Fatal Obsession: The Trophy Wife's Escape

My fiancé maintained a monk's selfcontrol. I cornered him in the company breakroom, straddled his lap, and crushed my lips against his. Glowing text materialized in thin air.

Live comments. A Twitch stream bleeding into reality. They ripped into me. They branded me a toxic trophy wife—a sexcrazed villainess actively sabotaging the male lead's career.

Then came the ultimate red flag. I plummeted from the sky. Impact reduced me to a bloody mess. I scrambled off his lap. I pressed my spine against the counter, clearing his path.

Sebastian ignored his ruined tie. His pupils dilated. A rough rasp scraped his throat. "Why did you stop?" Chapter 1 Shadows swallowed the breakroom.

Ragged, synchronized breaths echoed off the tile. Sebastian stood.

Twin creases marred the immaculate fabric of his slacks—the exact impression where my bare thighs had just gripped his hips.

His voice vibrated perfectly level. "If we stop now, you will just crash the boardroom in ten minutes.

Let's finish this right here." I flattened myself further against the cabinets, gesturing frantically toward the door. "I promise I won't. Go to your meeting.

Don't show up late." Sebastian shifted his weight. Suspicion flickered in his dark eyes, quickly replaced by a heavy, defeated sigh. "Are you pouting? I apologize.

Work consumes me today." I usually thrived on petty drama and passiveaggressive guilt trips. But I meant every single word. The metallic phantomtaste of blood coated my tongue.

My pulse hammered violently against my ribs. Pure survival instinct hijacked my brain. The floating text surged again: [God, what is this bitch's problem now?

Stop taking it out on our male lead. Keep acting toxic, see what happens when you lose your plot armor.] [This dumb bimbo lacks basic brain cells.

If the male lead hadn't secretly stepped in to save her family's company after her parents died, she’d live on the streets right now.] [He just has too much class.

Pitying the orphan. Letting this parasite grope him, kiss him, and sleep with him. She takes total advantage of his kindness.] [She actually thinks he maintains natural celibacy.

Newsflash: he just hates you. Nobody likes a clingy gold digger who ruins everything.] The glowing letters burned my retinas.

Before my brain could process the brutal truth, Sebastian closed the distance. He leaned in, his cologne—crushed cedar and crisp ozone—invading my space.

The scorching heat of his mouth hovered mere inches from my skin. I flinched, jerking my chin away. "Be good.

Stay still." His knuckles brushed my cheek, the searing warmth radiating into my chilled skin. He pressed a soft, lingering kiss to my forehead. "Let's leave it at this.

If you still crave more, I will make it up to you tonight. Okay?" His striking features blurred my vision. That low, hypnotic rasp usually melted my spine.

On a normal day, I would hook my arms around his neck, purr "daddy," and demand he satisfy me on this very counter.

I would force him to choose between his stupid board meeting and me. Today, my throat clicked as I took a shaky breath.

I shook my head, keeping my hands glued to my sides. "No need." His phone vibrated violently against the granite countertop. Assistant texts poured in.

Sebastian ignored the frantic buzzing. His jaw clenched, a muscle ticking near his ear before he gave a curt nod. "Fine.

That lets me focus on the actual work." His tone betrayed zero emotion. The glowing comments refreshed: [Why does the villainess suddenly act sane?

Is she pulling a reverse psychology, hardtoget scam?] [Who cares?

At least our male lead dodged a bullet today.] [Wait, but why did he kiss her forehead so gently?] [Damage control, obviously. She acts like a total loose cannon.

He had to throw her a bone so she wouldn't crash the boardroom and cause a scene.] I locked myself in the executive restroom. Cold water splashed over my cheeks, shocking my system.

Drops dripped from my lashes as I stared at my flawless reflection in the vanity mirror. "I look way too hot to die." Back at university, I was a year ahead of him.

I had owned the campus—gorgeous, flush with trustfund cash, stealing the spotlight, constantly swatting away swarms of obsessed frat boys.

Sebastian had arrived as the untouchable freshman.

He shattered academic records his first day, commanding the halls with a flawless GPA and the brooding, apathetic perfection of a Hollywood Alister.

Our first encounter happened when I ditched a lecture to hit the arcade. Sebastian, newly appointed as the campus RA, caught me dead to rights.

Chapter 2 The sweet, artificial cherry taste of a lollipop stained my tongue. I rolled the stick between my teeth, pitching my voice into a sicklysweet purr. "Come on, handsome.

I'm tight with the Dean. Let this slide." Sebastian wore his campus RA polo buttoned to the collar, completely immaculate.

The cheap cotton clung to a ridiculous Vtaper—broad shoulders tapering into a narrow waist.

Even as a freshman, the rigid cut of his jaw and the dense muscle shifting under his sleeves gave him a heavy, mature presence that set him apart from the boys around him.

My obsession with pretty faces completely shortcircuited my brain.

I reached out, my thumb and forefinger sinking into the firm, warm skin of his cheek. "You look way better in person than on your ID card." He jerked back.

His face remained an impassive mask of stone, but a violent flush of crimson betrayed the tips of his ears. "Please have some selfrespect." I hooked my fingers into the hem of his sleeve, tugging it with a practiced pout. "Then don't write me up." His dark eyes snapped downward.

They snagged on the plunging neckline of my silk cami for a fraction of a second before he abruptly ripped his gaze away. The cords in his neck tightened. "Delilah.

You are—you are standing too close." I smirked, leaning in closer until I could feel the heat radiating off his chest. "Wait. How do you know my name?

Are you secretly obsessed with me?" It took me months to find out the truth.

Our grandfathers had practically signed our lives away in some oldmoney, handshake arranged marriage decades ago. Nobody actually took the pact seriously. Except me.

I weaponized the arrangement, actively terrorizing every pickme girl on campus who dared to look his way.

I glued myself to his side, claiming him, loudly branding him as my husband. I basically bulldozed him into a relationship through sheer, unrelenting obsession.

My parents spent my childhood buried in board meetings, starving me of any actual affection. That void mutated me into a hyperclingy, deeply insecure brat.

When their private jet went down, that insecurity turned utterly toxic.

If Sebastian stayed out of my sight for more than two hours, I would spiral into irrational, explosive tantrums. I forced him to drag me to his corporate office.

I demanded kisses in the middle of executive pitches. And behind closed doors? I consumed him entirely.

I exploited his natural, rigid restraint, forcing him into absolutely degrading roleplay. Making him play the filthy doctor to my nurse, or the dirty cop pinning me to the mattress.

If he ever dared to tell me no, I weaponized my tears, throwing catastrophic tantrums that actively torpedoed his multimilliondollar deals.

Now, the entire corporate ladder knew the truth: Sebastian, the merciless, coldblooded CEO, was utterly whipped. That brutal reality check sobered me up.

For the rest of the afternoon, I locked myself inside the private lounge Sebastian had built specifically for me.

I sat on the plush rug, quietly snapping tiny Perler beads onto a pegboard to burn through the adrenaline. I didn't bombard his phone with backtoback texts.

I didn't summon his assistants to march me into his office. I didn't force him to drop everything to massage my calves, feed me grapes, or act like my personal servant.

Only when the city skyline outside the floortoceiling windows faded into total darkness did I finally dial his number.

His signature, bonedeep baritone vibrated through the speaker. He wasn't talking to me. "My apologies. My baby is getting impatient. Excuse me." Guilt twisted in my gut.

I used to hate his stoic, unbothered vibe so much that I forced him to call me "baby" in front of his board of directors. It shattered his cold persona.

He fought me on it, refusing to use pet names in professional settings.

He only surrendered after I went on a fivehour hunger strike, his jaw clenched in pure reluctance as he finally caved. "Baby," the rough timber of his voice crackled through the receiver. "I just have to tie up one last thing.

I will wrap up by nine." "Sebastian, I'm not rushing you. Take your time. I already called an Uber to head home." Dead silence stretched across the line.

In the past, if Sebastian didn't personally drive me himself, I absolutely refused to get in a car. I was practically handing him a free pass.

He should be thrilled. "Stop messing around." The chill in his voice fractured, laced with a sudden, tight urgency. "Eight o'clock.

Give me exactly ten minutes." "My ride is already here." The energy on the line instantly went freezing cold. Something dark and heavy bled into his tone.

Chapter 3 "Delilah, is this because I forgot to text you about the female associate at the last merger meeting?" Shock paralyzed my vocal cords.

I never expected Sebastian to air our toxic laundry in front of his executives. "It has nothing to do with that.

You never have to check in with me again." Background voices bled through the receiver. "Come on, boss. Your girl isn't as strict as you make her out to be. She's super chill.

Yeah, you can't use her as an excuse to dodge the next company mixer." I practically patted myself on the back. I had just given him the ultimate free pass in front of his board.

But a dark, suffocating tension radiated from his end of the line. "Stay exactly where you are.

I am coming to get you right now." The glowing text refreshed: [Wait, is the villainess actually in her redemption era?] [Who cares? The damage is already done.

Plus, she's just a brainless trophy. Sage is the only one who actually understands our male lead.] The adrenaline crash left me starving.

I had skipped dinner hyperfocusing on those stupid beads. I grabbed a strawberry yogurt from the minifridge, barely swallowing the first spoonful. The electronic lock beeped.

The massive oak door slammed open. Sebastian snatched my phone from my palm. His thumb swiped viciously across the screen, canceling the Uber.

His large hand clamped around my waist, his fingers digging possessively into my hip bone. He didn't say a single word. He just crushed his mouth against mine. It was brutal.

Desperate. The stickysweet taste of strawberry melted across my tongue as a low, guttural growl ripped from his chest. My knees buckled.

I gripped the crisp fabric of his dress shirt to keep from collapsing, gasping for air as tears pricked the corners of my eyes. "Sebastian, what are you doing—" "You licked your lips." His breathing sounded fractured, his chest heaving against mine. "Isn't this what you wanted?" The yogurt had just smeared on my upper lip.

That was it. Sebastian's dark eyes narrowed, a dangerous spark igniting in his pupils. "You usually love calling me 'daddy' right about now." Sebastian was a year younger than me.

Whenever I deliberately used that title to mess with him, his face would burn, and his reaction would be explosive.

I pouted, chewing on my bottom lip. "You hate it when I do that." "True." The word dragged out of his throat, a beat too slow to be convincing.

The floating text flooded my vision: [Hold up, why was that kiss so intense? Doesn't he despise her?] [She might have a garbage personality, but her body is toptier.

The male lead is still a guy, after all…] [Dammit, this siren uses 100% of her brain capacity to manipulate men.

Thank God our male lead isn't actually superficial enough to fall for a pretty face.] "Did you fall asleep this afternoon?" Sebastian's thumb brushed the swollen curve of my lower lip. "You were too quiet." I gently pushed against his solid chest, putting an inch of space between us. "I had an epiphany.

We need to give each other breathing room." According to the spoilers, Sebastian would inevitably fall madly in love with Sage.

If I played nice now, maybe he would remember our history and throw my family's company a lifeline when the real crisis hit. "Sebastian, if I stop being so clingy… would that make you happy?" I stared dead into the bottomless abyss of his eyes.

He dismissed the question completely, a cynical smirk tugging at his mouth. "Sure. But the last time you made that promise, it lasted exactly nine minutes." Don't worry.

This time is forever. I kept the words locked in my head. Back at the penthouse, Sebastian stepped out of the shower.

Without missing a beat, he slid into the ridiculous bunny onesie I had bought for him. The comments spiked: [Here comes the kink play. This girl's brain is literally in the gutter.

She's definitely going to force some cringey dirty talk!] [Ugh, the thirstier she gets, the more disgusted the male lead becomes.] "It's late.

Let's skip the games tonight, alright?" He dragged a towel through his damp hair. "I have an early start tomorrow.

Too much on my plate." Stray water droplets tracked down the flushed, sculpted cut of his abs, tracing his Vline before disappearing into the waistband of the plush cotton.

Chapter 4 My throat tight, I forced my gaze away from the V of his waist. "Sleep in the office tonight.

I won't hold up your work." The glowing text froze, mirroring Sebastian’s abrupt stillness: [Get off the villainess right now! I paid for a premium subscription.

I demand to see them sweat through the sheets!] [Tch. Honestly, I kind of wanted to see exactly how Delilah would exploit that bunny suit.] [You two are disgusting.

If you want smut, wait for the main couple! A power couple is way better than this forced, toxic garbage.

Our male lead must be throwing a party in his head right now.] Sebastian gave a stiff nod. "Alright." He turned on his heel.

He didn't even bother changing, vanishing into the home office like he was terrified I might change my mind. A bitter, hollow ache gnawed at my chest.

I shoved the feeling down, cracking open the heavy spine of a corporate management textbook. I had to learn. I had to stop the hostile takeover and rewrite my own bloody ending.

Not long after, the home office door clicked open. Sebastian lingered in the living room. He peeled an orange. He sliced an apple.

The ridiculous plush tail of the onesie twitched with his subtle movements, an absurd contrast to the heavy, suffocating tension rolling off his body.

His dark eyes locked onto me, practically vibrating with a raw, unspoken demand. "My work is done." I kept my eyes glued to the glossy textbook page. "Oh.

Then head back to the office and get some sleep." Silence stretched. He didn't move a single muscle. My brows pulled together.

I started to look up— Sebastian’s foot caught on the edge of the Moroccan rug. Gravity ripped him down. He crashed directly on top of me.

The sheer, solid weight of him drove the breath from my lungs. The searing heat of his chest crushed against mine, the friction sending a sudden, intense shiver down my spine.

The cool apathy vanished from his eyes, replaced by an inkdark, consuming hunger. "Apologies." The neckline of the plush suit had slipped, exposing a deep, shadowed expanse of his collarbone and the rigid cut of his pectorals.

Logic evaporated.

My fingertips traced the corded muscle, my voice dropping to a breathless, involuntary whisper. "Daddy… are you burning up everywhere?" My elbow knocked against the heavy textbook.

It hit the floor with a loud, jarring thud. Reality slammed back into me like a physical blow. I yanked my hands back. "Cover up. Don't catch a cold.

I'm going to bed." I fumbled with the zipper of his onesie, pulling it up to his throat before scrambling off the sofa. I practically bolted to the master bedroom.

Sebastian stayed hunched over the cushions. He tracked my retreat like a starved predator, his jaw locking so hard a muscle twitched in his cheek.

He let out a ragged, tortured breath and stalked straight to the guest bathroom. The floating text exploded: [Holy shit, that 'daddy' just broke his entire operating system.

Why is he running to the bathroom? Wrong answers only.] [The sexual tension is literally suffocating me. Also, am I crazy, or did he totally fake that trip?] [He's a masochist.

Why is he begging to get drained by her? Just wait for Sage to show up. They are about to meet!] [Are we finally hitting the main plot?

Is the villainess about to get written off?] [Delilah is a total smoke show, but her brain is completely hollow.

She literally kicked Preston off the board—the one guy her parents trained to protect her—and kept all the corporate snakes.

Of course she gets destroyed.] The glowing words tangled my thoughts into a suffocating knot. One name anchored the chaos: Preston. The cannon fodder.

The ultimate collateral damage. My parents adored him. He was the brilliant, young executive protégé. The insufferable golden boy I despised with every fiber of my being.

When their private jet went down, my very first executive order was weaponizing the board of directors to exile him from the company.

Did I actually play right into the enemy's hands? The next morning, my pulse hammered against my throat as I navigated to my blocked contacts.

I unblocked Preston's number. [Let's meet today, if you have the time.] Preston’s reply hit my screen a fraction of a second later. [K.] The robotic, absolute zeroemotion text was exactly what I expected.

Chapter 5 My parents never approved of Sebastian. "Delilah, that boy operates on a completely different frequency.

If he wants to, he will absolutely destroy you." They spent years desperately trying to orchestrate my happilyeverafter with Preston.

Preston’s reaction to a literal arranged marriage? He gave a crisp nod. "Understood.

Executing the Chairman’s directive." I threw a massive tantrum, dropping to the hardwood floor and doing aggressive glute bridges just to be annoying. "I have no idea if Sebastian will ruin me!

But if you chain me to Preston, I will literally die of boredom!" Looking back now?

Marrying the robotic golden boy would have guaranteed a pulse and a heartbeat. "Who are you texting?" Sebastian’s voice sliced through the silence, entirely stripped of warmth.

My pulse spiked. I flipped the phone facedown against the marble island, the sharp clack echoing in the kitchen. "A friend.

Why aren't you at the office yet?" "I was waiting for you." I waved a dismissive hand. "You run an empire.

I shouldn't crash your space and ruin your workflow." He closed the distance in two swift strides. The sharp lines of his bespoke suit cast a heavy shadow over me.

He stepped directly between my parted knees, wedging himself tight against my thighs, trapping me against the counter. "Since when is Preston a friend?" Did the man possess xray vision? "Delilah." The pitch of his voice dropped into a dangerous, ragged register. "Tell me the truth.

Do you regret choosing me?" Defensiveness flared hot in my chest. "Are you snapping at me? My parents never raised their voices at me!" Why was he spiraling?

I finally gave him the suffocating space he always craved, yet his emotional volatility was spiking off the charts. Sebastian tracked the frantic flutter of my eyelashes.

The rigid tension bled out of his broad shoulders. He exhaled a harsh breath, his tone softening into a low, hypnotic coax. "I apologize. I crossed a line.

I am dropping it." He brushed his knuckles against my jaw. "Tonight’s corporate dinner includes female associates.

I will fabricate an excuse to—" "Go." I cut him off, plastering on a perfectly supportive smile. "You always preach about establishing mutual trust, right?" His dark brows pulled together, his jaw ticking at my sudden, terrifying rationality. "Nobody is going to cater to your every whim or massage your arches while I am gone.

You will inevitably end up in tears, weaponizing guilt because I abandoned you." "My friends can entertain me tonight." Sebastian searched my eyes, trying to dissect the lie.

A cynical smirk finally tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Fine." The floating text immediately refreshed: [Hell yes!

Without the villainess sabotaging everything, our main couple meets even earlier!] [At this dinner, Sage is just a junior employee, but she steps up and saves a multimillion dollar pitch.

She flexes pure professional competence. That is exactly how you hook a guy who gets turned on by smarts like our male lead!] A hollow ache expanded in my ribs.

Regret tasted like battery acid. The second Sebastian walked out the door, the silence of the penthouse suffocated me.

I swiped his Amex Black Card on a mountain of designer bags, desperately trying to burn off the anxiety. I chewed on my thumbnail, fighting the overwhelming urge to FaceTime him.

I barely survived the agonizing wait until my scheduled meeting with Preston.

I grabbed the keys to the brandnew Ferrari I had emotionally blackmailed Sebastian into buying me last month. Preston’s text lit up my screen: [Ms. Delilah.

I strongly advise against driving a highperformance vehicle during peak traffic.

Having Sebastian escort you is the optimal statistical choice.] I slammed my foot on the accelerator. [Your advice is rejected.] While idling at a chaotic red light, Sebastian’s Art Director shot me a video text. [Bestie, considering our mutual obsession with the boss, I am acting as your personal surveillance camera tonight.] The shaky footage captured a crowded, highend private dining room.

Someone proposed a cutthroat drinking game right before the appetizers arrived. First person to receive a call from their significant other pays the entire tab.

Voices bled through the chaotic audio: "Oh, the boss is absolutely paying. I bet my quarterly bonus Delilah blows up his phone before 9 PM. Are you kidding?

There are female associates here tonight. She is going completely nuclear by 8:30." Chapter 6 The shaky camera panned across a quiet, understated face in the corner. Sage.

Even though we had never officially met, my brain instantly locked onto her—the female lead. The footage buffered. Just past nine o'clock, a ringtone shattered the tension.

Nobody expected Sage's parents to be the first to call. Sebastian stared dead at his own silent screen. His thumb swiped down furiously, refreshing the blank notifications.

The tendons in his hand strained, gripping the device so hard the casing groaned. He cut off the table's cheering with an icecold glare.

He looked toward Sage. "I am paying." The glowing text flooded in: [Our male lead is usually so stoic! He actually lost his temper defending the female lead.

The power of true love!] A text from Sebastian aggressively vibrated my phone: [Are you rushing me to come home and entertain you? I knew you couldn't actually ignore me.

You gave me the silent treatment all day over this dinner. Fine.

I will force myself to leave early.] I immediately held down the microphone icon, cutting him off with a breezy audio message. "I just wanted to say—have fun tonight." Absolute dead silence from his end.

Preston totally jinxed me. The Ferrari purred flawlessly until I hit the intersection outside the café. I slammed into the back of a matteblack GWagon. The driver stepped out.

He was a massive, terrifying wall of muscle, sleeves of heavy ink crawling up both arms. He looked ready to commit murder. Panic spiked my adrenaline.

My thumb hovered over Sebastian's contact. The floating text sneered: [Trophy wife brainrot is terminal. She creates disasters and instantly cries for a man to save her.

Even I'm sick of her.] [Hey, that's too harsh.

Who wouldn't call their closest person after a car crash?] [So the male lead just deserves to be her personal trauma cleanup crew every single day?] My finger froze.

I gulped, backed out of the contact, and opened Preston’s message thread.

Ten minutes later, a familiar, sharpsuited silhouette cut through the gridlocked traffic outside my window.

Preston stepped directly between my door and the enraged driver, negotiating the insurance exchange with unyielding, robotic efficiency.

I kept the doors locked until the GWagon roared away.

I pushed the door open. "Thank you, Preston." Desperate to erase his resentment over me viciously firing him weeks ago, I plastered on my brightest, sweetest smile, pitching my voice up.

We settled into a quiet booth inside the café. I skipped the small talk. "Preston, audit this financial report.

Look for any discrepancies." I slid the binder across the table. "You are the only person I can trust right now." Preston absorbed the data with focused efficiency.

I rolled my shoulders, stretching a kink out of my neck, and glanced up. My blood turned to ice. Sebastian stood completely still in the shadows by the entrance.

The harsh backlight cast his sharp features in brutal relief. He stared directly at us. A crushing, suffocating darkness radiated from him.

He looked like a man actively drowning in agony. The heavy wool of his black overcoat made his skin look impossibly pale. He closed the distance.

The sharp, intoxicating scent of crushed cedar and expensive bourbon washed over me.

I hadn't done a single thing wrong, yet guilt slammed into my chest like I had just been caught cheating. "You were in a crash." His voice was a raw, gravelly scrape against my nerves. "Are you bleeding?" I didn't expect genuine terror to be his first reaction.

I stood up, shaking my head.

Sebastian’s jaw locked. "A major collision, and I am not your first call?" "You were busy working." I forced a casual shrug. "I was already meeting Preston for corporate management coaching.

I just asked him to handle the insurance." Sebastian’s obsidian gaze dropped to the financial documents scattered across the table. His large hand suddenly clamped around my waist.

He yanked me flush against his side, his fingers biting possessively into my hip. He seamlessly, physically blocked Preston from my line of sight.

Preston stood up, completely unbothered. "Ms. Delilah, you executed this report flawlessly. Your strategic aptitude far exceeds my own. I accept your offer of reinstatement.

I will see you at headquarters." He gave Sebastian a crisp, acknowledging nod and walked out. I found out the truth from the Art Director later that night.

Sebastian's security detail flagged my collision the second it happened.

He sprinted out of the private dining room, blowing up my phone with calls and texts the entire frantic drive over. I had silenced my phone to focus on the textbook.

The ride back to the penthouse was completely, suffocatingly silent.

Chapter 7 The city lights blurred past the window as my mind raced, trying to process the chaos of the crash before the elevator doors finally chimed open on our floor.

The penthouse smelled of stale ozone and expensive bourbon. "Baby." The gravelly slur hit my spine. I spun around. Solid, overwhelming heat crashed into me.

Sebastian’s arms locked around my ribs like a vice, burying his face into the curve of my neck. His breath dusted my collarbone, ragged and wet. "Baby.

Delilah." His voice cracked, stripped of all its cold corporate ice. "You don't want me anymore. Everyone at that dinner had someone calling for them.

I had nothing." I had known him since freshman year. I had never seen this absolute, catastrophic fracture in his armor.

The untouchable CEO sounded completely shattered. "That's not true," I whispered into his hair.

His grip tightened painfully. "Do not sit that close to Preston." "I just needed a tutor—" "I wrote that financial report." He dragged his nose along my jawline, his words slurring into a desperate, disjointed hum. "I can teach you better.

You crashed. You were terrified. When you are terrified, I am supposed to be there. Not him. Why was it him?" The glowing spoilers flashed through my memory. Sage is here.

His plot armor will protect her now, not me. "Because I can't rely on you to fix everything forever." He lifted his head.

His pupils were blown wide, swallowing the blue. "My goodnight kiss.

I almost forgot." I pressed my palms against his chest. "We don't have to force that anymore—" A rough, guttural growl ripped from his throat. He crushed his mouth against mine.

The taste of bourbon and raw, unfiltered obsession scorched my tongue. My knees gave out. He caught me, effortlessly hooking his arm under my thighs.

He carried me to the master bedroom and dropped me onto the mattress. A dark, hypnotic grit laced his voice as he spoke. "Stop clinging to Preston.

Stop smiling at him." Fabric tore. The sharp sound of a ruined zipper echoed in the dark. He discarded the silk carelessly onto the rug.

His large hands clamped down on my waist, the friction of his rough calluses searing into my bare skin. Pure, predatory instinct hijacked his brain.

I bit down hard on my swollen bottom lip, tasting copper. Uncontrollable shivers wrecked my body. I was completely coming apart under him