Evaline:
I sucked in a sharp breath, my face instantly heating at his words.
The way he looked at me... like I was something forbidden he wanted to ruin... set my entire body on fire. I swung my hand up to lightly punch his chest, hoping to diffuse the tension, but he caught me faster than I anticipated. His fingers wrapped around my wrist, and with one smooth motion, he twisted my arm behind my back.
I gasped as it brought me flush against him, our bodies completely aligned. Chest to chest. Heat to heat.
I could feel everything.
"You are impossible," I muttered, trying to glare up at him even as my voice trembled.
"Is there any lie in what I said?" he asked, his voice low and silk-wrapped danger. His eyes searched mine, challenging me.
There wasn’t. That was the problem.
My lips parted, but no answer came out. My heartbeat was a frenzied mess in my chest, thudding loud enough that I was sure he could hear it. He didn’t move. Didn’t blink. Just waited, like he knew I had two choices - melt in embarrassment or play the damn game he had started.
And for once, I didn’t want to retreat.
I tilted my chin up. Boldness flickered through my veins as I inched closer, makinh the tip of my nose graze his jaw. My lips were barely a breath away from his skin, and his intoxicating scent filled my lungs.
"Is there anything wrong in wanting my mate?" I whispered against his skin, my voice steadier than I expected.
Thst made his grip falter... just for a second.
My lips curled into a sly smile as I leaned even closer, my cheek brushing his. "Because you are no different... are you?"
Before he could answer, I did something that stunned even me.
I moved my free hand between us and pressed my palm against the thick, hard ridge of his arousal.
He hissed in a breath, his jaw tightening as if he was holding onto the last shreds of control. "Eva..."
But I wasn’t stopping.
Not now.
He suddenly caught both my wrists in one of his hands and slammed them above my head, pinning me against the nearest wall. The cool surface was a shocking contrast to the inferno rising between us.
His body pressed into mine, the hard length of him unmistakable now as it nudged insistently against my lower belly. "You are being very naughty," he rasped, his breath fanning over my cheek. "You shouldn’t test me."
His voice was rough, strained. I knew he was trying to be the one in control, but he didn’t realize I had him exactly where I wanted him.
"Maybe I want to test you," I murmured.
I tipped my head forward and kissed the hollow of his throat, right where his Adam’s apple bobbed with a hard swallow. He stiffened. His hand tightened around my wrists but he didn’t pull away.
Feeling bold, I kissed down his neck. His scent, his heat, his taste - it was addictive. I tugged at the neckline of his sweater with my teeth, then used my fingers to pull it down enough to expose his collarbone.
I trailed soft, slow kisses over the exposed skin, then opened my mouth and bit him lightly.
He groaned.
I felt the tremble that went through him. He let me do it. Let me tease. Let me play with fire.
But then came the warning... again.
"If you keep going," he growled, his forehead resting against mine, "you better be ready for the consequences."
I looked up into his eyes. Those intense, beautiful emerald orbs. And I didn’t flinch. Didn’t blink. Instead, I rose on my toes and kissed him.
It started soft.
Our lips met like a sigh, like a question.
But the moment he responded, when his lips moved against mine and his hand slid down from my wrists to cup the back of my neck, it turned into something else entirely.
I wasn’t just playing anymore.
I needed him.
This wasn’t just desire, it was hunger. Starvation. And he matched it with every inch of his soul.
He groaned into my mouth as his hands finally released mine completely, one cupping my cheek, the other roaming down my waist, gripping my hip like he needed something to anchor him.
I barely had a second to register the change before he gripped my thighs and lifted me off the ground.
My legs wrapped around his waist automatically, my arms around his shoulders as he carried me deeper into the room.
His mouth devoured mine, his kisses growing deeper, wilder. His tongue traced the seam of my lips, demanding entry. And I gave it to him without hesitation.
Our mouths moved like they had done this a thousand times - perfect rhythm, perfect heat, no hesitation.
He backed me against another wall, one hand gripping my thigh, the other pressed to the back of my neck as he kissed me like he had been waiting years for it.
I moaned into his mouth, grinding against him instinctively. The friction made him curse, a guttural sound that vibrated through my entire body.
He broke the kiss only to trail hot, open-mouthed kisses down my jaw, my throat, the place behind my ear that made my toes curl. I arched against him, needing more.
His lips returned to mine, claiming me all over again, fiercer than before. My fingers tangled in his hair, tugging, pulling, needing him closer... like we weren’t already one body pressed so tightly together.
"You are driving me insane," he muttered against my mouth.
"Good," I panted, nipping at his lower lip.
He groaned and pressed me harder into the wall, rocking his hips against mine in slow, deliberate movements. My head fell back as a sharp wave of pleasure surged through me.
The fabric of our clothes felt like a cruel barrier. I could feel every inch of him through them - hot, hard, desperate - but I wanted skin.
I slipped my hand beneath his sweater, feeling the heat of his stomach, the taut muscle under my fingers. He sucked in a sharp breath as I trailed my nails lightly up his torso.
His mouth returned to mine in a hungry kiss that left no room for hesitation.
No more teasing.
No more games.
He wanted me. I wanted him.
And tonight, we stopped pretending otherwise.
But then, he suddenly ended the kiss and put me down.
The warmth of his body vanished so fast it made my skin feel cold. I blinked, stunned, as he lowered me on the floor and stepped back just far enough to create a space between us, enough to feel the ache of separation.
My heart was racing, my breath uneven, and my lips tingled from the intensity of his kiss. I stared at him through the fog of desire still clouding my brain, searching his face for an explanation.
That’s when he said it.
"Strip."