My gaze locked onto Dominic’s as the intensity in the room thickened.
I could feel the weight of the unspoken challenge between us, the charged air humming with tension.
Every word, every gesture, was a power play, a test of who would dominate this encounter.
“You think you can waltz in here, flash a bit of charm, and convince me to bend to your will?” my voice was low, a dangerous edge slicing through each word.
I took another step closer, closing the distance until we were almost chest to chest.
“I’ve crushed men for less, Dominic. I don’t play games unless I’m the one making the rules.”
Dominic didn’t move back. Instead, he leaned in, his breath hot against my ear as he whispered,
“Who said I’m here to play by your rules, Catalina? Maybe I’m here to rewrite them.”
My heart pounded, but i refused to let him see any sign of hesitation.
“Rewrite them?” i scoffed, the sound laced with both derision and intrigue. “You must have a death wish if you think you can rewrite the rules of the Cassiettas.”
Dominic’s hand moved, brushing lightly against my arm, an almost casual touch that sent a jolt of awareness through me.
“I’m not afraid to take risks, Catalina,” he murmured, his voice dripping with dark intent.
“But I’m not reckless, either. I see something in you—something that tells me you’re more than just a name, more than just a pretty face. You and I, we’re cut from the same cloth. We don’t just survive. We thrive, and we do it on our own terms.”
My eyes narrowed, my pulse quickening despite my best efforts to stay in control.
He was playing a dangerous game, one that few had dared to try with me.
“Don’t flatter yourself, Dominic,” i shot back, my voice a blend of warning and temptation.
“I’m not someone you can charm into submission. I’m the one who decides how this goes, and right now, you’re dangerously close to crossing a line you can’t uncross.”
Dominic’s smile was pure sin, his eyes dark with something that bordered on obsession.
“Maybe I like dancing on that line, Catalina. Maybe I want to see just how far I can push you.”
My breath caught as i felt the heat between us spike. He was challenging me, daring me to push back, to show just how fierce i could be.
And damn if i wasn’t tempted to take the bait.
I leaned in, my lips brushing against his ear as i whispered, “Be careful what you wish for, Dominic. I might just decide to push back harder than you’re ready for.”
Dominic’s hand slid down my arm, lingering at my wrist before he pulled back just enough to meet my gaze.
His eyes were alight with a mix of desire and danger, the kind that had my blood singing in my veins. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
The silence that followed was electric, each breath they took heavy with the weight of what wasn’t being said.
We were circling each other, predators in a game where the stakes were higher than either could admit.
I could feel the pull, the magnetic draw of power and lust that hovered between us like a live wire.
“You’re playing with fire,” i warned, though my voice had lost some of its earlier venom.
“And I’ve never been burned,” Dominic replied, his voice deep, seductive.
My lips curved into a slow, dangerous smile. “Maybe it’s time you learned what it feels like.”
Dominic’s hand was suddenly at my waist, pulling me closer until there was barely any space between us.
His other hand slid up to cup the back of my neck, fingers threading through my hair as he looked into my eyes.
“I’m ready to get burned, Catalina,” he murmured, his voice low and full of promise. “If you are.”
My breath hitched, the challenge clear in his words, the intensity between us threatening to consume us both.
“You want to see how far we can go?” i whispered, my voice laced with danger and desire. “Then let’s see just how far you’re willing to push.”
Dominic’s grip tightened ever so slightly, his eyes never leaving mine. “As far as it takes to get what I want.”
For a long moment, we stood locked in that fierce, electric tension, neither willing to back down, both driven by a hunger that was as much about power as it was about desire.
The line between us had blurred, and we both knew that whatever came next would change everything.
My lips parted, my next words a blend of a challenge and a promise. “Then show me, Dominic. Show me just how far you’re willing to go.”
YOU ARE READING
Shadows of Desire
RomanceHe was my rival, my enemy, in many ways. We had spilt blood in our pursuit of power, our men dying by each other's orders. Yet here we were, bound together by a twisted fate that had led us to marry, to merge our empires, and now, to this moment. I...
