CHAPTER 9 #2
"Nowhere left to run, Agent," I murmur. "You feel that? That’s the end of your world. Say it. Say you have no one else."
She glares at me, her chest heaving, refusing to give me the satisfaction. I drop my voice to a lethal, gravelly whisper, leaning in until my lips are brushing the shell of her ear. My breath is hot against her skin.
"Are you hiding things from me, Alessia? Wired? Tracked? Tell me the truth. I need to be sure you’re clean."
I don't give a fuck about wires. She’s been in my custody for days; if she had a tracker, my sweeps would have found it. I just need the excuse. I need to strip away the absolute last shred of her privacy and lay claim to what’s underneath.
Alessia licks her dry lips, a nervous, frantic gesture that draws my eyes straight to her mouth. She shakes her head, her voice a broken denial. "I have nothing."
I cross my arms over my chest, standing perfectly still. The silence stretches, suffocating the room. I watch the pulse jumping frantically in her neck.
"Words are cheap, Alessia," I say. "I don't trust you. I need proof."
She stares at me, waiting for the axe to fall.
"Strip."
It’s flat. A tactical directive devoid of emotion but carrying the heavy, suffocating weight of an execution order. The color drains completely from her face, followed instantly by a dark, hot flush that spreads down her neck and blooms over her chest.
"Right now. Don't make me repeat myself."
A single tear of raw frustration tracks down her cheek, but her expression remains stoic. She hesitates. Her hands tremble violently as they move toward the hem of her slip. She’s fighting the last dregs of her FBI pride against the crushing biological reality of her survival instinct.
"Your hands are shaking," I observe. "Show me what Trenton left behind. Show me who you really are."
When her fingers stall at the fabric, I reach out. My bruised knuckles graze the thin, delicate strap of her silk slip on her shoulder. I hook my finger under the strap and slide it back and forth, the rough friction of my calloused skin against the expensive silk making her violently shudder.
"Too slow, Alessia. Do you need my help?"
I hook that single finger under the silk at her collarbone and jerk her forward, pulling her flush against my chest. The impact knocks the air out of her lungs in a sharp gasp.
My other hand lands heavy and hard on her hip, pinning her against my frame.
I want her to feel the solid wall of my body, the absolute unyielding reality of her situation.
"Feel that?" I demand. "That’s the only reality you have left."
"I..." she breathes, her small hands clutching reflexively at the front of my shirt.
"Take it off," I say, my mouth inches from her ear again. "I want to see all of you."
Her trembling fingers fumble with the hem at her thighs.
She grabs the silk, starting to pull it up over her hips.
As the fabric rises, exposing her stomach, I catch both her wrists in one hand.
I hold them tightly, raising her arms above her head, forcing her to arch her back.
I run my thumb deliberately, callously over the purple bruising on her wrists from where I tied her to the headboard.
"You remember these marks?" I ask, my voice dropping an octave. "They belong to me."
I take over. My hands are heavy and meticulous as I drag the silk slip off her shoulders.
I don't rush. I make her feel every agonizing second of the exposure.
My eyes track the fabric as it slides over her skin, pooling at her feet in a whisper of silk on carpet.
She closes her eyes, stripping herself bare in the cold moonlight.
"Look at you," I say, my voice thick with dark approval. "Nothing left to hide behind."
Under the guise of a security sweep, my hands begin to map her body. I drag my open palms down her ribs, feeling the violent shudder of her skin. I move in slow, rhythmic circles down her sides, tracking the dip of her waist. Her body betrays her mind entirely, her muscles quivering under my touch.
"Still vibrating, Alessia," I murmur. "You’re sensitive today."
I move lower, inspecting the athletic curve of her hips. My fingers trail down to graze the incredibly sensitive skin of her inner thighs. Her knees buckle slightly at the contact, a ragged gasp tearing from her throat.
"No trackers here," I say, my touch agonizingly slow and clinical, mapping the heat radiating from her core. "Nothing but you."
I crowd her backward, forcing her to retreat until her bare spine hits the cold bedroom wall with a soft thud.
I step straight into her. I press my clothed, suited body hard against her nakedness.
My knee slides aggressively between her thighs, prying her legs apart.
The shock of the rough wool of my suit jacket against her bare breasts makes her gasp, her hands coming up to grip my broad shoulders.
"Cold?" I ask, burying my face in the crook of her neck. "I’ll warm you up."
I breathe in the intoxicating scent of her fear-spiked arousal. My lips brush against her racing pulse point. The stubble on my jaw scratches her delicate skin.
"So much better without the lies," I whisper against her neck, praising the degradation. "My beautiful little rat."
I bring my hand up and grip her jaw. My fingers bite into her cheeks, forcing her head up so she can’t hide. My thumb rubs roughly over her lower lip, pressing until her mouth parts. My face is inches from hers, my ice-blue eyes locked onto her dark ones.
"Look at me," I command. "Don't you dare close your eyes."
Her chest heaves, brushing against my suit with every frantic breath.
"Say it. Tell me who you belong to."
She stares at me, the last brick in her wall crumbling into dust. Her eyes flutter, her body sagging slightly against the wall, utterly defeated and entirely wired with lust.
"I... I have nothing left," she gasps, her voice breaking on the admission. "Please."
I crush my mouth to hers. It’s a brutal, claiming kiss that tastes like salt, scotch, and total victory.
I push my knee deeper between her bare thighs, pinning her completely to the wall, letting her feel the hard, unrelenting physical reality of exactly what she just surrendered to.
My hand tangles violently in her dark auburn hair to hold her head still, taking everything she has left.
Her legs instinctively wrap around my knee, pulling me closer.