Page 39 of House of Payne

I want her to beg for me, desperately, and she isn’t there yet.

It’s been a long time since I’ve had someone who made my blood pound this way.

Before I can further indulge myself, she pushes me away. Do I sense some reluctance? For a moment, it seemed like she wanted the kiss.

“Why would you do that?” She moves away from me and toward the safety of the bookcases. “I have a boyfriend.”

She’s unaware of what’s coming, which is fine. I’ll delight in seeing her change as she comes to the revelation. I’ll enjoy watching it hit her slowly. “I already told you that as long as you work for me, you don’t.”

She looks shocked as I move closer to her. She is so vulnerable, so confused, so innocent. It’s almost more than I can bear. I harden at thethought.

I want to consume her.

Until I erase all memories of that boy and banish them to the farthest reaches of the earth.

I need her to forget that he’s ever touched her or tasted her.

When I’m done, London will be thoroughly mine.

“I have a boyfriend right now,” she repeats. “You can’t kiss me until I end things with him.”

I move in like a hunter, place my arm on the bookcase behind her, and leverage my body over hers. I glare down, delighting in the beautiful array of emotions on her face.

“Boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife,” I whisper into her ear. “None of that matters to me. I want you. You’re mine.”

Her eyes widen, and I want her even more. Is it possible for someone to be sexier each time I look at them? What about her makes me lust so intensely?

I don’t need to understand it because I’ve got her for at least a year. Maybe that will be all it takes to satisfy this craving.

“You can’t honestly believe that.” She looks at me in horror. “You must care at least a little.”

I laugh at her innocence. Why would she think I care about anything?

She’s caught off guard by my laughter, and I grab her chin again. I look her right in those doe eyes and see a shift within her. She’s starting to see it. Maybe with this understanding, we can move toward where I want to be with her.

“Read the fucking room.” My growl causes her to tremble. “You think your boyfriend will protect you? If my men come in and burn your house down, what will he do? If I break your father’s legs, will he come after me? Don’t lie to me and tell me you honestly think he’ll do something. Why then, should I care that you have a boyfriend?”

I give her time to think about this and watch as she’s overcome byhelplessness. She needs to know that I’m telling the truth, and I see the shift. She knows there’s nothing her boyfriend can do for her now.

“Goldie, I take what I want,” I assure her. “No one can stop me. I know you can sense it. If I want you, you’re mine. And I want you, London. Nothing, not even whatever ridiculous delusions of love and loyalty you have, will get in the way of that.”

At that, I kiss her again. This time, I press my body against hers in a display of dominance. She’s all mine, and I indulge in her taste and scent. It’s everything I’ve dreamed of and more.

I feel her melt into me. Her body loosens. She wants me; I sense it. Her fight is dying and…

She pushes me away.

I can’t believe it.

She pushes me away so forcefully that I take an involuntary step back. A burst of anger and frustration erupts within me as I stare at her, her body still pressed up against the bookshelf.

Can’t she tell that fighting me is useless?

I can almost see her heart pounding.

“I have a boyfriend,” she repeats. My fucking God, I’m so tired of hearing about it. “I love him with my whole heart, and he loves me, too. What we have between us is special and irreplaceable. I would never trade him for you.”

I laugh though I’m not amused. I want her. I deserve her. I bought her.