Page 22 of Dark Temptations

She gasped and then pressed her hands against his chest to keep space between them. He put one hand beside her head on the wall, and the other he used to tip her chin up.

“Baby, I have to warn you. I’m about at the end of my rope when it comes to you.”

“What does that mean?” She pushed against him. “Back off.”

He pressed in harder until his chest flattened her breasts, and his mouth was against her ear. “It means you’re a temptation I can’t get rid of.”

“It sounds like it bothers you.”

“Because it fucking does.”

He stared down at her for a long time. “Who are you going on a date with?” The gruff jealous tone of his voice surprised him.

“My friends.”

He studied her to see if she was lying. “Why did you make it sound like you had a date with a man?”

Ariana shrugged. “Because I didn’t know it was a big deal.”

“Well, guess what, Sunshine? It is. Don’t fuck with me like that again.” The thought of another man’s hands on her made him insane.

Chapter Ten

“What do you want from me, Xavier? Because you’re confusing me.”

“I don’t want to want you,” he said with gritted teeth.

She inhaled and bit her lip to keep the cry of pain from escaping. She swallowed and tried to smile. “That’s fine with me. Let me leave now.”

“You’re not getting it,” he said.

“I get that you don’t want to feel anything for me. Then let me go, and I’ll do my very best to stay away from you.”

The grip on her face tightened, and a spark of the heat of aggression lit his eyes, making a shiver run down her back.

“Fuck,” he said and lowered his head.

The kiss was so gentle at first that it took her breath. When it deepened and became an inferno of desire so intense, every thought she had evaporated, and all she could do was feel.

He cursed and lifted his head, then gazed down at her. She didn’t understand until she heard the ringing of his phone.

He put a bit of space between them, letting her get a decent breath.

“I’m expecting an important call.”

She nodded.

He stepped back.

“I’ll let you get back to work,” she said. She could tell he was pissed because they were interrupted, but she was glad because she had no willpower when it came to him.

She turned back after unlocking the door. “That’s all I needed, so we never have to see each other again. Have a nice life.”

Ariana scurried out of the office when he growled and stepped toward her.

She made it down to her car and locked herself in before leaning her head back, closing her eyes, and inhaling.

Everything had gone according to the plan her mother and she made, but it felt like it hadn’t worked and only made him mad. She rubbed her forehead. God, she wasn’t good at this kind of thing, and it was hurting her stomach and giving her a headache.

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