Page 62 of Take Me Darkly

I pressed two fingers to the bridge of my nose, exhaling a slow, controlled breath. Through the wall, the muffled sounds of the couple next door reached a steady, rhythmic rhythm. Serena stood watching me, her posture shifting from confusion to quiet caution.

“Anton—”

“Come here,” I growled.

She moved toward me, reading the dangerous shift in the room. The moment she reached my space, I caught her by the wrist, pulled her back against the stone wall, and pinned her shoulders gently against the surface.

“I asked for your truth,” I said, my voice rough and low against her face. “This is me processing it.”

“I didn’t mean to anger you.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Serena.” I dragged my thumb over the hollow of her throat, feeling the rapid, frantic flutter of her pulse. “You were honest.”

Her blue eyes searched mine. “So what happens now?”

I looked at her for a long, heavy beat. The low light caught the curve of her collarbone, highlighting the amethyst pendant resting in the hollow of her throat. My gaze swept over her bare shoulders, down the slinky black fabric of her gown, taking in every exquisite curve that I had zero intention of ever yielding to another living soul.

I had spent my life believing that physical pleasure was the only honest, unencumbered currency in a dark world.

I no longer believed that. Not with her.

I didn’t want the freedom to take anyone I pleased anymore. I only wanted Serena. And I needed her to want only me.

“I’m not sharing you,” I stated, my voice dropping into a low, absolute vow. “I won’t. I can’t.”

I pushed off the wall, sat on the edge of the dark satin bed, and held out my hand to her. “That is my decision regarding your truth. I’m sorry, princess. But you are mine, and I do not share.”

She looked at my extended hand, then up at my face. Something profound resolved in her features. She stepped forward, climbing into my lap, wrapping her legs around my waist as she settled against my chest.

I caught her hair again—a firm, possessive pull that drew her head back, exposing the long arch of her throat to my mouth. A shudder ran through both of us as my lips found her skin. Her hands instantly came up, fisting in the fabric of my shirt.

“Anton,” she gasped as my teeth nipped lightly at her collarbone.

I took my time. My mouth trailed up her throat, tracing the line of her jaw, while my hands roamed over the silk covering her body. I deliberately held back, wanting her desperate, wanting every thought in her head burned away until there was nothing left but my touch.

“You want to be seen,” I growled against her skin, my fingers finding the single thin strap at the back of her neck. I felt her breath catch as my lips brushed her ear. “I see you. I see everything—every secret, every dark craving, every sound you make when you lose control. All of it belongs to me.”

She pulled my head toward hers, desperate for a kiss, but I drew back just out of reach.

“Say it, Serena.”

“It’s yours,” she panted, her hips rolling against mine. “Anton, please⁠—”

“Say all of it.”

A broken, guttural moan tore from her chest. “All of it! I swear to God, everything I am is yours!”

“Good girl.”

I unclasped the single strap, and the black silk dress fell away, pooling around her waist and exposing her bare breasts to the cool air. I lowered her onto the dark satin sheets, looming over her, taking in the breathtaking sight of her. The purple corset was unlaced, her breasts heaving, her eyes wild and ruined with desire.

“No other man ever lays eyes on this,” I whispered, pinning her wrists above her head with one hand while my chest pressed against hers. “Not because I don’t trust you. Because it would destroy me. Do you understand the difference?”

She reached up with her free hand, her fingers cupping my jaw.

“Yes,” she whispered.

I pressed my lower body down, letting her feel the massive, rock-hard length of my shaft against her center through her crotchless lace. She let out a sharp cry, her hips lifting instinctively to meet me.