“That’s not true!”
“It is. I’ve seen it happen, over and over, again and again. You may let them have your body, but you never let them in your head. Under your skin.” He took a stride closer and, before I could stop him, pressed his big hand flat against the left side of my chest. Directly over my heart. “You never let them in here.”
I froze.
Too scared to move.
Too scared to breathe.
Too scared to speak.
“You push them away, keep them at a careful distance, until they have no choice but to walk out.”
I flinched back, and he dropped his hand. “So, I suppose it’smyfault I’ve been cheated on? It’s my fault I’ve been ghosted? It’s my fault I’ve been screwed over and dicked around?”
“Don’t put fucking words in my mouth,” Graham growled, eyes flashing. “I’m glad you never let those assholes in. They didn’t deserve you. But even if they had, I doubt it would’ve changed a goddamn thing. Not when you’re determined to be alone.”
“News flash: I’ve been alone my whole damn life!” I half-bellowed, my self-control finally cracking. “I’m perfectly fine all alone!”
“You love that word, don’t you?Fine. No matter whether you’ve been kidnapped or injured or hurt or scared, you’re always justfine,” he bellowed back. “Christ, Gwen! Don’t you understand? You deserve so much more thanfine! You deserve—”
He broke off abruptly, locking down his jaw to contain the rest of his words. His eyes were burning into mine, a stare so intense I could feel it in the marrow of my bones.
“This,” I hissed, furious, “Is none of your business.”
He leaned forward, equally furious. “I’mmakingit my business.”
My mouth fell open in shock at his audacity. This was a fatal mistake — primarily because it meant my lips were already parted when he closed the final bit of distance between us, grabbed me by the shoulders, and slammed his mouth down on mine in an angry, breath-snatching kiss.
Holy.
Hell.
The first time he’d kissed me, back at his loft, it was strictly to shut me up. To stop me from spiraling. This kiss was different. It wasn’t calculated. It wasn’t planned. It was hard, fast, furious. Not like he wanted to do it; like he had no choice in the matter. Like his desire got the better of him, snapping his iron-clad control until he couldn’t help himself.
I tasted simmering anger on his tongue as it tangled with mine, felt his ill-concealed frustration in every satin-steel brush of his lips as his head slanted sideways to deepen the kiss. His fingertips tightened on my upper arms, dragging me up against his body. His hold was so tight, it nearly hurt. But in that moment, I was beyond processing pain. I was beyond processing anything except his mouth on mine as passion spiked to a fever pitch, a reaction as uncontrollable as it was unexpected.
I wish I could say I held onto my convictions. That I resisted temptation, stood strong in the face of unparalleled passion. But…
Goddess help me, I kissed him back.
I arched up onto the balls of my feet, pressing more firmly against his strong frame, giving him better access to my mouth. My tongue stroked against his, eliciting a low growl of pleasure from deep in his throat, and I felt a shiver of pure pleasure move down my spine. If I’d been capable of rational thought, I would’ve been screaming at myself for letting this happen with him.
Alas…
My brain was a blank of static, hijacked by several other, decidedly more primal organs in my body.
My hands hit his chest then slid around to his back, and he loosed another low sound of desire in response to my touch. I swallowed down a moan of my own as his teeth grazed my bottom lip, then sucked it into his mouth.
Hellfire, that felt good.
I can’t say how long it lasted. Less than a minute, maybe. But what a minute it was. There was nothing gentle about the way we explored one another. Nothing sweet or tender. This was a full-frontal attack. An assault of the senses, a battle for dominance. I wasn’t sure how, or if, a winner would ever be declared in such a battle — frankly, I was feeling like a winner regardless, seeing as it was the hottest kiss I’d ever experienced in my life.
At least… until Graham finally broke away to gasp for much-needed breath. Between ragged inhales, he muttered something against my lips. Something that made my blood run cold, evaporating any passion I’d felt in a single heartbeat.
“That was a fuck of a lot better thanfineand you know it.”
My body locked. Sanity came crashing back in an instant. What the hell was I thinking, kissing him? Was I a total idiot? I’d played right into his hands! This was all a game to him. His way of proving a point. His way of besting me.