Page 52 of Tall, Royal Hater
He arched an amused brow. “So, youarethinking about it.”
His amusement had me fumbling—this wasn’t the Shehryar I was used to—but the fact it was at my expense pissed me off. That his dick was the topic was even worse.
“Fuck you, Shehryar,” I hissed, my brain coming up blank for other insults.
He scoffed, and arrogance deepened the lines of his expression. So did the undercurrent of heat as his hands tightened around my wrists. “That has another meaning entirely when you’re grinding your arse against me, Mariyah.”
My heart hiccupped, and a sharp burst of tingles pierced above my pubic bone.
What. The. Fuck.
The Shehryar I’d spent the last five years at war with had never once implied sex in all the clashes we’d had. Never once had this palpable, buzzing energy passed mutually between us.
I didn’t know how to react when his watercolour eyes were pinning me down, but the awareness as they seemed to peel my clothes off without moving away from my gaze was disconcerting. Being vulnerable in front of Shehryar didn’t feel right.
But it didn’t feel wrong either, and I didn’t know what to do about that.
“Now,” he said quietly, a husky firmness replacing his amusement. “Do you want to continue acting like a horny brat, or do you want to hear my apology?”
“I don’t want your fucking apology,” I snapped, blushing harder. “I want you to get off.”
With all the adrenaline-driven strength I could manage, I turned my face away and shoved off the desk. I lifted us both a few inches, but Shehryar leaned heavily on me and slammed my hands back down. In frustration, I shook and writhed against his lap.
Something stirred against my arse, and I halted as Shehryar let out a stifled groan in my ear.
My breath caught.No way, no way, no way. He’s getting hard. What the actual fuck?
Triumph warred with confusion and frustration at the shameless pleasure I felt from the situation.
Still, revenge was what I thrived off, and after a panting beat passed between us, I glanced back with a smirk. “And you had the audacity to call me horny when you’re the one groaning in my ear and poking my arse like a fucking dog.”
His expression turned thunderous. I half expected him to clap back, but he didn’t.
He eased off me, and for a split second, I missed the weight of him against me. It was only a weird, momentary lapse in judgement, though. As soon as his hands released my wrists, Ishoved away from the desk and slipped out from between to face him.
Seeing him properly for the first time hit differently. It was unnerving, exciting, confusing, infuriating. His shoulders were pulled wide, hands in fists, his hair sat askew, golden skin faintly flushed, and…
The urge to look down was unbelievable, but I refused to give in to curiosity and give him that satisfaction. He didn’t need to know I was interested in seeing what I’d felt.
Without a word, I aimed my steps for the door. But like he hadn’t learnt his lesson, Shehryar latched onto my wrist and tugged me to a stop.
“We haven’t finished discussing the wedding,” he said as if the last ten minutes hadn’t happened.
“Should’ve thought about that before you insulted me,” I said, matching his unyielding tone.
His jaw locked and unlocked in the same breath. “I didn’t mean—”
“Too late, Shehryar,” I cut through. “And you can explain to your mum yourself why I’m no longer helping.”
He looked like he wanted to argue, but when I pulled my wrist free, he let go.
This time, he didn’t stop me as I walked away. But the throbbing imprint of his rough fingers around my wrists, the ghost of his hardening dick against my arse, and the wet ache between my legs didn’t allow room for any feeling of victory.
If anything, I felt breathless and startled by Shehryar’s aroused reaction, like I’d only narrowly escaped the jaws of the predator I hadn’t seen lurking in the shadows.
Chapter 13
Shehryar
