“That’s research.” He was quick to click the window closed, though.
“Is that what the kids are calling it these days?” I said, my voice flat. “Research?”
His hand dipped under my arm and he yanked me to my feet, bringing us face to face. “It’s research about your training, Addison.” His eyes flooded with something raw and sexual. “I’ve spent the whole day working on our plan.”
Well, that was terrifying. So why did a thrill shiver down my spine? And . . . our plan? I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear and forced out a confident voice. “Okay. You need to get a hobby.”
Luka’s evil smile made my blood run cold and got me hot in the same instance. “I have one.” He slipped a hand beneath the hem of my sweater and ran his warm fingers over my belly, causing me to flinch. They skated upward, tracing the cup of my bra. “It’s this,” he whispered.
He loomed overhead and didn’t tip his head down, choosing instead to look over his long lashes at me. I was sure he noted every hurried breath I took, and saw my pupils dilate, a perfect response to his touch. My skin tingled beneath his fingertips and I studied his mouth. It said dirty, sometimes awful things, but it was beautiful, too. His sexy, cruel mouth was addictive.
The fireplace burned quietly. There was only a faint hiss of gas as it flickered in the now-dark room. Luka lowered his mouth almost to mine, but didn’t claim it. He breathed over my lips and dipped down further into the crook of my neck. There, the tip of his nose brushed over my sensitive skin. He moved from one side to the other, teasing his kiss but not delivering it. I licked my lips instinctively, craving what he denied.
It wound me tighter each second as his hot breath streamed over me, and the faintest brush of his lips grazed my neck. I was itchy and agitated. No, those weren’t the right words. Eager was a better fit. Perhaps even desperate.
“Luka,” I said, verging on a plea. I was weak. How could I want him? I’d been tainted, like he’d poisoned me. Sinking down to his level was the only way to alleviate the symptoms.
“What do you need?” he asked. He was a vicious cat, sadistically playing with the mouse he’d caught. He’d toy with his prey before devouring it. “Ask me.”
I sighed while he continued his torment. Was it possible to die from anticipation? How the hell was I supposed to ask him to kiss me, and why? Luka was a taker. He’d get whatever he wanted, use me up, and discard me when he was done. He wasn’t bothered with right or wrong, and certainly didn’t care what I thought.
“Are you shaking because you’re cold?” His tone was rhetorical. We both knew I wasn’t. The fire had warmed the room, and there was plenty of heat between us.
It felt a little like dying, or at least sacrificing a limb to save the body. I was surrendering more control, and soon I’d have nothing left. I stared into his intense eyes, and my voice was a whisper. “Kiss me.”
“Louder.”
My chest expanded as I pulled in an enormous breath. “Kiss me.”
He obliterated everything. His mouth moved urgently against mine, and then his tongue got involved. Powerful, sure arms swept me up and dropped me down with a thump on the end of the desk. He didn’t even stop kissing me as I heard the sharp snap of his fingers. There was no hesitation this time as I pried my knees apart and welcomed him to step between them. I curled my hands beneath the cotton of his t-shirt, finding his skin burning hot.
We were wild, thrashing against each other.
His kiss turned up to a new level of aggression, and I moaned with a hint of pain as he bit down on my bottom lip. I scored my nails down his chest, but it only caused him to escalate. A heartbeat later, his hand was wrapped tightly around my throat.
“Was this the plan?” I asked. “Making me ask you to kiss me?”
“No.” His wet tongue traced the edge of my ear. “I just wanted it, and now I can’t seem to stop kissing you.”
He felt out of control? Yeah, Luka. I know exactly how that feels.
I was panting when he abruptly stepped back and pulled me to my unsteady feet. “It’s a thousand degrees in this office.”
I fell into his arms, letting him support me. “Is that you telling me to take off my clothes?” It was a half-joke, half-truth.
His gaze flitted downward and his eyes went hazy with lust, but he blinked it back. “No. We have other shit to do. Come on.”
Dinner was served in the kitchen, thankfully not in the dining room. I shuddered when we walked past the long table where Luka had spanked my bare bottom in front of everyone. I had a purple-yellow bruise from it—I’d seen it in the mirror after my shower this morning.