She thrashed and hit out at him as he removed her clothes, tossing them aside with little regard to where they landed. His focus was clearly on subduing her. Mia struck his nose, making him grunt with pain before he spun her in his arms, holding her back pressed against his front.
They were both breathing hard by the time he had her restrained. Mia stood still, muscles quivering with exhaustion as Shane held her tightly. She could barely breathe, but she wasn’t sure if it was from the punishing way he grasped her, the exertions of resisting him, or the tension of being so close to him and at his mercy.
She shivered with delight and dread as he loosened one arm to cup her chin, turning her face back to meet his. Mia didn’t fight the kiss. Her lips molded to his and he kissed her deeply. Vague awareness told her she was turning in his arms, but she couldn’t think straight as she snuggled against his chest, arms still pinned at her sides as his embrace encompassed her again.
When the kiss changed from soft to hard, she pressed closer, her tongue tangling with his as she fought for the upper hand. A jolt of pleasure shot through her when she bit him hard enough to make him grunt. He retaliated by grabbing her ponytail and yanking her head back. His teeth raked down her neck before he sucked forcefully at the bend of her shoulder.
Mia clawed his back as he pushed her forward, toward her bed. She wanted to hurt him and take him inside her at the same time. As much as he disgusted her, he also enthralled her. They were still struggling as he pushed her onto the bed, coming down atop her.
She cried out when he sank his cock inside her with one quick thrust. Her body easily adjusted to the intrusion, prepared for it by all the slickness she had generated. They didn’t exchange words as he pushed into her as hard as he could, pressing her body into the mattress. Mia pushed back, not entirely sure if she was trying to throw him off or get off faster.
Shane held her hands in his, pressed to either side of her head, while his lower body pounded into hers. He bent his head to kiss her, and she met him eagerly, hating herself for the weakness even as she gave in.
He moved his lips gently against hers, a sharp contrast to the fierce way their pelvises clashed, and Mia trembled. Tenderness could get past her defenses before she had a chance to reinforce them. Their mouths moved languorously against each other, tongues stroking sweetly, as they strained toward release.
He tightened his hold on her hands almost to the point of pain. Mia squeezed her thighs around him as he swelled inside her right before his erection spasmed. The sensation of him coming sent her rushing headlong into an orgasm, and she arched against him as he surged inside her as far as he could.
She turned her head into his neck, breathing harshly. Hating and enjoying the tender motion, Mia closed her eyes when he kissed her forehead before withdrawing from her. As he stood, she curled onto her side and fumbled for a blanket to cover her nudity. In the aftermath, recriminations set in again, and she was sickened by her actions.
“Don’t stay up all night hating yourself.” He gave her a cocky grin as he slipped on his clothes. “I know you’ll have to do your tortured victim routine in your head before sleeping, but you should give it a rest.” Coming over to her, he sat on the bed and took her hand, holding it firmly when she tried to pull away. “If it makes you feel better, you can tell yourself you have no choice.”
“I don’t.” She glared at him.
Shane winked at her. “Nope. You’re my prisoner, and I’ll do every kinky damn thing I want to you.” Bending down, he grazed his mouth across her jawline before he sat up again. “That’s not the worst of it, though.”
Mia tugged her hand free as he stood, refusing to respond.
“We both know the worst part for you is that you enjoy what I’m doing to you, even though you hate feeling pleasure from my touch.” All teasing had fled his expression and tone. “You want me as much as I want you, and you’re going to have to admit that to yourself soon.”
She tossed her pillow at him, annoyed when he deflected it easily. “I’m not the one with the self-professed obsession, O’Mara.”
He shrugged. “Not yet, not that you’ll admit, but I’ll bet I rarely leave your thoughts for more than a few minutes.”
She barely resisted the urge to snarl like an animal. “It’s normal to be preoccupied with the criminal who kidnapped you.”
His rich laugh filled the room. “Okay, Mia. Enjoy your time in denial.” Without another word, he left the suite.
She sat up long enough to shoot a rude gesture toward the closed door. With determination to spite Shane—and because she was absolutely exhausted from the previous nights’ lack of sleep and physical exertion—she flicked off the lamp and put her head on the pillow. Mia refused to think about anything and drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep almost as soon as she closed her eyes.
6
Shane paused in the middle of shuffling papers when an edge caught a cut on his finger. He looked down at his hand, tracing his thumb over the two long gashes across his index finger before touching the shorter one on his middle finger. The glass had cut him last night more than once, but he had persisted with the lesson. He had willingly endured the pain in order to get through to her.
Did she finally understand? He questioned the wisdom of betraying his own vulnerability to her, but she couldn’t persist with fighting him. Having yearned for her for so long, having stooped to scheming and machinations, followed by kidnapping when she had failed to show up at her father’s house as Vadim had promised she would, he wanted something deeper than an adversarial relationship.
Not that he minded some of her resistance. Shane chuckled as he remembered the way her eyes burned with internal fire and the stubborn tilt of her chin when she decided to fight him. It also made her a wildcat in bed.
He couldn’t deny part of him enjoyed taming her, and Shane suspected a part of her thrived on being subdued. It wasn’t a classical domination/submission relationship, but they were definitely engaged in a power struggle.
His groin tightened when he remembered the way she had lain absolutely still under his hand last night, fearing the glass enough to stop resisting. That was what he really wanted. Mia had him tied in knots, and he wanted her to be a willing bedmate to explore each other with abandon, rather than her invariable resistance. He didn’t want her cowed with fear, either.
He’d take her however he could get her, though. He was pragmatic enough to admit that to himself, and that self-honesty had allowed him to put in motion the steps needed to make her his—whether she wanted to be or not.
Now he had her, and he still wasn’t satisfied. Shane wanted to see her submit to him willingly. Not in a bound-and-chained sort of way, but to have her smile with welcome, to open her arms to him and mold her soft body to his. He’d had her body—and he still wanted it desperately—but even more than that, he wanted Mia herself. Whatever made her tick, he wanted to know. He wanted to be inside her body and her mind. His obsession hadn’t eased… it had only grown stronger.
“Fuck.” He bent his head forward, propping it on his hands so he could rub his eyes with his thumbs. A headache was building, and he could find no relief. Instantly, an image of Mia spread underneath him, his fingers dipping into her heat to prepare her for his cock flashed through his mind.
Deciding that was better than two ibuprofen tablets, he pushed away from his desk before pausing. So far, he had managed to resist the compulsion to go to her during the day, other than for meals or brief interactions. He knew the key to managing his addiction was to ration his time with her, so he had vowed to keep her compartmentalized. She would be in her own room, and he would only visit her at night.
