My thighs clenched.
“As a man, all I want is to listen to the soft moans that drip from your lips while I kiss you, touch you,” he stepped right up to me, looking down at me with hungry eyes, “while I fuck you.” Without warning, he placed an arm around me, lifting me easily, and I had no choice but to wrap my legs around him, steadying myself by grabbing his shoulders. This time he was looking straight at me, our eyes the same level. “While you were in there hating me, I hated myself for letting you. There were so many times I wanted to storm inside that room and tell you the truth, to make you want me again.”
“Then what stopped you?”
He cupped the back of my head with his palm. “You did. It was easier to let you hate me than it was to have you forgive me when I couldn’t forgive myself. What happened to Neon was my fault because of my obsession with a pretty ballerina girl. If I never came up with this fucked-up plan to justify why I had to take you, she wouldn’t have gotten hurt.Youwouldn’t have gotten hurt.”
I eased my hand across his shoulder, touching the back of his neck. “So, Onyx was right.”
“Fuck Onyx.”
My gaze dropped from his eyes to his lips before looking back up. “You should have told me.”
“You should never have watched me from your damn window, ballerina girl.” His lips crashed against mine, my back hitting the wall as he pinned me between his hard body and the cold concrete. His kiss burned and reverberated through my entire body like rolling thunder. His scent, his taste, everything about him overpowered all my senses, and the world around us disappeared. It was just us.
No drama.
No pain.
No heartache.
Nothing.
Just us.
His lips were hard, rough and demanding. The way his tongue explored my mouth, it was like a man starved for a taste, and he couldn’t get enough. My body hummed, an ache throbbing between my thighs, and I tightened my legs around him.
A rumbling groan vibrated from his throat, and he moved his tongue deeper into my mouth. It was almost as if he was trying to consume me, and I wanted him to. I wanted to be consumed by him. In that moment, I wanted nothing more than for him to claim me in every way possible.
He grabbed my hands from the back of his neck and pinned them above my head, pressing me harder against the wall. I moaned the second he moved his hips, thrusting forward grinding his cock between my legs.
Greedy lips moved down my chin, across my jaw, sucking the soft skin of my neck. “You have no idea what I want to do to you, ballerina girl.” His voice was low and deep, sending shivers up my spine. “If you did, you’d know exactly what kind of monster I really am.”
I let out a breath as I craned my neck for him. “I can’t fight this anymore, Granite. I can’t fight us anymore.”
He tore his lips away from my neck, lifted his head, and met my eyes. “And I can’t be the better man here by walking away. I’m not a good man, Alyx. Don’t ever mistake me for a man who would do the right thing if that meant letting you go. Because I can’t, and I won’t.” He leaned closer, nipping my bottom lip between his teeth. “I can’t.” Placing the tip of his nose against mine, he whispered, “No matter how badly I want to be a good man, I’m not. Bad runs through my veins. I’ll destroy you, but not even that can stop me from keeping you.”
I closed my eyes, feeling his warm breath on my wet lips. “Every decision has its consequences. I watched you from my bedroom window for years, and now I’ve fallen into the arms of the devil.” I gently kissed his lips. “If I was a smarter woman, stronger, I would have fought it—fought you. But I’m not…and I can’t.”
“That’s good.” The tip of his tongue traced along my bottom lip. “Because no matter how strong you are, you’ll never be strong enough to fight me.”
He let go of my hands and eased me back down to the ground. With rapid breaths and a wildly beating heart, I stared up at him, his expression unreadable.
“I’m going to say this again.” He tipped my chin up toward him. “I’m not a good man. Don’t ever make the mistake of forgetting that.”
He stepped back, and his chest rose and fell, his body rigid and tense. “Go to your room.”
I opened my mouth, but he narrowed his eyes at me. With one single glance, he managed to make me bite my tongue. It wasn’t in me to fight him. He was right. I’d never be strong enough.
The second I stepped into the room, he pushed his body hard against my back, and I heard the door shut behind us.
“Take off your clothes.”
It wasn’t a request. It was a demand—a demand I was too willing to obey. The skin on my face and neck was hot, yet my fingers were cold as I pulled the shirt over my head.
Within the silence, the atmosphere screamed with a deafening desire. It crackled between us, coating my skin with promise. And as I slipped off my pants, I felt his eyes on me, raking over me. For a second, my own insecurities over a body I had been so cruel to made me hesitate. And now, while I stood there naked, I wished I had taken better care of it. I wanted to give Granite perfection. But I couldn’t, not when I looked like this.
“Turn around.” Again, nothing in his voice gave the impression that it was a request.