Page 57 of Stolen Empire
I turn, and Dimitri is standing in the hallway, his eyes locked on mine.
He doesn't say anything at first.
He walks toward me slowly, and my breath catches.
"See anything you're thinking about?" he asks, his voice low.
I can't answer.
My throat's too tight, and my body is already reacting to his proximity, the heat radiating off him, the way he's looking at me.
He stops close enough that I have to tilt my head back to meet his gaze.
"You've been walking past my room a lot this week. Probably fantasizing about how I make you feel."
"I haven't?—"
"Don't lie to me."
He reaches out and brushes a strand of hair behind my ear, his fingers lingering on my jaw.
"You want it again. You've been thinking about it. Haven't you?"
My face flushes, and I hate how easily he reads me, how transparent I am to him.
I back away, putting distance between us, but he follows.
"You've been a good girl this week," he says, and there's a dark edge to his voice that makes my stomach flip.
"Doing exactly what I tell you to do. No complaints, no arguments. I think you deserve a reward."
"I don't need a reward."
"No?"
He tilts his head, studying me. "Then why are you standing here staring at my bed?"
I open my mouth to respond, but no words come out.
He's too close, too overwhelming, and I can feel the pull between us.
It makes heat swarm to my lower body.
"I could spank you," he says, his voice dropping to a near whisper.
"Bend you over my knee and remind you exactly who you belong to. Would you behave for that? Would you be a good girl and take it?"
The words send a jolt of heat through my body that I'm not prepared for.
My thighs clench, and I feel my face burn with embarrassment and arousal in equal measure.
The image he's painted—me draped over his lap, his hand coming down on my ass, the sting and the pleasure mixing together—it's too vivid, too visceral, and I can't push it away.
I turn and walk quickly down the hallway on unsteady legs, and I hear him chuckle softly behind me.
The sound follows me into the guest room, and I close the door, leaning back against it and pressing my palms to my burning cheeks.
What the hell is wrong with me?
