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“I happen to like control.”
“I happen to like a little chaos.”
I huffed. “Clearly. What about Bones? Does he like chaos, too?”
“He’s more like you. Cautious.”
“Cautious is good.”
“Cautious is boring.” Lotto’s smirk grew wider as he rose from his chair, closing the distance between us. He reached out to brush a strand of hair from my face, his touch sending a jolt of electricity through me.
His proximity made it difficult for me to focus on anything but him. I found myself leaning toward him, wanting to feel his arms around me again.
But I resisted the urge and pulled away from his touch. “We can’t do this here. We shouldn’t?—”
Lotto raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”
“It’s not right,” I said, standing up from my chair. I needed to put some distance between us before I did something I would regret.
Lotto followed me, his eyes never leaving mine. “Who’s to say what’s right or wrong? Lotto caught up to me, grabbed my arm and turned me toward him. “Stop trying to take control of the situation.”
“I am in control.”
Lotto’s grip on my arm was firm, but not painful. His gaze bore into mine, the desire in them obvious. It mirrored my own.
He leaned in closer, his breath warm on my face. “No, angel. You aren’t.”
Lotto walked us backward until my back hit the wall, pinning me there. He brought his free hand up my side, stopping just below my breast. I gasped at the contact, my heart racing.
“Stop.” I pushed at his chest.
Lotto searched my gaze. “Is this what you want, angel?”
I nodded, unable to find my voice. I was dizzy with desire, my body aching for his touch.
“I don’t like being lied to, angel. There’s consequences for that.”
Lotto cupped my breast, brushing his thumb over my nipple through my shirt’s fabric. I couldn’t help the moan that escaped my lips as he leaned in to kiss me. His lips were soft, but his kiss was anything but. It was possessive, demanding, and I responded, no matter how loud the warning bells going off in my head were.
I tangled my hands in his hair as I deepened the kiss, my body pressed against his. His arousal pressed against my hip and only served to fuel my own desire.
Lotto pulled away, leaving me breathless and wanting. His eyes were dark with desire as he gazed down at me. “If you want this, angel, you have to give me control.”
I nodded, unable to find my voice. I trusted Lotto, even if I didn’t fully understand why.
“Full control.”
I nodded again, unsure if I truly wanted to, but my body seemed to have a mind of its own.
Yes. No. Maybe. Yes…
He smirked, then leaned in to whisper in my ear. “Good girl.”
Chapter 16
Lotto
“Who’s in charge here?” I asked in a calm, even tone, although a hunger and desire nearly buckled me at the knees.
This woman had a hold on me I couldn’t describe. I couldn’t understand.
But one thing I did know.
Ari craved dominance. She practically begged for it. I could smell it on her. It sizzled from every pore on her body.
She chuckled with an eye roll. “If you expect for me to say you are. Then you’re delusional.”
“I don’t expect you to say anything,” I countered as I cleared the distance between us to take a firm grip of her arm. “I plan on making you say it.”
Her laugh, a mixture of defiance and anticipation, danced through the charged air between us. “Oh? And how do you plan on doing that?” Ari’s response was laced with a challenge, her eyes shimmering with the complexity of lightning—fleeting yet unforgettable.
I leaned in closer, my lips brushing against the shell of her ear as I whispered, “By learning what you can’t resist.”
A subtle shift in her stance suggested a softening around the edges of her iron-clad will. I was on the right track.
She pulled back slightly to meet my gaze head-on, her arm still in my grasp. “You think you can figure me out?” she queried, skepticism threading through her words. Beneath it all was an unspoken invitation—a silent dare for me to unearth the layers she hid behind.
In response, I simply smiled. “I don’t think, Ari. I know.”
Confidence surged within me like a tidal wave ready to sweep over everything she’d set up to protect herself.
The room around us seemed to shrink as the tension built, waiting for release. For a moment, we stood locked in this battle of wills until finally, I eased my grip and traced a gentle path down her arm with my fingertips.
Ari’s breath hitched slightly at the contact, and her pulse at the base of her throat fluttered—a small victory.
“You have your work cut out for you,” she said after a brief silence, stepping away from me but not out of reach—a signal that our dance was far from over.
