“Bullshit,” he barks. “You ran off before I could say a damn thing.”
I suck in a breath, trying to remain composed. “Just let this go. No good will come of rehashing it over and over.”
“Is that so?”
Like a hunter sensing weakness, he prowls even closer. Close enough to touch. Close enough to see the rapid rise and fall of his chest. Close to feel the warmth of his breath on my face as he looms over me, his tall frame filling my whole visual field.
Close enough to drive me crazy.
I should step back.
Turn away.
Walk inside.
But he’s looking down at me like he’s drowning and I’m the air he needs to breathe. And I’m looking up at him like… like…
Like he’s every star in the night sky, guiding me through the dark.
I told myself the next time I saw him, I wouldn’t fall back into this trap. I told myself I’d be stronger than this.
Move, Emilia.
Start walking.
But I don’t. I’m frozen, stock-still. My tongue darts out to wet my chafed lips, a nervous habit. His gaze tracks the motion, an expert predator stalking his prey with laser sharp focus.
“Go ahead, Emilia,” Carter whispers, leaning down until his lips are mere inches from mine. “Tell me again that you don’t want me. Tell me again that I should stop fighting for this.”
I don’t.
I can’t.
My hands curl into fists by my sides to keep them from winding behind his neck, sliding into his hair, crushing his mouth onto mine. I hate that he hasn’t even touched me, but I can feel him in every fiber of my body. I hate that every atom of my soul is singing out for him. And I hate that despite everything that happened, despite all the harsh words we traded on top of that turret… I keep wishing he’d throw all caution to the wind and close that final sliver of space between our faces in a heart-stopping kiss.
“Emilia…”
He leans in, just the tiniest shift, and for a split second I actually think I’m going to get my wish. But his mouth doesn’t claim mine; it curls into a cruel smirk instead. When he speaks, his whisper is almost violent, splitting the dark like a lightning strike.
“For the rest of your life, whether its next week or next month or next year, when you’re out on a date with a proper gentleman like Alden who flatters you with perfect, pretty lines and kisses you with all the passion of a yawn… I want you to remember what you felt right here, in this moment, without me even touching you. All that passion and need storming inside, begging for a release… All that desire, pleading for an outlet… For my hands in your hair and my teeth on your neck and my cock buried so deep inside you, that line between pleasure and pain turns hazy…”
Sweet. Christ.
My thighs clench together as a bolt of lust moves through me. I can barely see straight. All my carefully drawn boundaries go up in smoke as a primal, undeniable need hijacks my senses.
Take me.
I’m yours for the taking.
I’m just…
Yours.
I want him to be brutal, to claim me with a violent lust that will sate the ache deep in my veins. But when he finally closes that last sliver of space, his mouth brushes mine ever so lightly — the mere ghost of a kiss.
It’s not enough. Not nearly.
Before I can blink, he’s pulling back again. My moan of displeasure is quickly swallowed up by his low growl.