Page 118 of The Sterling Acquisition
“So,” Orion said, his voice laced with a sharp edge, “what did you have in mind for this ‘interactive’ evening?”
Orion was trying to push his buttons. “I was thinking we should find out what sex feels like when you’re not fighting the urge to run away.”
“Bold assumption,” Orion shot back, his amber eyes glinting with challenge. “What makes you think I’m not planning to run?”
“Because,” Dante said, reaching out with a measured slowness that gave Orion ample time to pull away, “you’re still here.”
For a heartbeat, Orion didn’t move—didn’t lean in, didn’t retreat. His lips parted, and his face flushed a deeper shade of red as a dreamy look came over his face. “Maybe I’m just waiting for the right moment.”
“Maybe you are.” Dante’s hand found the back of Orion’s neck, fingers brushing against the warm skin. He felt the subtle tremor that rippled through Orion before his muscles locked in resistance, a silent declaration of defiance.
“And you think I’m not going to fight you?” Orion’s voice was a low growl, his breath quickening even as he held himself rigid.
Dante’s lips curved into a predatory smirk. “I’m counting on it.” He closed the distance, capturing Orion’s mouth in a kiss that was more clash than caress. Orion met him with equal ferocity, his lips hard and demanding, turning the kiss into a battlefield.
When they broke apart, both panting, Orion’s face was a tumult of defiance and lust, his lips flushed and swollen. “Don’t think that means anything,” he snapped, though the conviction in his voice faltered, undercut by the raw need in his eyes.
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Dante murmured, his fingers already working on the buttons of Orion’s shirt with a deliberate patience that belied the fire in his veins. Each button revealed another inch of flushed skin, Orion’s chest rising and falling with uneven breaths.
“I’m not going easy on you just because of some mystical bonding bullshit that crazy old woman fed us,” Orion bit out, his voice sharp but his body leaning ever so slightly into Dante’s touch, betraying his words.
“Good,” Dante replied, his mouth finding the sensitive spot just below Orion’s ear. He sucked hard, drawing a sharp gasp from Orion as his teeth grazed the skin. “I’d be disappointed if you did.”
Orion’s response was immediate—his hand shot up, grabbing a fistful of Dante’s hair and yanking his head back with a force that stung. The pain sent a jolt of heat straight to Dante’s cock. “Prove it,” Orion challenged, his eyes bright with a mix of defiance and want.
What followed was their familiar dance, foreplay masquerading as a fistfight. Orion lunged, biting at Dante’s throat hard enough to leave marks, the sharp sting of teeth against sensitive flesh sending electric currents down Dante’s spine. Dante retaliated with a sharp slap toOrion’s face, the sound echoing in the quiet room as Orion’s breath hitch gasped, his body jerking in response.
But there was something new in their struggle now—moments of startling connection amid the chaos. Dante could sense Orion’s reactions with uncanny precision, anticipating the way his body tensed before a strike, the way his breath quickened before a taunt.
Dante caught Orion’s wrists and pinned them above his head against the couch. He watched the conflict play across Orion’s features—defiance, excitement, arousal—as his body arched instinctively into the restraint. Dante’s knee pressed between Orion’s thighs, grinding against his cock through the fabric. “You’re still in heat, Orion, I can smell it,” he said against Orion’s neck, breathing in his scent before biting down on the tender skin there.
“Shut the fuck up,” Orion gasped.
Leaning down, Dante took Orion into his mouth through the pants at first, teasing with pressure, before freeing him with a quick tug of fabric. When his lips finally wrapped around Orion’s cock, hot and wet, Orion arched up into his mouth. For maybe ten seconds, his body went pliant, hips rolling upward without conscious thought, his freed hands tangling in Dante’s hair.
Then Orion seemed to catch himself, muscles locking as he fought to regain control, horrified by his own vulnerability. He pulled Dante’s hair, yanking hard enough to force his head back with a sharp sting. “Enough,” he snapped, but the flush on his cheeks and the dilation of his pupils told a different story. “We can’t be doing this all night if we have to do shit in the morning.”
“We could die tomorrow, so I’d rather spend the night fucking some of this defiance out of you,” Dante replied, enjoying the way Orion’s eyes widened, a flicker of uncertainty breaking through his bravado. He used that moment to flip Orion onto his stomach, pressinghim into the couch cushions with a firm hand between his shoulder blades. “You told me not to treat you like glass. Let’s see how much you can take.”
Orion thrashed under him, snarling curses, but Dante’s weight kept him pinned. With a swift movement, Dante grabbed a nearby belt—his own, discarded earlier in their fight—and looped it around Orion’s wrists, binding them behind his back. The leather bit into Orion’s skin just enough to make him hiss, his struggles renewing with fresh vigor.
“Fuck you, Dante,” Orion spat, but his voice trembled at the edges, his body shuddering as Dante’s hand slid down his spine, lingering at the curve of his ass.
Dante delivered a sharp slap to Orion’s backside, the sound loud in the quiet room, followed by a low whimper of approval as Orion’s hips jerked in response.
“That’s right,” Dante murmured, rubbing his hand gently over the reddened area. “You feel that sting? That’s just the start. You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to spank this ass.”
Another slap, harder this time, landed on the other cheek, and Orion’s body tensed, a sharp gasp escaping before he bit it back. His face was pressed into the cushion, but Dante could see the flush spreading down his neck, the way his thighs trembled. “You’re always such a brat about this. You think you’re so fucking tough,” Dante continued, his hand rubbing over the reddened skin before delivering another sharp strike. “But look at you, shaking under me. You’re dying to let go, aren’t you?”
Orion’s snarl was muffled by the cushion, but he twisted his head to glare over his shoulder, his eyes burning with a mix of fury and reluctant heat. “I’ll fucking kill you if you slap my ass again.”
Dante’s grin was feral. “Oh, I’m counting on you to try.” He leaned down, his teeth sinking into the meat of Orion’s shoulder, hard enough to leave a bruise as Orion hissed, his body arching despite himself. Dante’s hand slid between Orion’s thighs, fingers finding the slick heat there, teasing at his entrance with a slow, deliberate pressure. “But first, I’m going to open you up so nice and slow. Make you beg for every finger, every inch, until you’re sobbing for my cock.”
Orion’s breath came in sharp pants, his body trembling under the dual assault of pain and pleasure. “I don’t beg,” he bit out, but the words lacked conviction as Dante’s finger pressed inside.
“You will,” Dante promised, his voice a low growl as he added a second finger, scissoring them to stretch Orion further. Orion let out a low moan and another gush of slick coated Dante’s fingers, his hips rocking back for more contact. “Look at you, so tight and trembling and fucking yourself on my fingers. Don’t know what the fuck to do with yourself, do you?”
Orion’s nails dug into his palms behind his back, the belt creaking as he pulled against it. “Fuck—off,” he gasped. “I can handle this. I can handle you.”
