For a heartbeat, everything in me stills. The room shrinks to the space between us, to the sound of her voice and the look in her eyes when she realizes what she’s just said.
My control fractures.
I press her back gently against the nearest wall, my body caging hers without touching more than I have to. She gasps, and it sounds like something too much like recognition.
I lean in, my forehead resting against hers. “You have no idea what you’re asking for.”
“Maybe not. But I have nothing else.”
She’s trembling.
My mouth finds hers again, rougher this time. Not a question, a warning. Her hands come up between us, not to push me away but to hold on, fingers clutching at the fabric of my shirt. The heat between us spikes, wild and unmeasured, until it’s too much.
I tear myself back before the line disappears completely. She’s breathless, lips parted, eyes bright with confusion and something more dangerous.
“This isn’t part of your protection,” I manage, voice rough. “It can’t be.”
“Then what is it?”
I take a step back, forcing air between us and drag a hand through my hair, trying to reassemble the man I was before she walked into my night.
I watch her lips part on that question, her chest rising and falling in shallow bursts that match the chaos roaring through my veins.
What is it?
Hell if I know. It's fire, it's madness, it's the kind of pull that could burn down everything I've built. But looking at her now, with her mask slightly askew and her eyes wide with that mix of fear and desire, I don't give a damn about the consequences.
My hands itch to touch her again, to strip away the layers until there's nothing left but skin and truth. I close the distance I've just created, my body pressing her back against the wall with deliberate slowness, giving her every chance to stop me.
She doesn't. Instead, her fingers tighten in my shirt, pulling me closer, and that's all the permission I need.
My mouth crashes down on hers, hungry and unrelenting, tasting the salt of her nerves and the sweetness of her surrender. She moans into the kiss, the sound vibrating through me like a shockwave, and I deepen it, my tongue sweeping in to claim what I've wanted since the moment she stood beside me in that ballroom.
Her body arches against mine, soft curves molding to my hardness, and I groan low in my throat, my hands sliding down her sides to grip her hips. I lift her effortlessly, pinning her higher against the wall so her legs wrap around my waist, the heat of her core pressing right where I ache for her.
God, she's perfect, all fire and fragility, and I rock against her once, twice, letting her feel exactly what she's done to me.
I break the kiss to trail my lips down her neck, nipping at the sensitive skin there, savoring the way she gasps and tilts her head back for more. My fingers find the zipper of her dress,pulling it down with agonizing slowness, exposing inch after inch of smooth, pale skin.
The fabric pools at her waist, and I pull back just enough to look at her, my breath catching at the sight of her breasts, full and begging for attention. I lower my head, taking one nipple into my mouth, sucking hard while my hand teases the other, rolling it between my fingers until she's writhing against me, her nails digging into my shoulders.
"Liam," she whispers, her voice broken and needy, and hearing my name like that sends a jolt straight to my cock.
I can't wait anymore. I set her down only long enough to shove her dress the rest of the way off, letting it hit the floor in a puddle of ink-black fabric. She's bare beneath it except for a scrap of lace panties, and I hook my fingers in them, tearing them away with a sharp tug.
She gasps, but there's no protest, only heat in her eyes as I drop to my knees in front of her. I part her thighs with my hands, my thumbs brushing her slick folds, and she shudders, her hands tangling in my hair. I lean in, my tongue flicking out to taste her, slow at first, then deeper, circling her clit with relentless pressure.
She's sweet and wet, her hips bucking against my mouth as I devour her, sucking and licking until her legs tremble and her moans fill the room.
"Please," she begs, and I don't stop, pushing her higher until she comes undone, her body convulsing around my tongue, her cries echoing off the walls.
I rise then, shedding my clothes in a blur of motion, my cock springing free, hard and throbbing for her. I lift her again, her legs wrapping around me as I position myself at her entrance.
Our eyes lock, and in that moment, there's no auction, no scandals, just us. I thrust into her in one deep stroke, filling her completely, and we both groan at the perfection of it. She's tight, hot, gripping me like she was made for this, and I start moving, slow at first to let her adjust, then harder, faster, driving into her with everything I have.
Her tits bounce against my chest, her fingertips dig into my shoulders as she holds on. I capture her mouth again, swallowing her moans as I pound into her, the pleasure building like a storm until it's too much.
She clenches around me, her second orgasm ripping through her, and that's my undoing. My balls tighten and I follow her over the edge, burying myself deep as I come, spilling into her with a guttural roar.
