Page 59 of The Sterling Acquisition (Manufactured Mates #1)

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Dante murmured, his fingers already working on the buttons of Orion’s shirt with a deliberate patience that belied the fire in his veins. Each button revealed another inch of flushed skin, Orion’s chest rising and falling with uneven breaths.

“I’m not going easy on you just because of some mystical bonding bullshit that crazy old woman fed us,” Orion bit out, his voice sharp but his body leaning ever so slightly into Dante’s touch, betraying his words.

“Good,” Dante replied, his mouth finding the sensitive spot just below Orion’s ear. He sucked hard, drawing a sharp gasp from Orion as his teeth grazed the skin. “I’d be disappointed if you did.”

Orion’s response was immediate—his hand shot up, grabbing a fistful of Dante’s hair and yanking his head back with a force that stung. The pain sent a jolt of heat straight to Dante’s cock. “Prove it,” Orion challenged, his eyes bright with a mix of defiance and want.

What followed was their familiar dance, foreplay masquerading as a fistfight.

Orion lunged, biting at Dante’s throat hard enough to leave marks, the sharp sting of teeth against sensitive flesh sending electric currents down Dante’s spine.

Dante retaliated with a sharp slap to Orion’s face, the sound echoing in the quiet room as Orion’s breath hitch gasped, his body jerking in response.

But there was something new in their struggle now—moments of startling connection amid the chaos. Dante could sense Orion’s reactions with uncanny precision, anticipating the way his body tensed before a strike, the way his breath quickened before a taunt.

Dante caught Orion’s wrists and pinned them above his head against the couch.

He watched the conflict play across Orion’s features—defiance, excitement, arousal—as his body arched instinctively into the restraint.

Dante’s knee pressed between Orion’s thighs, grinding against his cock through the fabric.

“You’re still in heat, Orion, I can smell it,” he said against Orion’s neck, breathing in his scent before biting down on the tender skin there.

“Shut the fuck up,” Orion gasped.

Leaning down, Dante took Orion into his mouth through the pants at first, teasing with pressure, before freeing him with a quick tug of fabric.

When his lips finally wrapped around Orion’s cock, hot and wet, Orion arched up into his mouth.

For maybe ten seconds, his body went pliant, hips rolling upward without conscious thought, his freed hands tangling in Dante’s hair.

Then Orion seemed to catch himself, muscles locking as he fought to regain control, horrified by his own vulnerability.

He pulled Dante’s hair, yanking hard enough to force his head back with a sharp sting.

“Enough,” he snapped, but the flush on his cheeks and the dilation of his pupils told a different story.

“We can’t be doing this all night if we have to do shit in the morning. ”

“We could die tomorrow, so I’d rather spend the night fucking some of this defiance out of you,” Dante replied, enjoying the way Orion’s eyes widened, a flicker of uncertainty breaking through his bravado.

He used that moment to flip Orion onto his stomach, pressing him into the couch cushions with a firm hand between his shoulder blades.

“You told me not to treat you like glass. Let’s see how much you can take. ”

Orion thrashed under him, snarling curses, but Dante’s weight kept him pinned.

With a swift movement, Dante grabbed a nearby belt—his own, discarded earlier in their fight—and looped it around Orion’s wrists, binding them behind his back.

The leather bit into Orion’s skin just enough to make him hiss, his struggles renewing with fresh vigor.

“Fuck you, Dante,” Orion spat, but his voice trembled at the edges, his body shuddering as Dante’s hand slid down his spine, lingering at the curve of his ass.

Dante delivered a sharp slap to Orion’s backside, the sound loud in the quiet room, followed by a low whimper of approval as Orion’s hips jerked in response.

“That’s right,” Dante murmured, rubbing his hand gently over the reddened area. “You feel that sting? That’s just the start. You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to spank this ass.”

Another slap, harder this time, landed on the other cheek, and Orion’s body tensed, a sharp gasp escaping before he bit it back.

His face was pressed into the cushion, but Dante could see the flush spreading down his neck, the way his thighs trembled.

“You’re always such a brat about this. You think you’re so fucking tough,” Dante continued, his hand rubbing over the reddened skin before delivering another sharp strike.

“But look at you, shaking under me. You’re dying to let go, aren’t you? ”

Orion’s snarl was muffled by the cushion, but he twisted his head to glare over his shoulder, his eyes burning with a mix of fury and reluctant heat. “I’ll fucking kill you if you slap my ass again. ”

Dante’s grin was feral. “Oh, I’m counting on you to try.

” He leaned down, his teeth sinking into the meat of Orion’s shoulder, hard enough to leave a bruise as Orion hissed, his body arching despite himself.

Dante’s hand slid between Orion’s thighs, fingers finding the slick heat there, teasing at his entrance with a slow, deliberate pressure.

“But first, I’m going to open you up so nice and slow.

Make you beg for every finger, every inch, until you’re sobbing for my cock. ”

Orion’s breath came in sharp pants, his body trembling under the dual assault of pain and pleasure. “I don’t beg,” he bit out, but the words lacked conviction as Dante’s finger pressed inside.

“You will,” Dante promised, his voice a low growl as he added a second finger, scissoring them to stretch Orion further.

Orion let out a low moan and another gush of slick coated Dante’s fingers, his hips rocking back for more contact.

“Look at you, so tight and trembling and fucking yourself on my fingers. Don’t know what the fuck to do with yourself, do you? ”

Orion’s nails dug into his palms behind his back, the belt creaking as he pulled against it. “Fuck—off,” he gasped. “I can handle this. I can handle you.”

“Oh, I know you can,” Dante purred, his fingers curling inside Orion to press against that sensitive spot, drawing a sharp, involuntary moan that Orion tried to muffle against the cushion.

“I’m gonna take you apart piece by piece tonight, baby.

I’m not holding back. I’m gonna spank you raw, tie you down, fuck you until you can’t walk straight. ”

Another hard slap landed, followed by a third, each one punctuated by Orion’s yelps that turned into a moan, his body shaking with the mix of pain and pleasure.

Dante watched every reaction, every shiver, every flush of skin, drinking in the way Orion’s resolve cracked with each blow.

When he added a third finger, stretching Orion wider, Orion’s head snapped back with a raw, broken sound, his uncertainty flickering through as he struggled to adjust, his breath coming in quick, panicked bursts.

“Too much?” Dante pressed, his tone mocking as he rubbed soothing circles over the reddened skin he’d just struck, his fingers still working inside. “Or not enough? Tell me, baby, tell me how much you want my cock.”

Orion’s glare was venomous over his shoulder, tears glistening in his eyes, but his voice trembled when he spoke. “I’m not—fuck, I’m not your goddamn baby.” Yet his hips pushed back, chasing the stretch, the burn, the overwhelming fullness, even as his words fought it.

Dante’s laugh was dark. He pulled his fingers free, relishing Orion’s sharp gasp at the sudden emptiness, before undoing his own pants with a quick, efficient motion.

His cock was already hard, leaking at the tip, and he pressed it against Orion’s slick entrance, not pushing in yet, just teasing with the promise of it.

“You’re mine tonight,” he growled. “And I’m gonna fuck that fight right out of you. ”

Orion’s breath came in ragged pants, his body trembling under the weight of Dante’s words, the threat and promise of them.

He tugged at the belt around his wrists, his uncertainty showing in the way his movements faltered for a moment, not sure whether to fight or submit.

“Untie me, you sick fuck,” he gasped, but the words were undercut by the way his body pressed back against Dante, seeking the pressure, the heat.

“You love it.” Dante didn’t wait any longer.

He pressed forward, the head of his cock breaching Orion slowly, the tight, wet heat making him groan low in his throat.

Orion’s breath caught, a small, uncertain sound escaping as he adjusted to the intrusion, his body tensing then relaxing in quick, confused waves.

Dante held still for a moment, letting Orion feel every inch, letting the stretch and burn settle, before pulling back and thrusting in again, deeper this time.

“Fuck,” Orion gasped, his voice breaking as his body shuddered under Dante’s weight. His bound hands flexed uselessly, his thighs trembling with the effort of holding himself together, of not giving in completely. “Fuck, Dante—”

“That’s it,” Dante growled, his pace picking up, each thrust harder, deeper, claiming. “Take it. Take every fucking inch. You’re so tight, so perfect around me, even when you’re fighting it. But you’re not fighting now, are you? Not really.”

Orion’s head dropped forward, every breath accompanied by a keening moan as Dante fucked into him, relentless and rough. “Too deep,” he gasped.

Dante’s hand tangled in Orion’s hair, yanking his head back to expose his throat.

He nuzzled against his neck, breathing in that electric marshmallowy scent before sinking his teeth into his delicious flesh.

“You love it,” Dante growled against his skin, his voice thick with lust. “You love being fucked like this. You’re coming apart for me, Orion, and I’m gonna keep fucking you until there’s nothing left to fight. ”

Orion’s body shuddered, his breath hitching as Dante’s words and thrusts pushed him closer to the edge.

His uncertainty flickered through again, a momentary hesitation as he gasped, “I—I don’t—” but the rest was lost in a raw moan as Dante angled his hips to hit that spot inside him, making his entire body lock up with pleasure.

“Cum for me,” Dante ordered, his voice a rough command as he slapped Orion’s thigh one last time, the sharp sting tipping him over the edge. Orion’s cry was broken, desperate, as he came, his body clenching tight around Dante, trembling with the force of it.

Dante followed soon after, his own release hitting hard, a guttural groan escaping as he spilled inside Orion His thrusts slowed, drawing out the aftershocks for both of them, until they were both panting, slick with sweat, the air heavy with the scent of sex.

For a long moment, neither moved, their breaths ragged in the silence. Dante finally pulled out slowly, relishing Orion’s sharp gasp at the loss, before undoing the belt around his wrists. Orion’s arms fell limp, red marks from the leather stark against his skin.

They collapsed in a tangle of limbs, skin slick with sweat and other fluids, breathing ragged as they came down from the high. Neither spoke, the silence filled with the sound of their gradually slowing heartbeats.

“That was...” Orion started, then stopped, searching for words that wouldn’t reveal too much.

“Yes,” Dante agreed, understanding what Orion couldn’t bring himself to say.

The bite mark on his neck tingled pleasantly, a reminder of whatever strange connection had formed between them. Dante could feel Orion’s emotions settling into something calmer, the usual storm of defiance and wariness temporarily quieted.