Page 23 of Brutal Reign

The tease in his voice makes something deep inside me clench. I’m not usually so forward, but for once, I don’t want to play it safe.

I reach under the table and rest my hand on his thigh, keeping it there long enough to feel the way his muscles shift beneath my palm. I expect him to joke, to flirt back with some slick line, but instead he goes still, eyes fixed on mine as if I’ve caught him off guard.

I start to pull back, a little embarrassed, but then I feel his hand cover mine, holding it there.

“That’s part of the appeal,” I admit.

“I want to know exactly what you like,” he murmurs.

Our eyes lock, and I swallow hard.

“I like books where the hero fights for the heroine. Where he’s possessive and a little dangerous, but kind to her. Where he loses control because he can’t help himself .” I can’t believe I’m admitting this, but it’s like he put some kind of truth serum in my drink, and I can’t hold back. “I like when he’s so obsessed he’d burn the world down before letting anyone hurt his woman.” His gaze turns molten, and I find myself blurting, “What do you find attractive in women?”

“Intelligence, first and foremost. Someone who challenges me, who’s survived things that would break other people.” His thumb traces over my knuckles, sending shivers up my arm. “Someone who still believes in happy endings despite everything.”

“That’s...very specific.”

“I know what I want.” His voice drops lower. “What about you?”

I should deflect, but alcohol and attraction have loosened my tongue. “Someone strong enough to make me feel safe. Someone who takes control so I don’t have to think about anything except my pleasure.”

The words, more daring than I meant, hang between us. His pupils flare, dark and hungry.

“You’re dangerous,” I breathe, surprised at how much I’ve given away.

“Only if you want me to be, Lily.”

God help me, I do.

This is it, the point of no return. I could leave, slip back to my lonely flat and let regret gnaw at me all night, but I don’t want to. I want this.

“My flat’s ten minutes from here.”

His smile fades, replaced by something dark and intense. “Are you sure?”

We lock eyes for a moment that stretches, everything around us falling away.

“I’m sure. But this can only be one night. My life is too complicated for anything more.”

He reaches across the table, his touch featherlight along my jaw. “Then let’s make every second count.”

CHAPTER

NINE

HOPE

The secondwe make it to my front door, I feel his presence surround me.

Before I can fish my keys from my pocket, his hands are on me, firm on my waist, turning me around and backing me up against the door with a rough press of his body. He leans down and captures my lips with his own.

His mouth tastes like whiskey and a hint of mint. His body presses close, the heat of him seeping through my clothes, muscles shifting as he crowds me against the door. He kisses me deeper, tongue gliding against mine, stealing the breath right out of my lungs.

Every inch of him is solid, big, overwhelming, and the rough scrape of his stubble has me shivering, heat coiling low in my belly. I arch into him without thinking, desperate for more, dizzy from the feel of him everywhere.

I want more. So much more. But I'm also painfully aware that we're standing in my hallway, and anyone can walk out of their unit at any second.

We come apart on a gasp, and I fumble with the keys. “Hang on,” I pant. I can barely get the key into the lock; I’m shaking so badly.