"Show me what you're capable of, Alex." Her eyes burned into his, unblinking. "Don't. Hold. Back."
She leaned in, lips grazing his ear, breath hot and deliberate. "Show me exactly how you broke my dear Victoria."
The provocation ignited him like dry tinder to flame.
Catherine pulled back just enough, her gaze devouring every flicker across his face... the twitch of his jaw, the sharpening of his stare... as dark hunger swallowed his eyes whole.
A triumphant thrill surged through her; in that raw unraveling, she felt control snap back into her hands, delicious and heady.
A slow, defiant smile curved her lips. "I dare you to make me scream your name."
Silence stretched, razor-sharp.
Amusement vanished from Alex's expression, replaced by something predatory. Utterly. Focused.
"With pleasure."
The words carried weight of promise and threat simultaneously, and Catherine felt her pulse spike as his hands moved to her waist with renewed purpose.
