This time, her actions bordered on pure instinct. She kissed him like she wanted to consume him, to crawl inside his skin and make him part of her. Her hips began to move against his, grinding down in a rhythm that made stars explode behind his closed eyelids.
What in the manner of devil was controlling her?
James felt his control slipping away like sand through his fingers. Victoria was like a wild animal that had been starved for days, starved for him, for his touch, for the connection they had been dancing around. Every kiss, every movement of her body against his, every soft moan that escaped her lips was driving him closer to the edge of madness.
His hands found her hips, torn between pushing her away and pulling her closer. The heat of her body, the way she moved against him, the desperate sounds she was making; it was all combining to create a perfect storm of desire that threatened to sweep away every rational thought he possessed.
"Tori," he groaned against her mouth, but she swallowed his protests with another searing kiss.
She was beyond words now, communicating only through touch and taste and the desperate movement of her body against his. Her hands were everywhere; in his hair, on his chest, clinging to his shoulders as she lost herself in the sensation of finally, finally having him beneath her.
The intensity was overwhelming, frightening in its power. James could feel himself drowning in her, in the heat and hunger and desperate need that poured off her in waves. He knew that if he didn't stop this now, then the meaningful connection he was hoping to build with her will be broken. The control he had maintained for so long was fracturing under the assault of her passion.
With a surge of strength born of desperation, James rolled them over, pinning her beneath him on the bed. His hands caught her wrists, pressing them firmly against the mattress above her head as he stared down at her with eyes that blazed with a mixture of barely contained desire and reproach.
Victoria's chest rose and fell rapidly beneath him, her lips swollen from their kisses, her hair spread across the pillow like a dark halo. But even pinned beneath him, she continued to move, her hips arching up against his in a way that made his vision blur.
"Look at me," he commanded, his voice rough with the effort of maintaining control.
When her eyes finally focused on his face, he made sure she could see the seriousness in his expression, the warning that glittered in his dark gaze. But Victoria was past caring about warnings, past caring about consequences. She could see the warning radiating from him, the frustration that tightened his jaw and made his eyes burn with dangerous intensity. And God help her, it was the most arousing she had ever seen. Yet none of it mattered. She was beyond reason, beyond restraint.
With deliberate provocation, she continued to move beneath him, her hips arching up to meet his crotch in a rhythm that made his breath hitch, imitating the thrusting motion. The contact sent shockwaves through both their bodies, and Victoria's eyes fluttered closed as she savored the feeling of him pressed against her, even as she knew it was driving his tolerance for her bold and brazen behavior to new heights.
"Stop doing that."
James shook his head, a mixture of disbelief and frustration coursing through him. Victoria kept shocking him as she unveiled sides to her he struggled to handle. It hadn't been two weeks since they'd started this relationship, since they'd had that careful discussion about building emotional connection before diving into anything intimacy. Now it seemed he was back to square one, trying to tame a woman who refused to be tamed.
The question is how he could handle a woman who was completely wild and seemingly turned on by his anger.
She was turning him into someone he didn't recognize, someone harder, more domineering, more dangerous. Victoria wasn't a woman he could be gentle with when she was like this, he was beginning to realize. She needed strength, needed someone who could match her intensity and establish dominance without crushing her spirit.
He looked down at the wicked smile that curved her beautiful lips as she continued to push him, continued to test every boundary he tried to set. Her eyes sparkled with mischief and challenge, clearly aroused and daring him to give in to the darkness she was awakening within him.
"I will let go," he said, his voice rough with restraint, "but you have to promise to behave, Tori."
Victoria nodded eagerly, her smile widening as if she'd won some private victory. James hesitated, skeptical on whether to believe her not wanting to hurt her delicate wrists, but finally released his grip and stepped back from the bed.
The moment he turned his back to her, Victoria struck again. Her hands shot out, grabbing the waistband of his joggers and yanking downward with surprising strength. Only his quick reflexes saved him from complete exposure as he spun around and caught her hands in the nick of time.
"You...you little vixen," he breathed, his voice thick with anger and something far more dangerous.
Victoria's smile turned triumphant as she saw the fire blazing in his eyes. The way it made him look even more devastatingly handsome. This was exactly what she had been hoping for; to rile him up, to push him past his careful control and into the passionate intensity she craved.
James did not disappoint her. With swift, decisive movements, he dragged her up from the bed and spun her around so her back was pressed against his chest. His hands captured both her arms, locking them securely behind her back as he held her trapped against him still careful not to hurt her.
Victoria's pulse skyrocketed as she felt his strength surrounding her, dominating her in a way that made her entire body sing with anticipation. This was the James she had been trying to unleash, powerful, commanding, uncompromising.
With deliberate provocation, she arched her back, positioning herself so that her curves pressed directly against his crotch. The contact was electric, sending shockwaves through both their bodies as she moved against him with shameless intent.
"Mmm," she moaned, the sound low and sultry and completely calculated to drive him wild.
James thought his soul might leave his body. The feel of her against him, the way she moved with such deliberate seduction, the soft sounds she was making, it was all combining to create a perfect storm of desire that threatened to obliterate every rational thought he possessed.
If someone told him a year ago that his boss would be lusting after him as if she was on heat he would have probably punched said person but look at him now..
With tremendous effort, James forced her to straighten up, breaking the intimate contact even as his body screamed in protest.
"That's it," he said through gritted teeth, his control hanging by the thinnest of threads. "You're leaving."
He could not bear another moment of this torture, could not trust himself, safety and protection around her. No, he did not trust himself not to give in to the primal urges she was awakening. With his hands still securing her arms behind her back, he began walking her toward the door.
Even apprehended as she was, Victoria found ways to torment him. She moved her hips as they walked, grinding back against him with every step. Her laughter was low and throaty, filled with the satisfaction of a woman who knew exactly what she was doing to him.
"You're insane," he muttered, but there was something almost admiring in his tone despite his frustration.
Victoria turned her head slightly, catching his eye with a smile that was pure sin. "Maybe," she purred, "but it's all for you."
The terrible truth was that he liked that she was for him. Her wildness, her complete abandonment of propriety, the way she challenged him at every turn, it was intoxicating in a way that thrilled him.
They were nearly at the door when another knock echoed through the room, this one much stronger than Victoria's had been. James froze, his hands tightening on Victoria's arms as they both recognized the voice that came through the door.
"James? Are you awake? We need to talk."
Marcus.