Page 51 of Twisted Proposal

"I won't be treated like a possession, Artem." I squeezed my hands into fists to stop them from shaking, to keep my composure and my knees from weakening. "You don't own me."

"Your father brought you to me to give you away. He tried to sell you. Instead, I took you." His thumb traced the outline of my bottom lip. "You are mine to do with as I see fit."

His lips slammed against mine, his tongue pushing past my teeth to claim me, possessing my mouth with a hunger that matched the storm raging inside me.

CHAPTER17

ARTEM

This woman was going to be the end of me if I let her.

It wouldn't happen, but I wasn't going to just get rid of her, either. Breaking her was the indulgence I needed—the one weakness I would allow myself.

First, I was going to get control of Viktoria; make her submit to me the way I knew she wanted—her body betrayed that fact even as her mouth spat defiance.

Once she was on her knees in front of me, I'd make the rest of this country follow her lead.

I caged her body against the window, keeping my hand firm on her throat. Her pulse pounded beneath my palm, a wild, frantic rhythm that matched my own.

I held her in place as I devoured her lips, claiming her mouth like the territory it was.

Her hands pressed against my shoulders, her nails digging into my flesh through my shirt, trying to push me away, but her lips met mine, hungry and eager, her tongue darting out to taste me.

My hand tightened around her throat and she gasped, her lips parting on a breathless moan, giving me the perfect opportunity to slide my tongue between her sweet lips, tasting her—mint and rage and desire. Her taste was intoxicating, more potent than any vodka I'd ever sampled.

No, Viktoria wasn't some confused little girl. She knew exactly what she wanted. She just didn't want to admit what her body craved, what it screamed for with every trembling inch.

I broke the kiss and took a single step back, releasing her throat.

She stood there panting, her chest heaving, lips swollen from my assault, eyes wide and wild. The battle within her was written on her face—fire and desire warring for dominance.

I was so focused on how beautiful her eyes looked, a stormy blue brighter and more alluring than the city skyline behind her, that I didn't see her hand coming.

Not until it slammed across my face hard enough that my head snapped to the side and I tasted copper, the metallic tang of blood blooming on my tongue where my teeth had cut into my cheek.

The little minx had more fight in her than most of my men. Why did that make my cock throb painfully against my zipper? Why did the sting of her palm against my cheek make me want to bend her over the nearest surface and make her scream my name?

"Don't you dare touch me," she seethed, her chest rising and falling rapidly.

For all of a second, I believed she meant it—until she lunged at me, grabbing fistfuls of my T-shirt in her delicate hands, bunching the fabric as she pulled me against her.

She sealed her lips against mine with such force our teeth clashed, the kiss a violent collision of need and hatred.

Viktoria was a wild one, untamed and feral, and breaking her was going to be the most challenging and rewarding thing I had ever done. My blood sang with anticipation at the thought alone.

I grabbed her hips, my fingers digging into the soft flesh hard enough to leave bruises, and lifted her up in one fluid motion.

Her legs wrapped around my waist instinctively, her heat pressing against the rigid length of my cock.

Her hands threaded into my hair, nails scraping my scalp as she pulled my head back, putting my lips at the perfect angle for her to devour them. She bit my bottom lip, hard enough to hurt, and a growl rumbled in my chest.

I held her there for just a second, letting her think she had control, watching her gaze cloud with power and lust.

Then I moved, fast and brutal, pulling my lips away and spinning us, slamming her back into the wall with enough force to knock the breath from her lungs in a delicious gasp. I pinned her hips with my own, grinding against her center, and wrapped my hand around her throat again, feeling her swallow against my palm.

"What do you think you're doing, little girl," I whispered in her ear, pressing my hard cock against her lower stomach, letting her feel what she was doing to me, and what was waiting for her if she kept on her current path.

"I said don't fucking touch me."