Page 33 of Sins of the Father
Her breath hitched, the cake trembling in her hands.
Luc turned back to the men as though she were nothing more than another piece of furniture in the room. His words were calm, almost bored. “Cut off his right hand from the elbow. Let him live—he has children.”
The pleading man wailed. The others moved, carrying out the order, their attention fully on the task. One by one, they slipped toward the doorway, leaving the office and closing the door behind them.
Mia’s blood went cold, the platter of cake heavy as stone in her grip. She wanted to run, to scream, to shut her eyes. But she stayed, alone in the room with the devil she had chosen to tempt with sugar and sweetness.
Luc moved toward her with that animal grace that made her pulse hammer, each step slow and deliberate, predatory. She clutched the platter tighter, her breath shallow, until he stopped a mere inch from her. His presence filled her lungs, his heat and scent closing around her like a snare.
“You baked this?” His voice was smooth, but beneath it coiled a threat, like velvet stretched over steel.
“Yes,” she managed. Her throat was dry, but she forced the words out. “I did not allow anyone else to touch it. And I did not poison you.”
His mouth curved in the ghost of a smile, though his eyes gleamed sharp as cut glass. “Wouldn’t my death solve many things for you?” he drawled.
Her eyes widened, horror flashing through her. To answer, she scooped frosting with her finger and brought it to her lips, licking it clean in one defiant gesture.
The silence stretched. Then Luc followed her lead, dragging his own finger through the chocolate before lowering his head to take a bite of the cake itself.
Mia blinked, startled—and then a bubble of laughter broke from her throat, helpless and wild, as she noticed frosting smudged on his chin and the ridge of his nose.
Before she could think better of it, she leaned forward. The world held its breath as her tongue traced his chin, sweeping away the frosting.
Luc froze.
When his eyes found hers again, hunger blazed there—raw, startling, brilliant. It wasn’t just desire. It was possession, ruthless and absolute, staring at her as though he would devour her whole.
Luc shifted the cake easily in one hand and, with the other, captured her wrist. His grip was firm, unyielding, but not cruel. He tugged her toward the desk, and Mia followed, her heart hammering with a rhythm she couldn’t tame.
He set the cake aside, the sweet scent of chocolate filling the space, then lifted her onto the desk as if she weighed nothing. The edge bit into her thighs, her skirt sliding higher under the movement. His nearness filled every breath.
Her pulse skipped when he leaned closer, his hands braced on either side of her hips. His body radiated heat, his gaze searing through her. Mia’s mouth went dry. She should have pushed him away, should have said something sharp to cut through the tension. Instead, she sat frozen, caught between dread and a deep, shivering pull she didn’t understand.
“Do you know what you do to me?” His voice was low, rough silk against her skin. His fingers trailed to her knee, pushing itslightly apart, just enough to make her gasp. He watched her closely, his hunger open and dangerous.
Mia’s breath shuddered, but she didn’t move away. Her body betrayed her, leaning into his shadow, her chest rising and falling too quickly. He bent closer, brushing his nose along her temple, inhaling her scent as though he had every right.
Her hands clenched in the fabric of her skirt, her voice barely a whisper. “You… you terrify me.”
“And yet,” he murmured, his lips grazing the corner of her mouth, “you don’t run.”
Her heart pounded. She lifted her chin on instinct, meeting his kiss when it came. Hard. Possessive. A claiming. She gasped, her fingers clutching his shoulders. He deepened it, devouring, tasting her like she was the only sweetness he’d ever let past his guard.
When his tongue swept into her mouth, her own answered—hesitant at first, then desperate, until the tension between them snapped into raw heat. Luc’s hand cupped the back of her neck, keeping her there, holding her as though he might never let go.
By the time he pulled back, Mia was trembling, her lips swollen, her breath ragged. She pressed her fingertips to her mouth as though to steady herself.
Luc’s gaze burned. He spread her skirt up over her waist.
Mia’s breath caught. “Luc…”
His gaze was molten steel as he hooked his fingers in her panties and tore them aside, the sound sharp in the silence. Mia fell back onto her elbows, staring up at him, heat climbing her cheeks.
“Look at you,” he drawled, dipping two fingers into the frosting. “I’ve never had pussy and chocolate before.”
Oh God. A hot, shivering sensation dropped low in Mia’s belly.
He held her gaze as he trailed the chocolate over her soft folds, the cool sweetness meeting the fever of her skin. She gasped, thighs trembling as the contrast sent shockwaves through her.
