Page 16 of Beauty and the Daddy
The pulse in her throat hammers visible even from feet away. Her fingers clutch the sheets like they're the only things keeping her grounded.
But she doesn't tell me to leave.
I sit on the edge of her bed, the mattress dipping under my weight.
She doesn't scramble away. If anything, she leans imperceptibly closer, like gravity has shifted.
"Tell me what you were thinking about." My voice comes out rougher than intended. "When you had your fingers inside yourself. When you said my name."
She lifts her chin—defiant even now, even caught. "Why? Need material for your ego?"
Fuck, she has fight in her. My good girl has claws.
How'd my day get so lucky? From the moment I laid eyes on her in that too-tight sundress clinging to her ass, I knew I wanted her.
I reach out slowly, telegraphing the movement. Giving her time to pull away.
She holds still.
My thumb finds her jaw first, testing. Her skin is silk and fever, soft enough that I have to consciously gentle my touch.
I can span her throat with one hand. Could leave marks that would last days.
The thought makes my cock throb.
"Look at me."
Her eyes snap to mine, green as broken bottles, just as sharp.
But her pupils are blown wide, lips parted, breath coming in little pants that make her breasts rise and fall.
"You were thinking about me," I say. Not a question. "About what I'd do to you. How I'd make you feel."
She swallows, the movement delicate under my fingers. "Yes."
One word. One admission. It hits me like a bullet.
My control is razor-thin. I've been hard since I first laid eyes on her in my office, and catching her like this is testing every ounce of restraint I have.
I tilt my head, studying her. "I'm going to give you one chance to tell me to leave."
She swallows hard, then whispers, "Luca."
So, not a no.
I've spent years stacking bricks around my heart with mortar made of grief and rage.
After Elena's death, I don't let women close.
It's a fucking minefield for them, and for me.
But Belle Donovan? She's a wrecking ball wrapped in silk, cracking through every wall I swear no one would ever breach.
She leans in, nervous as hell but bold enough to tempt the beast.
And that's it.
My restraint snaps like a cheap lock.
