Page 67 of Dance of Defiance

Roman’s mouth purses, his throat working overtime as he swallows heavily. His bottom lip retreats between his teeth, and fucking hell, it takeseverythingnot to crush my mouth to his, to claim that lip with my teeth.

Also, heneedsto stop staring at me like that. It’s clear he’s drunk. But he’s notthatdrunk. Like, this isn’t “fucked up Roman is out of his mind, and pushing the issue is super questionable” territory.

But heisdrunk enough that he’s tiptoeing right up to that line in the sand that he’s drawn across his sexuality.

Roman clears his throat. “I… I just wanted to apologize.”

I exhale. “It’s cool. I know it was an accident.”

He half smiles, which is seriously fucking adorable.

“So… We're good now?”

I shrug. “I guess.”

He frowns. “That doesn’t sound like a yes.”

No shit, Sherlock.

Roman swallows heavily, that fucking lip of his sinking back between his teeth.

“Tell me…” He hesitates. “Tell me what I can do to make it better.”

My pulse thuds in my ears. My entire body hums with ravenous energy.

He needs to stop looking at me like that.

And hedefinitelyneeds to stop saying shit like that to me in that needy, begging voice.

“Tell me what?—”

“Take off your belt.”

Roman’s entire body tenses—well, except for his eyes, which widen, and his mouth, which falls open a bit.

He takes a heavy drink of beer. “What?”

He’s trembling a little as I step closer to him, looking him dead in the eye as I pluck the beer from his hand and turn, putting it and mine on the table beside us.

“You heard me. Take off your belt, and give it to me.”

He hesitates another few seconds, his chest rising and falling, his eyes flitting over mine. Then he nods and swallows heavily.

“Okay.”

I bite back a groan as he reaches down and undoes his black leather belt. He slides it off his black dress slacks, hesitates for half a second, then hands it to me.

“Turn around. Face the table,” I murmur.

Roman’s face heats.

“W-what?”

His breath catches sharply as I step even closer, my gaze never leaving his.

“Turn around, face the table, and put your fucking hands behind your back.Now.”

There’s no hesitation this time. Fuck me, there’s aneagernessas he trembles and turns to face the high-top.