a subtle smirk.
I hate him. And that hate makes me petty enough to keep playing with fire.
“I thought of you,” I tell him, lowering my mouth near his ear despite the tension his nearness inspires. I even manage to laugh, just once. “My hero. And I slept like a baby.”
“Good,” he growls in return.
I can’t see his expression fully from this angle. All I have to go on is his hand, stroking higher to bridge the gap between my legs. Too high. He’s boldly reaching beneath the hemline of my dress, and I can’t stop him.
“It couldn’t have been a very good dream,” he remarks with faux concern. “You’re not dripping wet like a cat in heat.”
I clamp my thighs together, heedless of his hand between them. He’s won. I try to wiggle from his lap again, and he shrugs as if to nonverbally dare me to.
But then I make the mistake of looking over into his eyes. Those smug, confident, incredible fucking eyes.
They make me reckless, and I recall the few times I managed to make those very eyes widen.
With provocation.
“If you’re my hero, as they say, Domino… Shouldn’t I always be dripping wet for you? Ready and willing. My hero.”
He grunts, conveying a mixture of irritation and grudging amusement.
“My Ada.” He works his other hand into my hair, tugging ruthlessly hard as he goes. “Such a good, happy girl this afternoon. I think I should come up with a reward for you being so cheerful.”
My grin falls flat before I can even think to salvage it. Panic sends every coherent thought scrambling.
I want to run.
You can’t give in, a part of me warns, even as my muscles twitch with every intention of me lurching to my feet. You do that now, and he wins.
And in spite of everything he’s done, I can’t let him dominate every interaction. Not again. Therefore, risks must be taken. My father called it “the fucking kamikaze” method, where a man puts all of his effort into one harebrained scheme with the hopes that even if it backfires, it takes out at least some of his enemies.
That method got him to the top of Terra Rodea’s political scene.
But he didn’t have to navigate a man like Domino Valenciaga in this manner. I’m at a loss of how to manipulate him. How to keep him on edge. How to keep up.
All I can do is meet his dare and not flinch. Instead, I lean in, grazing my lips against his chiseled jawline, ignoring the pain lancing through my nose as it’s nudged by his.
“A grateful girl should want any reward her hero can give her,” I say, letting my voice dip down to a hum that isn’t quite as shameless as Alexi’s.
I can feel a rumble through his chest as he exhales, even more suspicious than before.
“But when do I get what I really want?” I ask, inclining my head to face him directly.
His wicked smile steals my breath away as he runs his fingers through my hair. “After four days of being a good girl, you’ll get what you deserve,” he says softly. “In fact, here’s your next chance to prove just how good you can be.”
I stiffen with alarm as his gaze drifts to something behind me. When I turn, though, I only find Ines approaching from the direction of the house, a silver tray in hand.
She places her bounty on a low table set in the middle of the couches and respectfully nods.
“Thank you,” Domino says, dismissing her. Once we’re alone again, he palms my waist with both hands, settling me more firmly on his lap. I’m straddling him now. My knees are the only parts of me that have any contact with the couch at all, barely touching down on either side of him.
“Now it’s time for you to continue being such a good girl.” His voice contains a chilling hint of malice despite his blank expression. Leaning forward, he jostles me against him, and I realize that he picked an item of food from the platter. A piece of strawberry that he cradles between two fingers. “Eat.”
My stomach churns. I want more than anything to deny him. On second thought, I want to preserve my pride more. The need for control and the desire for victory go to war within me. It only takes a second for one to win out.
I open my lips and smother any hesitation, allowing him to place the sliver of berry on my tongue. I