Page 71 of Iron Heart

The second Justin leans in to whisper something in Victoria’s ear, I can tell she’s uncomfortable.Her body tenses, her face hardening just slightly.She subtly tries to push him back, a small but clear signal that he’s crossed a line.But, either too drunk or arrogant to notice, Justin doesn’t back off.

I can’t just stand here anymore.My feet are already carrying me toward them, each step heavier than the last, propelled by a mix of adrenaline and fury.I’m about halfway to their booth when he does it—breaks through her defenses and kisses her.

Something primal within me surges to the surface the moment his lips touch hers.No more overthinking, no more weighing pros and cons.There’s only action, pure and instinctive.My feet move almost of their own accord, eating up the distance between us in a few large strides.

I reach the secluded booth just as Victoria starts to push him back.My hand firmly grips Justin’s shoulder, and I yank him away from her with a force that’s both physical and laced with every repressed emotion I’ve been holding back.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”I practically growl, my voice low but vibrating with anger.

Justin stumbles back, surprised and now sobering quickly under my gaze.Victoria looks up at me, her eyes wide, but I see a flash of something there—relief?Gratitude?

“I think you’ve had enough for the night,” I say, locking eyes with Justin but speaking loud enough for Victoria to hear.“Time for you to leave.”

Justin mumbles something under his breath, his eyes darting from me to Victoria, then around, likely looking for his security.After a second, he seems to think better of whatever protest he was about to make.He turns and walks away, casting one last resentful glance over his shoulder, muttering a few inaudible words.

My heart’s still racing, my fists still clenched, but as I turn to look at Victoria, I feel a different kind of tension flood in, filling the spaces where the rage used to be.There’s a lot to be said, a lot to be explained.But no words follow.

She looks at me disappointed.“Take me home, Kingsley.”

* * *

We step into the house, the tension almost palpable, charged with a mingling of anger and need.The door clicks shut behind us, locking away the outside world and all its complications.

Victoria’s heels and purse are casually discarded, as though shedding the last remnants of our public selves.

“Why did you make such a scene tonight?”she asks, irritation coloring her voice as she turns to look at me.

“Because I can’t stand seeing some guy put his hands all over you,” I snap, my own voice tinged with possessiveness that I too damn tired of hiding.

“And what about you?With the waitress?”Her eyes flash, and I’m reminded that jealousy cuts both ways.

I close the gap between us, leaning in close.“Do you really think a waitress could hold my attention when you’re in the room?”I question, my voice low.

Blue eyes stare up at me.“I need this,” she finally says, breaking the silence, her voice tinged with a vulnerability I’ve rarely heard from her.“I need to feel good, to feel wanted.Can you give me that tonight?Consider it a parting gift.”

Who am I to deny her when she’s voicing the very thing I’ve been craving but too afraid to admit?

26

Victoria

With no more words, he cups my face and pulls me into a searing kiss, pouring all the unspoken feelings, tension, and need into a single kiss.

We’re ravenous for one another, and my hand grips his hair, pulling him closer so he’s almost suffocating me with his strong lips.I groan in his mouth, feeling my thong moisten as he flicks his tongue across my lower lip, raking his teeth across it.

“Turn around,” he says, pulling back.His eyes are dark, like the poison I need.He unbuttons the loop at the back of my dress, and his fingers brush against my skin.The satin dress falls to the floor, and I’m left standing in stilettos and a thong.

He steps back and circles me in a way I’ve come to love.My heart pounds as he walks behind me.I feel his warmth and want him to remove his tux, but I also like it when he’s in command, telling me what he wants me to do next.Making me his.Owning me.

His tongue swipes at the shell of my ear as his breath tickles it.“Being apart from you is a pain worse than death.”His hands slide down the front, finding their way underneath my thong and sliding a finger into my wet folds.

I let out a breathy moan.“I know, Sir.”

He thrusts his finger in and drags the wet up to my clit.Then his finger enters my mouth, and I suck it from base to tip.He removes it, dragging it around to my backside, roughly ripping my thong in two, eliciting a gasp from me.He fills me from behind and in front, finger fucking me and giving me what he knows I need.

“Oh God,” I moan out as his mouth tracks kisses across my neck and down the curve of my shoulders.A scatter of goose bumps rises across my arms as he quickly pulls an orgasm from me.

Kingsley tenderly lifts my chin as I try to regain my breath.“Are you on birth control?”His voice is tinged with desperation, a hunger to feel every part of me.

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