Page 77 of The Rules

But then, his smirk deepened, and Kath recognized the finality in his expression. "And that's not why I came here tonight," he added, effectively slamming the door shut on the brief moment of vulnerability he had allowed her to witness.

Katherine exhaled slowly, recognizing the shift in the atmosphere. Whatever had prompted Ben's rare display of openness had passed, and they were back on familiar ground – the game they had been playing for weeks, a dance of seduction and power that neither of them seemed willing to abandon.

Kath stepped forward, her mask settling into place like a second skin as she approached him. That practiced confidence—her most reliable weapon—enveloped her, readying her for the familiar dance of teasing words and calculated touches that had always kept her firmly in command.

But before she could deploy a single practiced line, Ben moved with unexpected purpose. His fingers circled her wrist—not roughly, but with an unmistakable authority that permitted no resistance. Katherine's pulse betrayed her beneath his touch, hammering against the point where skin met skin, though her face remained a study in composure as he guided her downward with deliberate intent.

"You didn't think I forgot, did you?" His voice cut through the space between them, dark as midnight and heavy with intentions.

Kath tilted her head, clinging to her coy facade even as electricity raced across her skin from the anchor point of his grip. "Forgot what, Mr. S.?" The question hung in the air, her controlled tone at odds with the sudden vulnerability she fought to conceal.

His grip tightened slightly on her wrist - not painful, but a clear warning that tonight would be different. This wasn't their usual game. This was collection.

"You gave me something," Ben murmured, his smirk sharp and knowing. "And they interrupted us last time."

His hands traced over her thighs with slow, possessive strokes that made her breath catch.

"Now it's my turn." His voice dripped with dark promise.

There was no question in his tone, no room for debate.

Just pure certainty. Katherine's body responded instantly, betraying her before she could even think to protest. Her breathleft her in a rush, like he'd pushed every coherent thought from her mind. Her knees parted slightly of their own accord.

She surrendered herself to his dominance, acutely aware that Ben's touch wasn't mere exploration—it was possession.

Each press of his fingers staked territory, marked boundaries only he dared cross. Tonight, she recognized the dangerous glint in his eyes—he wouldn't stop until her body carried the memory of his ownership in every trembling nerve ending.

Kath expected his usual pattern - the teasing brush of fingers, the slow build of tension. That's how their dance always began. But tonight, Ben had other plans.

His mouth found her throat without warning, lips ghosting over her skin in the lightest caress before pressing more firmly. The unexpected intimacy made her pulse jump, and when his teeth grazed that sensitive spot just below her jaw, her breath caught sharply in her throat.

Ben hummed against her skin, the sound vibrating through her. "Sensitive here, aren't you?" His voice held that infuriating note of satisfaction, like he'd discovered exactly what he was looking for.

She pressed her lips together, refusing to give him the response he wanted. She wouldn't let him win that easily, wouldn't admit how much his touch affected her.

But Ben didn't need her words. He sank his teeth into that same spot, not hard enough to mark but with clear intent.

The sensation shot straight through her, drawing an involuntary gasp from her lips.

She felt his smile against her skin, felt his satisfaction in the way his hands tightened on her hips. He'd gotten exactly what he wanted - proof that she couldn't maintain her careful control, not when he touched her like this.

Her skin blazed beneath his fingers, each contact point igniting currents that scorched through her veins and settled deep in her core.

When his mouth began its deliberate descent, claiming territory his hands had already conquered, her pulse crashed likethunder against her ribcage. His lips mapped the swell of her breasts with devastating precision, his breath searing through the flimsy barrier of lace. The slick, hot drag of his tongue against dampening fabric wrenched a tightness deep in her abdomen, and when his teeth caught the sensitive peak beneath, Katherine's spine bowed sharply, her body surrendering what her pride wouldn't—offering herself to the exquisite torment of his mouth.

"You like that," Ben growled against her flesh, dark satisfaction saturating his voice. The rumble of his words vibrated straight to her bones.

Kath's breath fractured in her lungs, escaping in ragged fragments. Her frame quaked beneath his relentless attention, a shameless confession written in tremors and silent pleas. Language abandoned her—any denial would die on her tongue.

Pretense had become pointless. He read her responses like sacred text—felt the truth in every involuntary shudder, every choked gasp, every instinctive press against the commanding grip of his hands.

She felt the fabric slide down, Ben's fingers following with slow, deliberate precision. Her skin buzzed in the wake of his touch, every nerve alive and begging. She was soaking wet, throbbing with need, her body already wound so tight she could barely think.

When his mouth claimed her breast—hot, greedy, unrelenting—her breath snagged in her throat. His tongue circled her nipple with maddening control, every stroke calculated to undo her. The slick heat of him made her hips twitch, a helpless grind against nothing, chasing friction.

Her hands shot to his head, fingers tangling in his hair.

She held him there—firm, decisive. Not pleading. Possessing. The thrill of it—of holding him to her like that—sent a wicked pulse straight through her. She had him. And fuck, that power turned her on more than she could stand.