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“Maybe I’m just scared of you,” I retort, finally meeting his eyes. “Did you ever think of that?”
“Scared or excited?” he challenges, a wicked grin spreading across his face. “There’s a fine line between the two, Annalise.”
“Excited?” I scoff, trying to suppress my racing heart. “Hardly. You’re nothing more than a cold, calculating member of the bratva. What’s there to be excited about?”
“Yet here you are,” he says with a smirk, his fingers slipping beneath the edge of my dress, “quivering at my touch.”
I want to deny it, but I can’t. As much as I want to resist Nikhil, I can’t help but feel drawn to him like a moth to a flame.
“Please,” I whisper, closing my eyes as I try to ignore the way my body aches for him. I don’t know what I’m begging for…for him to stop or keep going.
“Stop it, Annalise. Just stop,” Nikhil growls, his voice low and dangerous as he pushes me against the door of the dressing room with surprising force. My breath catches in my throat, a surprised gasp escaping my lips as I feel the intensity of our connection pulsating between us.
“Stop what?” I retort, fighting to regain my composure. “I’m not doing anything.”
“Really?” he snaps, his eyes burning into mine like blue flames. “You think wearing that dress and parading around here isn’t tempting me? You think I don’t know what you’re doing?”
“Excuse me?” I fire back, anger bubbling up inside me. “This is my body, and I have every right to wear whatever I want. Maybe if you weren’t so obsessed with controlling everything, you wouldn’t be having this problem.”
“Obsessed?” Nikhil’s jaw clenches, his grip on my arms tightening. “You have no idea what I’ve sacrificed for my family, for our people. And yet, here you are, acting as if I’m some sort of monster for wanting to protect you.”
“Protect me? Is that what you call this?” I gesture between us, my heart pounding in my chest. “Because it feels more like you’re trying to manipulate and control me.”
“God, you’re infuriating,” he mutters under his breath, his eyes raking over my body as if he can’t help himself. “You walk around here looking like a goddess and expect me not to notice? To not feel anything?”
Did he just call me a goddess? Is he messing with me? There’s no way he actually means that.
“Maybe you should try focusing on something else then,” I snap, my cheeks flushing with a mix of anger and embarrassment. “I’m not here for your entertainment, Nikhil.”
“Trust me, Annalise,” he says darkly, leaning in so close that I can feel his warm breath on my skin. “I’m not entertained.”
In that moment, time seems to stand still. I can feel the tension radiating from Nikhil’s body like a live wire. His grip on my arms is firm but not painful, and his eyes are dark with an intensity that sends shivers down my spine. He crushes his lips against mine, and the fire that had been smoldering between us erupts into an inferno.
My resistance crumbles beneath the force of his kiss, my body betraying me as I melt into him. I know he doesn’t like me, that he sees me as nothing more than a nuisance, and yet my attraction to him is undeniable. I hate myself for wanting him, but God help me, I do.
I shudder beneath the onslaught of his touch, my mind warring with my body. This is wrong, isn’t it? Wanting someone who has done nothing but antagonize and control me? I should be fighting him off, not giving in to my basest desires.
But as his lips find mine again, all reason flees. I’m drawn to him like a moth to a flame, unable to resist the pull of our heated connection.
His lips leave mine, searing a trail of fire down the column of my throat. My pulse races beneath his exploring mouth, and I can’t help but tilt my head back to grant him better access. Nikhil’s hands roam over my body, featherlight touches that somehow burn through the fabric of my dress.
“Someone might hear us,” I whisper, even as desire pools low in my stomach, threatening to consume me whole. What I don’t say is how much that thought both terrifies and excites me.
“Then you’d better be quiet, Annalise,” he murmurs against my skin, his voice a dark promise that sends shivers down my spine.
My breath hitches as he slowly unzips my dress, exposing the curve of my shoulder and the swell of my breasts. His fingers trace the lace edge of my bra, and I can feel the heat of his touch like a brand on my skin. A gasp escapes my lips when he lowers the strap, baring one breast to his hungry gaze.
“Look at you,” he whispers, his thumb brushing over my nipple, making me bite my lip to suppress a moan. “You’re so responsive, so eager for my touch.”
I should be angry, should push him away and tell him to go to hell, but all I can think about is how good it feels to have him touching me like this, as if I’m the center of his world, even if just for a moment.
“Shut up,” I manage to rasp out, but there’s no conviction in my words, and we both know it.
Nikhil’s hand glides down my side, every touch igniting a trail of fire on my skin. He slips his fingers under the waistband of my panties, teasing me with the promise of what’s to come. My heart races as I try to steady my breathing, acutely aware of how much I want him.
“Tell me you want this,” he growls into my ear, his voice sending shivers down my spine. The weight of his body pins me against the door, leaving no room for doubt or hesitation.
“Damn it, Nikhil, I do. I want it.” I try to hide the desperation in my voice.
