Page 113 of Possess Me

“What constitutes them as being bad?”

He took his time hunkering down, allowing the pup to jump all over him. My sister had been right. You could tell everything you needed to know about a man and his character by how he treated animals. I was falling way too fast and hard for the man.

There was no such thing as love at first sight. The proper thing to do was to spend weeks if not months getting to know each other before entertaining emotions.

He rose to his feet, nodding toward the dog’s bed and I’d be damned if Bella didn’t dutifully trot toward her fluffy bed, harrumphing when she lay down.

“Anything I deem as so.”

“So powerful. So demanding. Tell me something. Do you always get what you want?”

“Always.”

The moment I pressed my hands against his chest, taking a step away, I knew the thought was foolish.

But I went through with my moment of conviction if for no other reason than to try to resolve the fledgling feeling of guilt.

“This, what we’re doing is…”

“Wrong?” he asked, finishing my awkward sentence.

“Yes. No.” I laughed nervously. “Maybe. I’m not my sister. I know you want her, not me. If you haven’t figured that out by now, you will very quickly. Like you, she commanded every room she walked into. I settled into the shadows, praying no one would notice me. She was graceful where I’m forceful. She was beautiful where I’m just… ordinary. She was perfect where I’m about as imperfect as you can get and?—”

“Ssshhh…” he whispered as he placed his finger over my lips, stopping me from continuing. “We need to get something straight right here, right now and I don’t want to talk about this again. I adored Megan. I never lied to you about that. However, there is no comparison in the two of you.”

A sudden horrible feeling pooled into my stomach. He’d realized I was a terrible imposter. Why did it hurt so much? “Then we?—”

“We will need to work on your obedience, Fallon. You’re going to let me finish. It’s obvious to me you have no understanding of just how beautiful you are. There is no possibility that you could enter a room whether filled with monsters or kings where you wouldn’t outshine the lot of them. Yes, you’re forceful, refusing to back down to any act of danger or anyone who dares get in your way. Does that infuriate the hell out of me? Yes, it does, but your determination, your utter defiance to work against all the odds is something I admire. In fact, everything about you from the look in your eyes to the way you carry yourself leaves me breathless, filled with such desperate need I can’t think clearly.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, baby. Hear me. You’re the one I want and if you dare think you’ll ever be allowed to run away from me, you’ll learn exactly what I’m capable of. You are mine, Fallon Zimmerman. Mine.”

There were no additional words needed. The air between us crackled with the very desperate need he’d mentioned.

As he consumed my mouth, he pushed me backwards, catching me with such ease I almost stumbled. Suddenly, I could no longer feel my feet. I could no longer think clearly and in truth, that was exactly the way I wanted to feel.

If only for tonight.

We were suddenly inside a bedroom, Vissarian kicking the door shut. The massive exterior doors were open, allowing the ocean breeze to drift through the sheer curtains. Every scent heightened the moment. His explosive testosterone and deep musk, the salty grit of the ocean, and the fragrance of dozens of blooms from species I’d never seen before.

Another perfect setting. Another breathless moment.

Yet we only had eyes for each other.

When he broke the kiss, he whispered words in Russian and I honestly didn’t care what he’d said. Just hearing him speak, the deep inflections as he kissed my cheek and jaw, rolling his lips to my neck was the only thing that mattered.

Even though I wanted nothing more than to rip off his clothes, he wasn’t having any of it. Or of me trying to take control.

He kissed me passionately, darting his tongue inside and where I was used to him taking full control, tonight he was gently exploring. Maybe he believed me breakable. Maybe he’d expected I would fall apart as I had in the beginning. When he took a step away, I reached for him.

“I need to see you, Fallon. All of you.”

“You’ve seen all of me.”

“No, I need you to show meallof you. Don’t hold anything back. You’re safe with me. And you are so goddamn wanted.”

Perhaps his words allowed me to feel the final jolt of freedom that I’d wished for my entire life. The perfect boyfriend. The perfect house. The perfect life. Maybe there was no such thing, but when I was with Vissarian, nothing else mattered. Isn’t that what all love stories were made of?