Page 23 of Ascension

“Calla.”

Her name left me like a confession, low and rough, and she stopped mid-step, turning her head just enough to catch me in the glow of the headlights. For a second, she didn’t say a damn thing. Just let her eyes travel over me like she was peeling off layers I hadn’t given permission to shed. My tie was loose around my neck, my shirt sleeves rolled, my body wound tight enough that I knew she could see it, the hunger.

“You planning on inviting me in,” she said finally, voice smooth, “or should I just let myself in?”

That spark of dominance slid right under my skin, familiar and dangerous. My dick pulsed at the sound of it, at the memory of how she’d commanded me before, how she’d wrung every last shred of control out of me until all I had left was obedience and need.

I moved toward her, slow but deliberate, meeting her at the bottom of my steps. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

Her lips curled. “You rarely expect me, James.”

The way she said my name, too sharp to be tender, too intimate to be casual, sent a jolt through me. I wanted to grip her by the waist, shove her against the door, and taste her mouth until neither of us could breathe. At the same time, I wanted to drop to my knees and hand her every ounce of power I pretended to hold.

“Long day?” she asked, stepping closer until her perfume wrapped around me—dark, floral, commanding.

“You could say that,” I muttered, my voice already strained.

“Amiyah made it… interesting.” Her eyes caught mine, sharp as a blade.

My breath snagged. She’d seen it too, the energy humming between me and Amiyah. Of course, she had. Nothing slipped past her.

“You think I didn’t notice?” she asked softly, almost taunting. “The way you looked at her. The way she looked at you. The way we looked at her.”

My dick was rigid and throbbed so hard it hurt. “Calla…”

She reached up, fingertips grazing my jaw, her touch light but her gaze heavy. “You’re wound too tight, James. I can see it and feel it.” Her thumb slid along my bottom lip, a slow drag that had my knees damn near buckling. “Question is… are you going to let me help you unravel?”

The porch light buzzed overhead, the night air thick, and I knew right then I was past the point of no return.

Her thumb lingered at my lip until I opened the door, until I stepped aside like it was her house and not mine. She didn’t wait for permission. Calla slipped past me with that same air she carried everywhere, like the walls belonged to her, like I was hers.

I shut the door, the soft click of the lock echoing in the silence, and before I could turn, she was already there, pressed against me. Her body heat cut through my clothes, her scent flooding my head.

“You’ve been thinking about me all day,” she murmured against my ear.

I swallowed hard. “You know I have.”

Her laugh was low, dangerous. “And about her.”

The way she spoke about Amiyah made my dick throb and my balls tighten. My rigidity felt like it wanted to split through my slacks. I hated how easy it was for Calla toread me, how she picked at the threads I tried to keep tightly woven.

She pushed me back until my shoulders hit the wall. Her fingers slid down my chest, slow, deliberate, unbuttoning as she went. My shirt opened under her hands, and she didn’t look at me when she said, “You want to dominate Amiyah. I saw it in your eyes. But here…” Her palm flattened against my chest, nails just digging enough to sting. “…here you want me to dominate you.”

I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t deny it.

“Say it,” she whispered.

My throat tightened. “I want you to.”

“You want me to what?” She probed, her fingers applying pressure to my pierced nipple.

“Own me, dominate me, relieve me.” I croaked out, pleasure surging through me.

Her smile was pure wickedness, the kind that made my knees feel unsteady. She shoved her thigh between my legs, pressing against the hard length of me. The friction ripped a groan out of my chest before I could stop it.

“That’s it,” she purred, grinding her thigh up harder. “Let it out. You’ve been playing boss all day. Now you’re mine.”

My hands shook as they gripped the wall behind me. Every ounce of control I held outside this house was slipping, flooding out of me in waves.