, electric with possibility. With promise. With threat.
He watches her—the rapid rise and fall of her chest, the flush spreading across her skin, the way her fingers curl against the shelf behind her for support.
His control is ironclad. Not loud. Not cruel. Just... absolute.
He doesn't need to raise his voice. Doesn't need to make a show of power. His presence alone is enough—the steady rhythm of his breathing, the unwavering focus of his gaze, the deliberate stillness of his body.
She's still panting.
Benjamin tilts his head slightly. Like he's studying her.
Like he's about to pass sentence. His eyes trace the curve of her neck, the hollow of her throat, the way her blouse has shifted to reveal more skin than she intended.
"New rule, Katherine," he says, voice quiet, lethal.
She blinks. Trying to pull herself together. Trying to find her footing in this new reality where he's kissed her senseless and then stepped away like it was nothing.
"What?" she manages, the word breathless, betraying how affected she still is.
Ben's lips curve into something not quite a smile. Something darker. More dangerous.
"As long as you're staying at my place..." he pauses, letting the words hang between them, "you don't touch yourself. Without my permission."
She freezes. Breath caught.
The air between them shifts. From fire topressure.Dense. Intimate.Unforgiving.
Benjamin watches the realization dawn on her face—the understanding of exactly what he's demanding. What he's taking from her. Not just her space, not just her independence, but her most private moments. Her pleasure. Her release.
