All or Nothing at All(96)

"Too late. You're my wife and it's about time I claimed you as such. In my bed."

She gulped for air. Whiskey-colored eyes narrowed in on her. He loosened his tie, unknotted it, and slid it off his neck. The red ribbon dropped to the floor in sheer seductive glory. Her thighs squeezed, and her panties dampened. Holy shit. She was soaking wet, and he'd only taken off his jacket and damn tie.

She glanced to the staircase, counting the number of steps necessary to get her to safety. If she moved fast, she'd be able to lock herself in the bedroom. That would show him. She prepared for flight, only to be distracted when he began unbuttoning that snowy-white shirt, unveiling a line of hard muscles and intriguing hair that traveled down his chest, over eight-pack abs, and disappeared under his slacks.

His lips twitched at her hungry stare. "You want this just as bad as I do."

His arrogance took her breath away. She gathered her temper and flung it at him like a witch casting a spell. "I'm sure you'll tell yourself that to justify forcing me."

His laugh made her curl her hands into fists. "Oh, baby, this won't have anything to do with force. In fact, I won't be satisfied until you beg me." He unbuckled his belt, slid it from the loops, and dropped it. The metal hit the wood floor, causing her to jump. "Do you remember how well you used to beg, Sydney?"

She raised her chin. Her nipples were tight and achy, pressing against the thin material of her shirt in a demand to be freed. Her core heated and softened, ready for him. "Maybe this time you'll be the one to beg," she threw out. " 'Cause I'm done."

"You've been driving me crazy for way too long." He drew the tab on the zipper down slow. The hiss hit the air like bacon sizzling in a pan. "It's time I take what belongs to me and teach you a valuable lesson."

She seethed with frustration and arousal. "I'm not your possession."

His eyes flared with a hungry, raw lust that kept her chained in place. He stalked her like a predator, and she moaned low in her throat. "Yes, you are," he declared. "You're my wife. You're mine, whether you like it or not. The moment you said those vows, I owned that sweet body, and it's time I show you who the real boss is around here."

Did he really think she'd surrender that easily? She'd make him work for it. "You'll have to catch me first."

The dare hung in the air between them. His pants drifted over his hips and hit the floor. His erection strained against his briefs, and her mouth watered at the gorgeousness of his body, the hard strength standing before her. Toasty-golden skin covered with dark hair and bulging biceps and muscled thighs braced apart. He was David incarnate: proud and strong and graceful, and she'd never wanted him more in her entire life. And they were still in the kitchen? Why hadn't she moved yet?




 

 

"Sydney?"

She blinked away the haze of primal lust. "Yes?"

"I'll give you one chance." He paused. His grin was slow and feral. "Run."

Adrenaline hit. Heart racing, she dove for the stairs and scrambled up with speed but little grace. Fingers closed around her ankle, but she gave a frantic yelp and ran faster, bare feet skidding on the hardwood floor.

No time to look for a room. Her hand brushed the knob of their bedroom, and she flung it open, pivoting in one swift motion in an effort to shut the door and lock it behind her.

Too late.

He grabbed her around the waist and lifted her high in the air. She fought like a wild thing, desperate for escape, but he only laughed and held her easily, keeping her tight against his chest, then tossing her onto the bed.

She rolled to the left and feigned escape, kicking out with her right leg to connect with his shin. He pulled back for a few precious seconds. Putting all her energy into one last-ditch effort, Sydney bolted off the bed and launched herself into the air, ready to crawl into the bathroom to safety.

Midair, she suddenly changed course and found herself pinned to the mattress by a very hard, very pissed-off, very dangerous male.

"You've always been a pain in the ass," he muttered. His forehead was damp with sweat. His bare skin pressed against every one of her curves, his cock wedged intimately between her thighs. Her breasts lifted and strained against her. "I'm so going to enjoy making you pay, baby."

"Fuck you!" The stinging words were contradicted by her ragged breaths and hard nipples.

He made a tsking sound, golden eyes lit with hunger and the thrill of the catch. "I plan to."

His mouth crashed over hers.

The moment their lips met, the fight drained from her body, to be replaced by a raw, savage need that heated her blood. She moaned, biting his lip hard, and he gripped her hair, holding her head still, as his lips ravaged hers in the soul-stirring kiss. All her promises and insults and defenses shattered with the thrust of his silky tongue and the intoxicating taste of him.