Page 8 of Shane: His to Possess

“Stop fighting.”

She glared at him. “Never.” That was a lesson she had never learned, and he wouldn’t be the one to teach it to her.

With a long sigh, Shane got to his feet before bending to lift her. Once on her feet, he herded her toward the sink. Mia watched as he rummaged through the medicine cabinet for antibiotic cream and bandages. When he thrust the tube at her, she stared at it with confusion. “What—”

He pointed to the long burn on his neck. “See to it.”

She blinked. “Are you kidding me?” Mia flicked aside the antibiotic cream, and it landed in the sink.

Shane grasped the back of her head, his fingers squeezing her neck as he shoved her face toward the drain. “You did it, so you fix it.”

Clamping her mouth shut to bite back the question of how he planned to fix stealing her away from her life, she picked up the tube. When he released her, she whirled to face him, trying to ignore the fact that they were both naked. She squeezed a gob on her hand and pressed it into the burn, giving him a cold smile when he hissed.

Her fingers shook a bit as she unwrapped the bandages, requiring two to cover the spot. After smoothing on the second one, she dropped her hands and pressed back against the vanity in an attempt to put some space between them. “There.”

“Kiss it.”

Mia blinked. “Huh?”

He put his arm around her waist to pull her back into his arms. “Kiss the boo-boo, baby.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re nuts.”

He smiled slightly. “My mother always kissed the ouchies after she put on the band-aid.”

“I’m not your mother.”

Shane grabbed one of her breasts, squeezing just hard enough to be uncomfortable—but with a strong undercurrent of pleasure. “No, you sure as hell aren’t, but you’re still going to kiss it all better,” he said mockingly.

Mia swallowed, knowing this was some idiotic power game he was playing with her, but not sure how to get out of it. Did she really want him to hurt her again for something so minor? Was she losing the war by surrendering this small battle? Of course not.

Making no attempt to hide her reluctance, she stretched on her tiptoes to brush her mouth against the bandages before looking up at him. “Happy now?”

“Not even close.”

Before she could struggle, he wound his hand in her hair to hold her head immobilized for his kiss. She clamped her mouth shut and glared at him as his lips descended on hers. Her scalp burned when he tightened his grasp on her hair, but she refused to yield.

His body practically vibrated with his frustration right before he bit her lower lip hard enough to make her yelp. His tongue traced the outside contours of her lips, but he didn’t penetrate her mouth. “If you even think about biting me, you’ll be sorry.”

Mia fought internally, trying to decide if she should bite him anyway as his tongue slipped into her mouth. She grazed her teeth against him—more as an experiment than a commitment to biting him—and cried out when he pulled her hair so hard pain radiated throughout her head.

“Behave.” And then he kissed her again, deepening the kiss with confidence, as though he had vanquished her.

Mia wanted to show him differently, to prove to him and herself that no man was going to conquer her, but she froze. She wanted to believe it was because she was afraid of losing hair the next time he pulled, but her innate honesty wouldn’t allow her to lie. His soft and coaxing kiss blew her away, filling her with a mix of conflicting sensations and emotions.

Desire pulsed through her, but her mind tried to force it away. Her body ached for him as he swept his tongue through her mouth with demanding strokes, but her mind screamed that she must not submit.

She almost considered it a win that she had managed not to externally react at all when he lifted his head. Mia tried to keep her gaze impassive as he cradled her face between his hands to kiss her again. He nibbled and licked, causing her lips to soften involuntarily. Eyes closed tightly, she tried to resist the onslaught as long as she could. He battered at her barriers with tenderness until she issued a small whimper, a sigh of desire.

Shane looked satisfied with that small sign of surrender when he lifted his head. “Good girl.”

She glared at him, making a production of wiping her mouth, though the damage was done. He had won that skirmish.

“Let’s get you to bed.” The tone was gentle, but the look was lascivious.

Mia dragged her feet and struggled against his hold as he pulled her forward. Finally, with a curse of annoyance, Shane lifted her into his arms and strode into the bedroom.

She grunted when he tossed her onto the bed, desperately struggling to escape when he dropped down atop her, straddling her stomach. He held her wrists, and it took her a moment to realize he was forcing one back against the headboard.