Page 104 of Give In

He must’ve taken the stairs two at a time, because before I knew it, the light was on and he was lowering me to my feet.

Nervousness and vulnerability made me want to hide, but I pried my lids open as he pulled away, his fingertips dragging as though he couldn’t bring himself to stop touching me before absolutely necessary. Something played on his expression that I couldn’t read.

Maybe doubt or a flash of indecision.

Whatever decision he’d been trying to reach, I could see the exact moment it happened. His body language changed, the warmth that’d infused his expression shifting instantly to searing heat. He was intimidating, barely restrained power and a commanding presence that made my instincts scream of danger ahead.

But I didn’t run from it.

I dug my heels in to keep from running toward it.

“Clothes off,” he rumbled. As I undressed, Damien walked slowly around me. His gaze was like a physical sensation. Occasionally, his fingertips would brush my exposed skin in innocent places, avoiding any of the areas where I wanted his touch most.

When I reached my bra and panties, I hesitated. His hand came down on my ass, making me jump, the radiating pain shooting to my pulsing clit. I rushed to remove the scraps of fabric, desperate for him to ease the ache.

He stopped his slow appraisal and stood still. “Now me.”

I gripped the bottom of his shirt, remembering to touch him as little as possible as he bent to help me pull it off. My hands shook as I undid his belt, the hair on his lower stomach rough against my knuckles. I unbuttoned his pants before carefully sliding the zipper down, his erection jerking forward, pressing against the cotton. His pants fell and he stepped out of them, his socks being pulled off in the process. I hooked my thumbs in the sides of his boxer briefs, sliding them down his muscular thighs before he kicked them off, too.

“Bed, Eden. On your back, legs spread.”

I did as he said… mostly. My legs were more parted than spread, self-consciousness tugging at my brain.

Damien kneeled on the bed next to me, his hand going straight for my pussy. His thick fingers teased my entrance. The heel of his palm grazed my clit. It was everything I wanted, but nowhere near enough of it.

And then it was gone.

My hips lifted automatically, seeking him out.

“If you want this,” he said, his palm landing heavily on my pelvis, his index finger and thumb rubbing my clit, “you need to listen.” His hold on my clit tightened, shooting beyond pain to something… more. “Spread.”

I forced my legs open, dropping my knees to the side.

“That’s my girl,” Damien praised, his touch easing. “Flip over. Ass up with your legsactuallyspread, chest and cheek to the bed, arms stretched in front of you. Understood?”

That time when I moved, I did exactly what he said with no hesitation.

Thwap.

The first slap of his palm hit my right ass cheek, making me brace, ready to flee.

Thwap.

The next landed on my left one, my legs shifting to close as I scooched forward.

Thwap.

Right between my legs, forcing them open as a rush of pain and heat and wetness surged to my core.

“Exquisite,” he whispered almost reverently. His hand stroked down my spine, his touch a tease—a threat. “The first day of class, you wore a pair of shorts and a fitted t-shirt. You were oblivious to the way people’s eyes followed you, mine included. I watched your long legs flex as you moved, thinking they were, by far, your most attractive feature.”

Despite my exposed position, his words lowered my inhibitions. My heart thumbed a different tempo and a giddy happiness fluttered in my belly. I hadn’t fully believed him when he’d told me he’d wanted me from the start, but those details he remembered, things that were hazy in my own mind, proved it.

His palm moved over my ass, rubbing the curve of it. “Then I watched the shithead behind you push his pen off his desk so you’d bed over and grab it. You did, giving him a glimpse down your shirt, but also giving me the perfect view of your rounded ass. After that, I was certain your ass was, by far, your most attractive feature. That surety only lasted until you smiled. And then I was sure that was your most attractive feature. I remember, much like now, I was harder than I’d ever been, and I had to talk from behind the podium the entire class.”

At that image, it wasn’t my heart that swelled. My whole body shuddered, clenching at nothingness.

So empty.