He started on his shirt buttons.Each one that came undone revealed more of his chest -- defined muscle and dark skin and a few scars that told stories I probably didn’t want to know.
“What has changed,” he continued, his eyes never leaving mine, “is your understanding of the private terms.The ones I made very clear at The Velvet Room but that you chose to ignore because they didn’t fit your narrative of control.”
“I didn’t ignore them --”
“You hoped they wouldn’t mean what I said they meant.”Another button undone.Another inch of skin revealed.“You thought you could negotiate around them once we were married.Find loopholes.Maintain boundaries.But Caterina…” He pulled his shirt free from his pants, began rolling up the sleeves.“There are no loopholes in my contracts.No boundaries in my bed.I told you that you’d belong to me completely, and I meant it.”
My back hit the window.I hadn’t realized I’d been retreating until the cool glass pressed against me through the thin silk of my wedding dress.Dante closed the remaining distance, placing one hand on the glass beside my head.Not touching me but trapping me.Caging me with his body.
“So here’s what’s going to happen.”His voice dropped lower.More intimate.“I’m going to take off this very expensive dress that’s been driving me insane all evening.Then I’m going to make you mine in every way that matters.You can fight it, if you want.Make this harder on yourself.Or you can accept what you signed up for and try to find pleasure in it.”
“This isn’t what I --”
“Yes, it is.”His free hand came up to cup my face, forcing me to meet his gaze.“You knew what I was.What I am.The reputation, the violence, the control.You chose this because you thought it was the lesser evil.Maybe it is.Maybe it isn’t.But either way, it’s too late to back out now.”
His hand left my face and moved to my back, finding the tiny buttons just above my ass.
“Dante --” My voice came out breathy, panicked.
“Breathe.”His lips were at my ear now, his body pressed close enough that I could feel the heat of him.“Just breathe and let this happen.Fighting only makes it more intense, and, princess, I don’t think you’re ready for intense yet.”
The buttons were along the lower part of my spine.Cool air hit my back as the dress loosened.Dante’s hands were there immediately, sliding under the fabric, his palms warm against my skin.
I shivered.Not entirely from fear.
“That’s it.Your body knows what it wants even if your mind is still fighting.We’ll get them aligned eventually.”
He peeled the dress forward off my shoulders.The expensive silk whispered against my skin as it fell, pooling at my feet in a puddle of white that looked like surrender.I stood there in nothing but the bridal lingerie I’d chosen -- white lace that suddenly felt like the most transparent thing I’d ever worn.
Dante stepped back slightly, his gaze raking over me with an intensity that made me feel both exposed and claimed.His hand came up to loosen his belt, the leather sliding free with a sound that made my pulse jump.
“Beautiful,” he said.Not as a compliment.As an observation.A notation of something that belonged to him.“I knew you would be.But seeing it, seeing you like this, knowing you’re mine…” His hand moved to the front of his pants.“It’s better than I imagined.”
“I’m not an object --”
“Tonight you are.”He closed the distance again, his hands on my waist.“Tonight you’re exactly what I want you to be.Tomorrow we can go back to you maintaining your illusion of independence.But right now, in this moment, you’re going to stop talking and start feeling.”
His mouth came down on mine before I could respond.Not the claiming kiss from the ceremony.This was something else -- demanding but not cruel, consuming but with an edge of control that suggested he was holding back more than he was giving.
His hands moved over my body, learning the curves and dips, finding sensitive spots I hadn’t known I had.When his thumb brushed over my nipple through the lace, I gasped against his mouth.He swallowed the sound, his other hand tightening at my waist.
“There it is,” he murmured against my lips.“There’s the response you’ve been trying to hide.”
He lifted me suddenly, his hands under my thighs.I gasped again, my arms going around his neck instinctively.He carried me through the penthouse, down a hallway, into what had to be his bedroom.
The bed was massive.King-size, maybe larger.Dark sheets that looked expensive and felt like sin when he laid me down on them.He followed me down, his body covering mine, his weight pressing me into the mattress in a way that should have been suffocating but somehow wasn’t.
“Last chance,” he said, his hands already working at removing the scraps of lace I wore.“Say stop and I will.We’ll wait.I’ll give you time to adjust.But, Caterina…” His eyes locked on mine.“If you don’t stop me now, I’m not stopping until morning.Until I’ve claimed every inch of you and you understand exactly who you belong to.”
I opened my mouth.The word “stop” was right there, ready to be spoken.
I didn’t say it.
Couldn’t say it.Because as terrifying as this was, as much as my mind was screaming warnings, my body was already responding to his touch.Already arching into his hands.Already wanting more even though I knew better.
Dante’s smile was dark with satisfaction.“Good girl.”
Then his mouth was on my throat, his hands removing the last barriers between us, and I was lost.
