Page 140 of Dangerous Men

And then she pulls my mouth down to hers and claims me with an earth-shattering kiss.

50

SYDNEY

I’m sosick of pretending. Sick of running from what I want. From who I am.

Alec’s kiss tastes like everything I’ve ever denied myself. His fingers flex in my hair when he deepens our kiss, his tongue rolling over mine.

He moans when he lifts me, hands firm and hard where they grip my legs, as he carries me to his bed.

God, he’s so beautiful. I stare at him in awe when he breaks our kiss, losing myself in his dark eyes. Alec lowers me on top of his bedspread, body dominating mine as he crawls on top of me, before kissing me again, his tongue savaging my mouth.

But when he presses too hard against my swollen lip and I flinch, everything changes.

Alec stills, his lips hovering over mine, his body lifting just a fraction, so he’s no longer pressing me hard against the mattress. The next kiss is hesitant. Sweet and soft.

Far too soft.

He’s holding back. I grip his shoulders tighter, pulling him against me, but the lips that press against my neck are barely awhisper against my skin. His hands are so gentle as they glide over my ribs, barely touching the fabric of my dress.

Like he’s scared of hurting me. Scared of frightening me away, even now.

“Stop,” I whisper.

Those hands stop moving. Alec’s dark eyes find mine. He waits patiently, his face unreadable.

“I… I want it like before,” I say, wriggling against the mattress. “I want it rough.”

Alec is perfectly still as he considers me, muscles tense.

“Are you sure, Sydney?” he asks.

When I nod, something like victory flashes in his eyes. He shifts, spreading his knees a little further on the bedspread. Then his mouth is on mine, his tongue is slipping between my lips, and the hand that grips my ribs is anything but gentle.

I gasp when he bites down, teeth sharp against my bottom lip, and it’s not just the pain, and it’s not just the sensation that has me arching up against him, hips grinding into his body. It’s the memory of Viper doing this same thing, the memory of him pressing a blood-covered thumb against my tongue.

“More!” I gasp as Alec moves down my jaw, licking and biting at the sensitive skin of my neck.

His hands are rough now, clawing at me, gripping me. There’s a sound of tearing fabric as he grabs my dress and pulls.

“Is this what you want?” Alec’s voice is a dark rasp as he tears my shredded dress off me, tossing it aside. My bra is next, practically torn from my body.

“I wantyou,Alec,” I pant. “I want?—”

I gasp as he bends down and takes my nipple in his mouth, his teeth rough against my flesh. I reach down to grab his hair, tugging at it as he bites down again. It hurts, a sharp jolt of pain.

And I love it.

“Roll over, darling,” Alec says, releasing my nipple. When Idon’t comply fast enough, lost in a haze of sensation, Alec lets out a sound like a growl and grabs me by my hips, flipping me onto my stomach.

Oh fuck.

“Look at you,” Alec says. There’s awe in his voice as he says it, like he’s admiring a work of art. He runs his hand down the small of my back and grabs my ass, fingers digging into my flesh. “Perfection.”

His hand moves to the nape of my neck, and he grips it, pinning me to the mattress with one hand as he pulls my underwear off.

“You want it rough, darling?” Alec asks in a gruff voice, letting go of my neck. “You wantme?”