Chapter 2

Kathryn

Mine immediately skidded away. I was sure if anyone got too close they’d hear my heart thudding. I made sure it was exactly five minutes before I looked back. My eyes had been on his for only a split second before he was staring at me again from across the room. I would have looked away, but the way he held me said, Look away. I dare you.

I tried to break whatever hold he had when a blonde in a tight red dress slid up beside him. Low neckline, hem just under her ass, fingers sliding down his jacket like she owned him. She mouthed something, coquettish and slick, and rubbed against him.

He didn’t flinch. He didn’t even blink. He kept his eyes on me.

His lips moved, but I couldn’t catch. The blonde jerked back as if slapped; her face went from smirk to wide horror in a heartbeat. She staggered back three feet, eyes huge, mouth open, and hurried away to her friends like she’d been scalded.

I watched her go, then my gaze returned to him. He was still looking at me.

We stayed locked for several seconds until he stood and walked toward the exit. My stomach dropped. My hands went cold. I stared at the doors after him, weighing whether to follow.

I downed the rest of my drink and asked for two more. By the time the liquor warmed my chest, I’d decided. I grabbed my clutch and pushed out into the cold, waiting a beat on the sidewalk to see if his car lights would give him away.

There were none. My disappointment pulled tight like a string. I immediately regretted not following behind.

“I was beginning to think you weren’t going to come out.” The voice behind me was low and amused. I jumped, turned, and everything made sense at once.

It was him.

Before I could speak, he shrugged off his jacket and draped it around my shoulders. The heat of him hit my skin, I forgot how to breathe for a second, taking in the greek god that was the man I was looking at.

“You scared me,” I said, breathless and stupid.

“Took you longer than expected,” he said, flat and satisfied. His warm hands rested on my shoulders for a moment.

“Well,” I glanced away, then back. “I had to get a bit of liquid courage.”

He let out a soft half-laugh. “Smart.”

I wanted to close the gap between us and press my lips to his. The only thing stopping me was just a hint of...

Something.

I could easily see everything going south with this man with just a single wrong move on my part. He looked like the kind of person to completely shatter a woman's heart and move in from her like she had never even existed. I had all these warnings at the back of my head, so why in the world wasn't I getting as far away from him as possible?

“You cold?” he asked.

“A little,” I admitted.

Goosebumps dotted my arms when he released a slow breath that fanned across my face. "You have no idea the kind of things I want to do to you." He whispered beneath his breath, his voice sexy enough to cause an instant tingling between my legs. A part of me wanted to ask him to tell me. He looked so calm and in control I wondered if he was even feeling the conflicting emotions that I was. I want to rile him up. I wanted to run my hands through his perfect hair, pull at his tie, dishevel him, make him lose control.

Make him want to punish me.

My pulse jackhammered. “Oh?”

He smiled without teeth. “Yes.”

I let my gaze fall to the floor. Since when did I want to be punished by a man? And one I barely knew. One who seemed capable of things that would scare me. "What did you say to her?" I whispered back, meeting his eyes again. I didn't need to point out who I was referring to. We both already knew it was the woman who'd walked up to him earlier.

He stared deeply into my eyes like he was considering how truthful he should be with his reply. “I told her to be careful what she wanted.”

“Which is…?”

“That if she ever made it back to my apartment, she’d find herself fighting for her life,” he said smoothly.

The sentence hit me in the chest. I blinked, trying to register whether he was joking, being dramatic, or serious. My face remained blank on purpose.

“Why would you say that?” I asked, because of course the answer would only make everything more dangerous and delicious.

“Because it’s the truth.” He said, his jaw tightened for a moment, then relaxed.

I should have laughed, said something light and dismissive. Instead, my mouth betrayed me. “You expect me to run?”

“That would be safe for you.” He stepped closer, voice lowering. “But I don't think I'm ready to let you escape.”

I swallowed. “And what would you do to me?”

“Things you won’t forget,” he said. “To make you remember this night.”

Heat climbed up my belly as I held my purse tightly in my hands. Alarm bells had begun blaring in my head but the need to have this man completely devour me seemed to be blaring even louder

“Where’s your car?” I asked, trying to steady my voice.

****

I felt the car come to a stop and I stared out the car window, curious to get a view of his house. The sight before me left me stunned. I wasn't sure why I was so surprised at how exquisite and expensive his house looked. I should've guessed just from the way he was dressed and how he carried himself that he was a billionaire.

He had to be to afford one of the most expensive looking buildings I had ever set my eyes on. He turned off the ignition and got out of the car, circling the hood until he had gotten to my side of the car.

I braced myself as he opened the car door, his eyes immediately shooting up to meet mine. He paused, “Hey, right now…” He said deeply, “I am giving you a second chance to change your mind, cos immediately we go in, I'm not sure how you'll leave.”

I held his gaze as heat warms between my legs, “I have no intention of doing that.”

I put my hand in his outstretched one, letting him help me down from the car while noting to myself that it was the first physical contact we had made since we'd set our eyes on each other.

I stood rooted to the spot as the door shut behind me, a little afraid to turn and look at him, to even breathe. I closed my eyes when I heard his deep exhale. Everywhere became quiet for a few more seconds and then it sounded like he was taking off his shoes so I bent down at the waist to take mine off as well.

"Leave them on." His voice rumbled from behind me. His domineering voice had me straightening back up before I could even question him. Something about his tone made my nipples harden until they became stiff peaks rubbing against my dress.

A few more seconds and then he was taking a few steps towards me but I still didn't turn around to face him. I stood completely still as he gently removed his jacket from my shoulders and dropped it on the couch nearest to us. Then he pushed my clutch off my shoulders with his pointer finger, catching it in his other hand before it hit the ground. I sucked in a sharp breath as he placed one featherlight kiss on my shoulder. And then another.

He turned me around, meeting my eyes seconds before he reached behind me to free my hair from the large pin that held it in place. It came tumbling down my back. He softly took a handful of my hair and then gently began twisting it around his hand. His eyes met mine for a spell before he sharply tugged my head backwards with my hair and brought his lips down on mine.

I felt all the air in my body leave me the second his lips met mine. They were somehow both soft and firm, moving with purpose against mine and taking my arousal level from sixty to hundred.

His grip moved from my hair to the side of my face as he angled my head to gain proper access to my lips. One second we were having a closed mouth kiss and the next our tongues were twirling around in a sensual dance, both fighting for dominance.

He wrapped his other arm around my waist and brought my body completely flush against his. I let out a low moan, feeling his erection between my legs. God, but I wanted this man. He bit down on my lower lips, sending a wave of shock straight to my core and causing me to recede dominance. I ground my hips shamelessly against his, wanting to relieve the ache as he took charge of the kiss.

I'd just reached for his belt buckle when his arm reached out to grip my wrist, halting my movement midair. He drew back, breaking up our kiss and staring right at me.

“Nuh uh” He warned.

I felt chills creep up my spine as I realized I was no longer looking at the same man who'd been with me earlier in the bar. Right before my eyes, he became someone different. His gaze hardened and his jaws clenched tightly, making his cheekbones more pronounced. He was still looking at me with desire but there was also a heap of something else in his eyes now. I felt a trickle of liquid between my legs as I put two and two together.

He was a Dom.