Turning on my heel, I wheel around to face him. Aiden glowers at me, radiating fury like an avenging god. But as terrifying as it is to face his wrath, he has no right to be angry. Not after the stunt he pulled.
“I agreed to fucking marry you,” I hiss, my jaw still clenched like I’m holding back a scream. “I didn’t agree to let you dictate every goddamn minute of my life.”
His nostrils flare, his eyes flashing. “This is not up for discussion.”
“What is? I was having lunch! Explain to me why the hell you have a problem with that.”
“I saw the way that fucker was looking at you,” Aiden growls. “I should have broken his fucking jaw.”
“You don’t want me to talk to another man?” I narrow my eyes. “Why the fuck do you care so much? I’m not your girlfriend. I’m your fiancée in name only. This is just business, isn’t it?”
Somehow, we’ve ended up closer, and Aiden grabs my chin in one hand. I can feel his fingers press into my skin.
Instead of answering, he stares down at me with the kind of intensity that makes goosebumps rise up on my skin. His gaze flicks down to my lips, and all the oxygen seems to vanish from the room.
Oh god. Is he about to kiss me?
CHAPTER10
Aiden
My pulse rushes in my ears as I stare down at Rose, my hand shaking with tension.
Her tongue darts out, and the sight of it sliding quickly over her plush bottom lip nearly undoes me. Whether she knows it or not, she’s playing with fucking fire right now.
Unable to resist, I drop my head to her neck and breathe in. There’s an intoxicating mix of her body wash, faint and floral, and her natural scent beneath it. I focus on that, on the thoughts that have teased me since I first saw her again.
“Aiden…”
There’s a plea in her whisper, and I don’t know what she’s begging for. For me to stop, or for me to go on?
But I don’t ask. Instead, I nip at the skin of her neck, then drag my tongue and teeth over her shoulder. Rose shudders, a small gasp falling from her lips.
She’s fucking addictive. I can never forget how much I hate her and her family, but maybe indulging in my craving is the only way to break it.
Maybe I can fuck her out of my system.
I breathe against her skin, scraping my teeth lightly over her throat, and I swear I can hear her swallow a moan, a vibration in her throat that she won’t let out.
The beast inside me is pacing in its cage, demanding that I rip her dress off. It would go so easily. It’s soft and worn under my hands. I could tear it from her body until she’s left in just her panties.
She’s probably already wet. The fabric would be damp right between her thighs, right where I’d put my fingers. I would tease her along the line between her legs, making her twist and moan.
“I hate you,” I murmur roughly. “But that wouldn’t stop me from fucking you so hard and deep you’d feel me for days.”
“I–” Her breath hitches. “I fucking hate you too.”
“I know you do.” My tongue trails over her collarbone. “But I could make you scream my name until you forgot how to say anything else. Until you forgot the name of that asshole from the restaurant.”
“Fuck you,” she hisses.
“Oh, don’t tempt me, little dove.”
My voice is raspy with both desire and fury, the two emotions mixing in me until I can’t distinguish between them anymore. I want her unable to stand, her legs weak, her chest heaving. I want Rose to scream my name, want her nails to dig into my back. I want to leave bruises that she can’t forget, evidence that she gave in. That she enjoyed it.
I’d fuck her until all she could feel is me. Until she knows she’s mine.
I can’t stop touching her. I tug the neckline of her dress down so I can slide one hand inside and cup her breast. I run my palm over it, feeling how hard her nipple is.
