Page 67 of Vengeance & Sin

My hand that held her chin now rests on her throat, and though I’m not putting any force on it, it's enough to keep her there for now. Her legs hang off the bed from the knee down, but the rest of her is laid out beautifully for me. I take a moment to run my eyes across every bit of her that's on display before I shift my focus back to her face.

Her cheeks are flushed the most beautiful color. Her breathing comes out in harsh little pants that have me flexing my fingers to be sure she has room to breathe properly.

She does.

Which means that her labored breathing has everything to do with her reaction to this particular moment, and nothing to do with lack of oxygen.

I lean over her easily. With our height difference, I can keep my hand on her throat even with a considerable gap between our bodies. I take one step forward until my knees hit the bed in the space between her legs, forcing them to open around me.

I have to fight to keep my eyes on hers. I love her eyes and the emotions that are on display there, but it's a damn hard thing to do when I know that kicking her legs open has put even more of her on display for me. There's no way I can look away and not devour her. But as badly as I want that and as caught up in her as I am right now, I still need her to tell me this is what she wants.

My other hand is braced on the bed in the space just above her shoulder. I keep my weight there so as not to crush her throat before ever so slowly lowering myself down over her.

I’m careful not to let our bodies touch anywhere but where my hand rests on her throat. I feel her swallow hard while she watches me watch her. I lower my mouth to her ear before nipping at her lope just because I can’t help it. Her reaction is instantaneous, and she has a smirk pulling to my lips, knowing she can’t see it.

Her back arches off the bed at the contact, pushing those fucking delicious tits up into my chest and her core exactly where I want her. I have to bite down hard to keep from groaning aloud. I can feel her heat against me, andJesus-fucking-Christ,this girl is going to kill me.

If I die with her like this, it might be worth it.

“Tell me what you want, Doll. Tell me to walk away, and I will.” My voice is wrecked. The moment I opened my mouth, I knew she would be able to hear the effect she’s having on me, but I want her to know. I want her to have all the say and power in this.

I pull back just enough so our eyes can meet again, hoping she can see just how serious I am.

Her hand comes off the bed and is on the back of my head wrapped up in my hair in an instant before she’s pulling me down to her.

“Don’t you fucking dare.” She says in a husky whisper. She lifts her head, pushing against my hand still around her throat so that our lips meet roughly.

She lets out a moan that I’m happy to swallow as our lips come together in a fight for dominance. I’m unsure if it’s from finally having contact or the pressure of my hand on her throat; hopefully, it’s a bit of both.

I flex my fingers around her throat, just enough to apply pressure but not enough to mess with her breathing, and she moans again. Her body arches even higher until we're entirely pressed against one another.

I pull back from her, and we both pant for air. I’m not sure if we kissed for a moment or a lifetime, but it somehow isn’t enough. Her lips are red and swollen from the bruising force she used when we came together. I want to see what they would look like after hours of kissing her like that, of biting her and making her mine. But she still hasn’t answered my question.

“Tell me what you want, Doll. I won’t be guessing or assuming, so you better use your words before I decide to get on with our other plans for the night.” My voice is steadier than before, even though I’m moments from breaking. She doesn’t need to know that. She doesn’t need me influencing her decision.

She remains quiet as she watches me as if she’s calculating.

Clearly, she needs some help getting her words out.

I push myself higher, so there is a definite space between us before I loosen my grip on her throat, ready to push myself back up completely.

She whines at the loss of contact, and I grind my teeth hard but continue moving away.

I remove my hand from her throat, bracing it above her other shoulder, giving her just a moment more to stop me.

Still, she does nothing. Her eyes almost have me saying to hell with it; I can see that she wants this. I can see that my moving away is as hard on her as it is for me, but I can’t.

I have to stick to this, no matter if it kills us both. I refuse to be just another guy who takes from her without permission, some asshole who is happy to use her for my selfish wants without considering hers.

“Please, Zander.” She finally says the words on an exhale, hardly more than a whisper. I would've missed them if I had been farther away from her.

I wait for her to continue, but she doesn’t. Her eyes beg me to accept that as she continues to look up at me. It’s not enough, though, and I know she sees that as she watches me. Her brows pull together, causing a wrinkle to appear on her forehead, and I want to soothe it.

“Please, what?” I ask her and the words pull a frown to her face.

Her reaction makes no sense, and I worry I’m pushing her too far before it clicks. I watch her chew at her lip again, and it’s like my nervous habit of fidgeting with my knives.

She doesn’t know how to ask for what she wants because she’s not used to controlling this part of her life. The same way, she doesn’t have basic life skills; she doesn’t understand that she’s allowed to want this or how to ask for it instead of just having it taken without so much as a tender moment or word of communication.

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