She toys with the cross around her neck as I close the bedroom door. I sit on the sectional couch by the fireplace and turn on some music.
“I want you to dance for me,” I tell her. “And take your clothes off while you do.”
“I’m not that good of a dancer...”
“Dance.”
She pales before nodding. My words leave no room for arguments. She’s going to do what I say, because both of us know saying no isn’t an option. Not for my angel.
She begins slowly swaying to the music as I lean back in my seat. She looks fucking stunning.
“Take the dress off,” I demand.
“Already?” A mischievous smile plays on her face. “I thought you wanted to prolong this moment. The tension...”
I smirk. “Smart girl. How observant of you. But no. I want the dress off. And look me in the eye when you do it.”
“But...” She swallows thickly. “I’m not wearing anything underneath.”
“Even better.”
Flushing, Tallulah takes her eyes off me and slowly slides the spaghetti straps of her dress down her slender shoulders. I’m fucking mesmerized. She’s a vision, a dream come to life. Everything I’ve ever wanted packaged into one perfect, stunning girl.
As the music plays, she slowly peels off her dress, exposing inch after inch of her creamy skin as the fabric hits the floor. She wasn’t lying - there’s nothing underneath. I’ve seen her naked before, but tonight feels different. Tonight, I don’t have to hold back.
Tallulah toys with her necklace, making me shake my head. “Leave that on. A reminder of who you used to be. A life that’s over now.”
Her hands tremble as she continues to dance, turning her back to me and sensually twisting her hips. I know she can’t bear to look at me right now. The tension, the magnetic pull between us... It’s all becoming too much for my angel.
“You’re done dancing,” I tell her in a low growl. “Get on your knees, crawl to me, and place your hands on my lap.”
She obeys. I don’t know whether it’s because she wants to, or her body simply betrays her by adhering to my demands. Slowly, Tallulah sinks to her knees and crawls to me. Her manicured hands are on my lap now, dangerously close to the thickness throbbing between my legs. Tallulah’s hungry eyes meet mine.
I’ve doubted her a few times, but this time, my angel can’t hide her true feelings. The despair mixing with desire in her wide eyes turns me on like nothing else.
I take a velvet box out of my pocket. Unceremoniously, I open it, disregarding Tallulah’s gasp as I pull out a diamond ring. It’s a black diamond, rare and beautiful, dark like our love.
“Shouldn’t y-you be the one k-kneeling?” she whispers.
“No,” I reply resolutely, taking her hand and forcing the ring on her finger. I admire the way it glistens. “I will not ask you either, because we both know you don’t have a choice.”
She stares at the ring. It must be heavy as fuck because the diamond is huge. Tallulah’s enchanting eyes meet mine.
“Are we...” she starts, her sentence drifting off to silence.
“Yes,” I say. “We’re engaged. And now, I’m going to consummate this relationship. Are you ready, angel?”
Chapter 13
The engagement ring feels heavy on my finger, but that’s not the heaviest weight I feel right now.
I know what’s going to happen, and I also know what should do. I made a promise to my family, a promise to kill Xavier and save us from him once and for all. I have everything I need, and yet I’m hesitating. It feels like I’m frozen to the spot, unable to perform the one thing I’ve been training for.
“Get on the bed,” Xavier orders in a low growl. “Right the fuck now.”
As I stand up, I feel his eyes on me. I get on the bed, and even though I’m tempted to cover my body with the sheets, I force myself to lie back, exposed to Xavier’s watchful eyes.
He sits on the edge of the bed, loosening his tie. When he takes his blazer off, I gasp at the sight of blood on his shirt sleeve, moving closer to him and knitting my brows with worry.
“What happened?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.” Xavier’s voice is clipped. He clearly doesn’t want to talk about this.
“It’s not nothing. You’re bleeding... a lot. How did this happen?”
“We’re not talking about it,” Xavier hisses with such vicious force it makes me drop the subject right away. He strips his shirt off, getting on the bed with me in his slacks. He’s irresistibly handsome. His body looks like something that’s impossible to achieve. He’s ripped, his muscles veiny and big, reminding me just how easily he could overpower me if he wanted to.
My heart is fucking pounding. I’m trying to remember my purpose and my training, but I’m stuck in the moment, admiring my guardian’s incredible body. He’s so damn handsome it’s hard to believe he’d look at a girl like me.