Ava had promised herself she would resist him, that she wouldn't let his darkness pull her under again.
But the moment Dante's lips claimed hers, every promise shattered. His obsession wrapped around her like chains-dangerous, intoxicating, and impossible to escape.
Dante moved from the window where he had been standing, his silhouette tall and sharp against the city's glow. He approached slowly, each step deliberate, like a predator who already knew its prey had no chance of escape. His dark gaze lingered on her face, tracing the lines of fatigue that marred her beauty.
"You're pushing yourself too hard," he said. "At work.With me. Even with yourself. Your body is screaming for rest, Ava."
Her lips pressed into a stubborn line. "It's my body. My choice."
Something flickered in his expression--amusement, perhaps, or irritation. His hand lifted, brushing a stray lock of hair from her cheek. The tenderness of the gesture was at odds with the authority in his eyes.
"Don't confuse choice with pride," he murmured. "You wear yourself thin trying to prove a point, when all you have to do is let me take care of you."
Ava's chest tightened. She wanted to snap at him, to shove his hand away and reclaim the pieces of herself that seemed to slip through her fingers every time he touched her. But she couldn't. Not when her skin tingled under his fingertips, not when his voice wrapped around her like velvet chains.
"I don't want to lose myself, Dante," she whispered, surprising herself with the raw honesty of it. "I've already lost too much."
His gaze softened, just for a moment. He bent, pressing his lips against her forehead. The kiss lingered,warm,almost reverent .
"You'll never lose yourself," he said against her skin.
"Not while you're mine."
Her breath caught. The words should have terrified her, and part of them did. But the way he said it, low and certain, left her trembling.
She tilted her face up, eyes searching his. "And if I don't want to be yours?"
The corners of his lips curved into the faintest, most dangerous smile. His thumb slid down her cheek, brushing the edge of her jaw.
"Then convince your body to stop craving me."
Her heart slammed against her ribs. She wanted to deny him, to shout I don't crave you,I don't need you .But her body betrayed her, leaning closer, her breath quickening under his gaze.
"Dante..." It was barely a whisper.
His hand slid to the back of her neck, holding her gently but firmly. "Rest, Ava," he murmured again. "But first-"
He lowered his head and claimed her mouth.
The kiss was slow, deliberate, burning from the first touch. His lips molded against hers with practiced possession, coaxing rather than demanding, until she pulled for him. The taste of wine still lingered on his tongue, mingling with the hunger that poured from him into her. Ava clutched at his shirt, torn between pushing him away and pulling him closer.
When he pulled back, his breath was hot against her lips. "You fight me with words, but not with this." Her chest heaved. "Because you don't play fair."
"Life doesn't play fair," he growled softly, pressing another kiss at the corner of her mouth,"but I'll always win,with you".
His mouth moved to her neck, lips tracing the sensitive line of her skin, each kiss more intoxicating than the last. Ava gasped, her head tilting back as heat coursed through her veins. Her fingers tangled in his hair, her body arching despite the voice in her head whispering stop, stop, stop.
But she couldn't. Not with the way he touched her. Not with the way he made her feel seen and consumed in the same breath.
"Dante, this is insane," she managed, though her voice shook with desire.
"Then let me drive you insane," he murmured, his teeth grazing her collarbone before his tongue soothed the mark.
He eased her back onto the bed, his weight a comforting pressure above her, his eyes burning with dark hunger. Ava shivered as he slid his hand along her waist, pausing as though giving her one last chance to resist. She didn't.
Her blouse came undone under his fingers, the fabric slipping from her shoulders. His eyes roamed over her with a reverence that made her flush, even as desire pooled low in her belly.
"You're perfect," he murmured, lowering his mouth to press a kiss over her collarbone, then lower still, lips worshipping every inch of her skin. Ava's breath caught, her back arching into his touch, her hands clutching at the sheets.
The room blurred into heat and shadows, the world narrowing to just the two of them. Every kiss, every caress, every whispered mine stripped away the exhaustion of the day, leaving only fire in its wake.
Her mind screamed warnings, but her body surrendered, trembling under his touch, craving every moment. When his mouth returned to hers, she kis him back with a desperation that terrified her.
"Say it," Dante demanded against her lips, his voice rough with need. "Say you're mine".
Ava hesitated, her pride warring with the truth of her desire. But when his hand gripped her thigh, pulling her closer, when his eyes locked onto hers with that unshakable certainty, the words slipped out before she could stop them.
'I'm yours," she whispered.
Dante's groan was low and primal, vibrating through her as he deepened the kiss, pouring his possession into every movement. The night unfolded in a haze of passion, raw and unrelenting, leaving no doubt of his claim on her.
Hours later, Ava lay tangled in the sheets, her body still humming with the memory of his touch.
Dante's arm was draped possessively across her waist, his breathing steady as he drifted into sleep.
"Mine," he murmured, even in half-consciousness.
But Ava's eyes remained open, staring at the ceiling.
Her chest rose and fell with uneven breaths, her mind replaying every word, every touch. She couldn't deny how much she wanted him. She couldn't deny the fire he ignited in her.
Yet in the quiet, as the city lights flickered against the curtains, she wondered–Was this love... or captivity disguised as passion?
As Ava lay tangled in his embrace, her body still trembling from his touch, Dante leaned close, his whisper cutting through the silence like a vow and a threat all at once: "You'll never leave me, Ava. Even if you try."