was directly in front of him, her body forc

ght of the room. They burned with an intensity t

out, the name a plea,

violence in his gaze didn't disappear, but it shifted, con

, his fingers clamping down like a steel

d, his voice a low threat. "Then yo

er face. The last dregs of the drug left her body weak,

a feeble, desperate gesture. "Pleas

in my pool. You kissed me," he paused, leaning closer, his breath a hot ghost ag

e hooked an arm under her knee

he hung in his arms, soaked and shivering, the

e from the pool area into the cavernous bedroom. The city lights of Manha

er onto the

kin. She landed with a soft thud and immediately t

he hem of her wet dress

ing against her ribs so har

the silk strip from his collar with a soft hiss. His eyes never

id, his voice dangerously soft, "

g her head, the movement fr

. He was a force of nature, and she was just a girl w

locked out the light, the city, the world. There was only him. Hi

gh her. She couldn't tell if she was hot or cold, if the s

arp, coppery taste of blood filled her mo

eautiful, cruel backdrop to the ugliest moment of her life.

mearing into streaks. Her consciousness, battered by the d

She let the darkness, the humiliation, the sh

nd the cold fury in his eyes was slowly replaced by a dark, aching possessiveness. Only then did his arms wrap around her, p