“No.”
He took my mouth, plunging his tongue deep as mine lashed back at him. He slid a hand between my legs and cupped me through my dress, sending bolts of pleasure crashing through me as he rubbed me in the exact spot to make my knees buckle.
I didn’t realize I’d shoved my hand in his hair until he groaned and growled. He held me in place and thrust his hips into my backside like a bull ramming a fence that detained him. Cristiano was going to fuck me. I’d known it for hours, but now it was happening. And my body was already giving into him, grabbing at him, yielding for his bruising kiss, growing wet under his firm grasp.
He turned me around, cradled my face, and devoured my mouth again. I fisted his shirt, pulling him closer as he walked me backward.
I gasped for more. For him.
And then in shock.
What was I doing? Minutes in Cristiano’s arms, and I was surrendering? It couldn’t be. The bastard didn’t get to take and take with no consequences. He didn’t get to win in every way. He’d succeeded in tearing Diego and me apart, but he would never have me.
I released his shirt and dropped my hands to my sides. The pulsing heat between my legs remained, but I ignored its demands and slackened my jaw. Cristiano curled his fingers into my hair, kissing me harder.
There was no point in fighting—our terms had been agreed upon. But if he was going to consummate this marriage, it would be with the understanding that I didn’t want it.
That was our reality. If I let myself escape into a fantasy and enjoy this, I’d be playing his game—and losing.
And if he thought I wanted this, he’d never see himself for the monster he was.
He drew back, his breathing labored. “What is it?”
My dry throat made my response hoarse. “Nothing.”
“What did I tell you about lying to me?” He squeezed my arms, bringing me to the tips of my toes until our mouths nearly touched. “Don’t deny me, Natalia. You want this. I need it.”
Need. To be needed by a man as dominant and typically dispassionate as him was a heady feeling. It inspired my unsettling—and dangerous—impulse to obey his orders. He made it too easy to fall under his spell. I had to douse any embers of passion between us and detach in order to come out physically and emotionally unscathed.
Sex couldn’t always equal intimacy. I’d thought I’d had that with Diego, only to find he he’d broken that trust. Sometimes sex was an exchange of the world’s most valuable currency—power—and it was the only playing field where I rivaled Cristiano.
I tilted up my mouth and put my tongue in his with the same enthusiasm I’d show a brick wall.
He didn’t kiss me back. “What are you doing?” he asked.
“I vowed to obey you.” When his grip loosened, I wriggled free and backed away toward the bed. “That’s what I’m doing,” I said, removing my wedding ring to set it on the nightstand.
“Put that back on.”
“As you wish.” I replaced it, sat on the edge of the mattress, and lay back.
“I asked you what you think you’re doing,” he said slowly. “Answer me.”
“Do you want me a different way?” I spread my knees and stared up at the ceiling as I gathered my dress. “This is the only position I’ve known.”
“Never mind what I want. What do you want?”
“We have a contract. You brought me here, so take what you’ve bought.”
“Did you sign anything?” he asked.
“I took vows before God. Before you. It’s my duty—”
“Stop.”
I parted my lips and took a breath. A breeze passed through the room and the fire roared in response. Cristiano was known for taking what he wanted. He’d declared he would many times. He’d made it clear sex was non-negotiable.
And yet he kept his distance. It was my unwillingness that stopped him. That puzzle piece snapped nicely into place. If he needed me to want this before he proceeding, that gave me something I could use against him.
“Close your legs.” It took me a moment to register his order. With his face turned toward the fire, he fixed his collar. “I said close them.”
I dropped the hem of my dress and sat forward, bringing my knees together. “Why?”
He smoothed out his shirt. “Go to bed.”
I almost couldn’t believe it had worked. He could be stopped. Victory rushed to my head like alcohol, and for a moment, I was high. I’d won.
Except, I hadn’t.
Reality came crashing through. Until the people I loved were safe, I hadn’t won.
“My protection only extends to your family so long as it is mine. As long as you are mine. Leave me, and my obligations go with you. One phone call to the Maldonados is all it would take.”