The Devil's Claim

Sky's fingers trembled as she tried to keep herself composed, her nails digging into the fabric of her bag. Her chest rose and fell in sharp, erratic breaths, and her heart pounded so loudly she was certain Xavier could hear it. 

How is this even possible? Her thoughts raced as she stared at the man towering over her, his presence suffocating yet magnetic. She shook her head furiously, trying to silence the heat pooling low in her abdomen.

"You know what? Not here. I can get a job somewhere else," she blurted, her voice sharp but laced with panic. She moved to stand, fumbling to gather her things, but before she could take a step, his hand shot out, gripping her wrist.

"Sit down."

The words weren’t shouted—they didn’t need to be. They were dark, commanding, and laced with an edge of danger that froze her in place. His gaze burned into her, sharp and unyielding as steel, and when she didn’t move fast enough for his liking, he tugged her back into the chair with a force that sent her body reeling.

"Don’t make me yell, Angel," Xavier said, his voice low and husky, carrying the weight of a promise—or a threat. "Just listen to me like a good girl."

The word good girl made Sky’s breath hitch, and she hated herself for it. Her thighs pressed tightly together, trying to quell the aching heat that betrayed her every attempt at indifference. Why? she screams internally.

 Why does my body react to him like this? Three years of trying to forget him, erase him, and yet here she was—melting under his command, her very core betraying her pride.

She looked up at him through wide, bewildered eyes, her lips parting to say something—anything—but the words caught in her throat. Xavier stood above her, his tall, muscular frame blocking out the light. The raw power in his stance made her pulse race. 

His jaw was clenched tight, his sharp features unreadable but undeniably dangerous. His eyes—those piercing, predatory eyes—roamed over her with a possessiveness that made her stomach twist in a mix of fear and reluctant desire.

Xavier noticed. Oh, he noticed everything. The way her body trembled, the way her chest rose and fell with each rapid breath, the way she pressed her thighs together as if she could hide what he already knew. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, dark and knowing. 

He bent down, lowering himself to her height, closing the distance between them until his face was mere inches from hers. She could feel the warmth of his breath against her skin, the intoxicating scent of his cologne flooding her senses.

"You look better than you did three years ago," he murmured, his voice like velvet laced with menace.

 His eyes traced a slow path from her flushed cheeks down to her trembling lips, then lower, lingering on her curves with shameless scrutiny. "You’ve grown thicker, Angel," he continued, his voice dropping even lower. "And I bet you taste even sweeter now."

Sky’s entire body tensed, her eyes widening as his words sank in. She felt her face burn with humiliation, and yet… her core clenched involuntarily, dripping with the very evidence she wanted to deny.

“ No. Not now. Not him. Not again. She bit down on her lip, trying to stifle a whimper, but the pressure building within her was unbearable.

"You’re ridiculous," she managed to whisper, her voice breaking under the weight of her emotions. "This isn’t… you don’t get to—"

But Xavier didn’t let her finish. He leaned closer, his lips brushing the shell of her ear as he whispered, "Oh, but I do." His voice was a dark promise, sending shivers cascading down her spine. 

He pulled back just enough to meet her gaze, his eyes glinting with dangerous amusement. Slowly, deliberately, he raised his hand and licked his fingers, his tongue dragging over the tips in a motion so sinful it made her thighs clench harder.

Sky’s breath came out in a strangled gasp. Oh my God, this is too much, she thought desperately, her mind and body at war. She clenched her fists at her sides, her nails digging into her palms as she fought to stay in control.

"You can try to hide it," Xavier murmured, his smirk growing darker, "but I see you, Angel. I see how much you still want me. Even after all these years, your body remembers who it belongs to."

"I don’t—" Sky started, but her voice faltered, her words swallowed by the lump in her throat. She shook her head, trying to deny him, deny herself, but his gaze pinned her down, unrelenting.

"You don’t?" he challenged, his tone mocking as he leaned even closer, his lips a hair’s breadth away from hers. "Then why are you trembling? Why can’t you look me in the eye without falling apart?"

Sky’s chest heaved as she glared up at him, desperate to summon some semblance of defiance. But her silence spoke louder than any words could. Xavier’s smirk deepened, and he reached out, his fingers brushing against her neck, trailing down her skin with an intimacy that made her shiver.

"Face it, Angel," he whispered, his voice dripping with dark satisfaction. "You can't hide it! You want me to fuck you right here! Right now! Your body, it's begging me to be fucked! Your pussy is wet just for me!"

And in that moment, Sky hated how true those words felt but she wasn't ready to back down. 

Sky crossed her arms tightly across her chest, tilting her chin up in defiance as she glared at Xavier. His smirk, dark and laced with mischief, sent an involuntary shiver down her spine, but she refused to let him see how much power he still held over her.

"Oh, Xavier," she started, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "don’t flatter yourself. What we had was just a one-night stand. Nothing more." Her words came out sharp, but even she could hear the faint tremor in her voice. She swallowed hard, willing herself to maintain her composure as she looked directly into his eyes.

But Xavier’s gaze was unrelenting, a pool of darkness and desire that seemed to pull her in no matter how hard she tried to resist.

 There was a raw hunger in his expression, a fire that hadn’t diminished in the years since they’d last seen each other. Her pulse quickened under the weight of it, but she pressed on, desperate to reclaim some semblance of control.

"My body isn’t begging for you," she added, her tone almost convincing. Almost.

Xavier’s smirk widened as if he could sense every lie in her words. He leaned back slightly, his arms crossing over his broad chest, and tilted his head, watching her with the amusement of a predator toying with its prey.

"Is that so, Angel?" he murmured, his voice low and taunting.

Determined not to let him win, Sky lifted her hand, her fingers trembling slightly as she held them out for him to see. The dazzling diamond ring on her finger sparkled in the dim light, a symbol of a life she had carefully constructed far away from him.

"As you can see," she said, her voice steadying, "I’m engaged."

For a brief moment, a flicker of something unreadable crossed Xavier’s face. His jaw tightened, the muscle ticking with restrained tension, but his dark eyes never wavered from hers. And then, to her surprise—and frustration—his lips curled into a devilish smirk. He wasn’t moved. Not even a little.

Without warning, Xavier reached out and pressed his hand against her neck, the touch firm yet gentle, commanding her full attention.

 Sky gasped, her breath hitching as his thumb brushed over her pulse point, slow and deliberate. 

The possessiveness in his touch was unmistakable, and her traitorous body responded with a surge of heat she desperately tried to ignore.

"You escaped me once, Angel," Xavier said, his voice dark and filled with promise. He leaned closer, his breath warm against her ear as he continued.

"Never again. I don’t care if you’re engaged. What belongs to Xavier will always belong to Xavier. And you..." His grip on her neck tightened slightly, just enough to send a jolt of awareness through her. "You are fucking mine. Do you hear me, Sky? You belong to Xavier Collen."

Sky’s lips parted, but no words came out. She was too stunned, too overwhelmed by the intensity of his words and the way his eyes bore into hers with an almost feral hunger.

 Before she could process what was happening, Xavier’s lips crashed against hers in an aggressive, dominating kiss that left her breathless.

It wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t sweet. It was a claiming, raw and unapologetic, and it stole the air from her lungs. 

His hand slid from her neck to tangle in her hair, holding her in place as his tongue teased and explored, demanding her submission. 

Sky’s body betrayed her once again, a soft, involuntary moan escaping her lips as she leaned into him, craving more of the fire he ignited within her.

And then, just as quickly as it started, he pulled away, leaving her gasping for air and reeling from the loss of his touch. Sky let out a soft whimper before she could stop herself, the sound filled with a need she didn’t want to acknowledge. Xavier’s smirk deepened as he straightened, his dark eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

"That’s what I thought," he murmured, his voice dripping with arrogance as he strolled back to his chair.

Sky’s mind raced as she watched him, still trying to catch her breath. He moved with a lazy confidence, sinking into the chair and reaching for the tobacco on his desk. He lit it with ease, taking a long drag before exhaling a cloud of smoke that curled lazily in the air around him. The sight was maddeningly casual, as if he hadn’t just shattered her composure with a single kiss.

"You need a job, right?" he asked suddenly, his tone almost casual, though the wicked gleam in his eyes betrayed him.

Sky’s heart lurched. She narrowed her eyes at him, suspicion creeping into her gaze. His demeanor was too calm, too controlled, and it set her on edge.

"I guess I do," she admitted reluctantly, her voice soft and uncertain. She hated the vulnerability in her tone, but she couldn’t seem to help it. "What’s that got to do with anything?"

Xavier leaned forward, his elbows resting on the desk as he studied her with a predatory intensity that made her skin prickle. He took another drag of his tobacco, the corners of his lips curling upward in a devilish smirk as he exhaled.

"Be my wife," he said simply, his tone both commanding and nonchalant, as if the words weren’t utterly absurd.

Sky blinked, certain she hadn’t heard him correctly. "What?"

"You heard me," Xavier said, his voice darkening as he sat back in his chair. "Be my wife. And before you even think about saying no..." He leaned forward again, his gaze locking onto hers with an intensity that sent shivers down her spine. "You don’t have the right to say no."

Sky’s jaw dropped, her mind reeling. She stared at him, her heart pounding as his words echoed in her head. Was this man drunk? Delusional? Or was his obsession with her so deep that it had driven him completely mad?

"You can’t be serious," she finally managed to say, though her voice came out weaker than she intended.

Xavier’s smirk widened, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "Oh, Angel," he drawled, his voice dripping with wicked intent. "I’ve never been more serious in my life."