I tried to shove his punitive fingers away from my breast, and he gave my nipple a cruel twist.
“Hands above your head,” he commanded sharply, prompting immediate obedience.
He released my nipple, soothing the abused bud with gentle strokes of his thumb.
“That was very naughty, little pet,” he chided. “You don’t make demands.” He punctuated the order with a harsh thrust, drawing a gasp from my chest. “You don’t push me away.” Another brutal thrust. “I own you.”
My lips parted, a protest on the tip of my tongue.
He pinched my clit, transforming my defiant words into a harsh shout.
“There’s no going back now, kitten,” he warned darkly. “You’re not in control. You accept pleasure on my terms.”
He released the pressure of his cruel fingers on my most vulnerable area, circling my clit in a demanding pattern that dragged me to the edge of orgasm. He eased back, his cockhead stimulating my g-spot.
A strangled sound of pure, primal need clawed from my throat, and he slammed inside me with enough force to rock my entire body.
“You’re mine, Carmen,” he swore. “All mine.”
He gripped my hips with both hands, holding me in place for his own pleasure. He settled into a merciless rhythm, his teeth bared on a feral growl. With each rough thrust, he drove me higher, the relentless heat of his hard cock marking me deep inside.
Delicious tension gathered at my core, all of my muscles drawing tight. My back arched, and my eyes closed on a desperate moan.
“Look at me.” He hissed the command, holding back his release until I complied.
He drove into me with cruel savagery, keeping me locked in his dark stare. His bottomless eyes swallowed me up, and I lost myself in him.
His wild roar signaled his completion, his shaft pumping inside me. His thumb ground against my clit, wringing my orgasm from my body.
I shattered beneath his ruthless hands, helplessly screaming his name as I came.
Chapter 18
Carmen
“Before you argue with me, I want you to remember that I promised to keep you safe.”
Dread stirred in my gut at Stefano’s preemptive warning. He’d been so gentle with me today, his soft caresses a shocking contrast to the deep ache between my legs. He’d fucked me mercilessly when he’d claimed me yesterday, and I was reminded of his possession with every step.
“No, kitten,” he admonished, nipping my neck at the first sign of tension.
“I didn’t say anything,” I protested breathily, leaning back into his chest without thinking.
Now that I wasn’t terrified of his strength, I found his solid frame reassuring. His arms closed around me from behind, his hands skimming over the silky material of the indecently low-cut, scarlet dress he’d selected for me.
“You were thinking about arguing already,” he rumbled in my ear, dropping a tender kiss on the spot he’d bitten.
I took a breath and turned to face him, lifting my chin as I met his gaze levelly. “What would I argue about?”
Whatever he had to say, I wasn’t going to like it. Just because I’d decided that being with him wasn’t all that terrible didn’t mean that I would eagerly obey his every command. If he wanted to call me kitten and pet, I could live with the endearments. Secretly, I kind of liked them.
But my sexual submission didn’t mean I was actually subservient to him. Between our explosive sex yesterday and his absence throughout today, we hadn’t gotten the opportunity to realistically discuss the parameters of a consensual relationship between the two of us.
He frowned at me and gripped my jaw in his big hand, forcibly lowering my chin to mitigate my defiant posture.
My anger surged, and I tried to shove him away. He grabbed my wrists and pinned them at the small of my back, applying pressure to trap me against his chest.
“You can’t behave this way tonight,” he said firmly. “Listen to me, and don’t argue. I am trying to keep you safe. Understood?”
I studied his forbidding features for a moment, distrustful.
“Okay,” I finally agreed to his terms. I could listen to what he had to say. Especially because the hard determination in his onyx eyes indicated that my compliance wasn’t optional. I could keep my pride and hear him out, or I could be put in a position where I was forced to listen to him.
I chose to maintain my dignity.
“We’re going out tonight,” he began grimly. “Just to my club downstairs. My associates want to see you. They’re getting impatient.”
My stomach turned. Going to Stefano’s club didn’t sound awful on the surface, but his demeanor and the mention of his associates set me on edge.
“Impatient for what?” I asked, trying to keep the ring of demand from my tone. “What do they expect from me?”
His features remained fixed in a hard mask, but his fingers were gentle as he tucked my hair behind my ear. His other hand kept my wrists secured behind my back.