“Do you want me to leave?”
He stopped with a genuine expression of puzzlement. His brow furrowed as if he needed to think about her statement. She held her breath as she awaited his response. This could be it. Maybe he was offering her freedom.
Ari’s heart sunk with the realization. She didn’t want to be free of him — not yet. She would, she convinced herself, just not at this moment.
“You have a decision to make, Ari. You can stay and take your punishment, or you’re free to walk out that door — all debts settled.”
Ari couldn’t turn her gaze away from Rafe’s intense stare. He was offering her an out. It had only been a month since they’d made their deal. She’d agreed to three months. She expected to hate every minute of it, but she’d never felt more alive. Was he unhappy with her performance?
If she stayed, though, she’d be shifting the power to him. He’d know he owned her — know he could do whatever he wanted.
Ripping her gaze from his, she looked toward the door. It was right there — all she had to do was walk through it and she could have her life back. Her mother was fine, back at work and oblivious to the difficulties her daughter had suffered in the past year. Ari’s life could return to normal.
She opened her mouth to speak but couldn’t get words to surface. Rafe didn’t move as he waited for her decision. When several uncomfortable moments had passed, Ari finally gazed into his eyes. When she saw a flicker of emotion cross his face, she knew she wasn’t leaving.
“I agreed to three months. I don’t go back on my word,” she said. There was no way she would admit to staying for any other reason. For a split second she thought she observed relief in his expression, but she had to be wrong. Rafe didn’t really care if she stayed or went — did he?
In the blink of an eye he crossed the room and walked her backward until he had her pinned to the desk.
“This is your choice, Ari. You had better be sure,” he commanded, his mouth an inch from her own, his scent surrounding her, stirring her appetite.
“I’ll stay, but I won’t ever be what you want. I’ll never submit to you, Rafe.”
Staying strong was the only way she could justify her decision. If ever the day came that she gave herself fully over to him, she feared it would be too much — that she’d never be the same again.
“Ah, it will be my mission to change your mind — and, Ari — I’ll fully enjoy the challenge,” he said with a smile before his mouth crashed down on hers.
Ari grabbed his shoulders and held on. She could pretend this wasn’t what she wanted, but what would be the point. She was hungry and it had nothing to do with food.
Rafe punished her mouth, kissing her fervently until she could no longer breathe. His hands moved down her body, molding her curves and tugging her tight against him. She squirmed to get closer, gasping as she felt his hardness press against her belly.
Desire pooled in her core, waiting for him to enter her slick folds. It was always so good. He hadn’t touched her in two days and she was about to explode in his arms. He’d turned her into an insatiable animal, and she didn’t care.
Rafe pulled away and she whimpered. No! She needed him to finish what he’d started. She could later berate herself for wanting him so much, but right now, she needed him inside her, needed to feel the conjunction of their bodies.
Without a word, he turned her around and hiked her skirt just enough for her cheeky Victoria’s Secret panties to show. Oh, yes, they hadn’t done it on a desk yet. Oh, the places he’d taken her – the kitchen table, in front of the giant fireplace, against the front door – but not yet bent over her desk. Anticipation built as he slid her panties down her legs and bent her across her desk.
His hand pushed against her back before sliding down the curve of her bottom and into the V of her legs. He pushed against her thighs, spreading them wide, then slid two fingers deep inside her heat.
“Rafe!” she called, her desire so intense it was almost painful. She wanted him buried deep inside her.
His fingers pulled out and then nothing touched her but the warm air drifting through the room. She squirmed beneath him, but he held her tightly against the desk as he stood behind her, so close, but not nearly close enough.
“Now,” she demanded as she twisted beneath him.
Suddenly he pushed inside her, his hard staff plunging deeper than he’d gone before. He stopped when she was completely full, and then bent forward, his breath brushing across her neck.
“Tell me I’m in charge, Ari,” he whispered, as his body moved backward before he thrust inside her again.
“No.”
“Tell me,” he demanded as he plunged in and out.
“No.” She was so close, almost delirious from the building pressure.
Rafe pushed in and out of her several more times, his h*ps slapping against the softness of her backside as he gripped her h*ps tightly.
She was reaching the edge when he slammed against her, taking her breath away, and then his body began to shake as he groaned low in his throat. A few more strokes and he stopped. Ari pushed against him. She was on the edge, needing just a little more of a push to reach her goal.
He pulled from her and turned her in his arms. Satisfaction filled his features as he pulled her tightly against him.
“I like your defiance, Ari, but now you get to suffer the rest of the day. When you submit and follow my rules — I’ll reward you with more pleasure than you can image.”
Ari gasped in frustration. Her eyes narrowed as she looked into his confident eyes. He was so sure she’d cave — that he held all the power. She could go into the bathroom and take matters into her own hands, but then he’d have a victory.
Her victory would come by showing him that it didn’t matter. She pulled back and pushed her skirt down before holding out her hand.
“Do you want something?” he asked innocently.
“My panties, please?”
“No — I think I’ll hold onto them. You can think about what you’re missing out on as the air caresses your womanhood all day.”
Rafe turned and walked to her door, unlocking it before turning around. “If you want me to relieve the ache, all you have to do is come to me, sit on my desk, and ask.” His gaze held hers for several tense seconds as he smiled in victory.
Ari glared at him, feeling ready to scream as he walked through the door and left her standing there, nearly shaking in her frustration. If she wanted him to own her pride, she could go to him, but this was a game — one that she was determined to win.