6

Selena

Well, there went my fantasy.

I’d never been good at making them come true, including the whole imagining part. I’d always wanted to be a witch, but that dream wasn’t meant to be. I took another gulp of my drink. A nice bath was sounding better and better. Maybe the gift shop had a small bottle of bubble bath I could buy. I had brought a bottle of wine, thinking it would be for a surprise visit from Matt.

I hated myself even more. I was going to drink the whole thing by myself, and I was okay with that.

"Hey there, pretty girl. Why are you sitting all alone in a dump like this?"

The guy was loud, obnoxious, and clearly drunk.

Any one of those traits would be off-putting, but all three? Toxic.

"Because I’d rather be alone than deal with jerk men who don’t understand what a woman wants. You know, the kind full of testosterone and hot air, and definitely not in a good way." I gave him a sweet smile that masked my annoyance, my words laced with the same sharpness I used in court. Maybe I was finally moving on from my ex.

Or maybe I needed to see a doctor for caring about him at all.

If the mysterious guy was a fantasy, the drunk in front of me wearing a sweat-stained suit was the complete opposite.

He was as far from charming as you could get.

"What do you mean?" he slurred.

"I mean thanks for stopping by, but don’t let the door hit you on the way out."

The blank look in his eyes told me he didn’t get it. I almost felt sorry for him.

Until he put his sweaty hand on my knee, and all I could think about was breaking his wrist. Not that I needed to; the mystery man was doing it for me. He grabbed the jerk’s wrist in an instant, twisting it back at an awkward angle. I could almost hear bones cracking.

The guy yelped, tears streaming down his face. Then my savior leaned in close, his jaw clenched as he said, "I don’t think the lady wants to be touched."

His rich, deep voice sent a wave of heat through me, something I’d never felt before. I was caught off guard, fighting the urge to encourage him to take it further, but I knew that would be wrong.

"Get off me, jerk," the drunk guy spat, throwing a punch at the mystery man’s stomach.

That’s when I felt a chill. The stranger’s eyes darkened, filled with rage. It felt like time stood still as he threw two brutal punches, the sound of cracking matching the blood splattEricag from the jerk’s broken nose.

I gasped and covered my mouth, shocked by the violence. But, oh my God, his protective nature was making me feel things I shouldn’t be feeling.

I had to get a grip. When I touched the stranger’s arm, the spark between us was electric, drowning out everything else.

"You need to rethink your approach, buddy," he said in that same deep voice.

The drunk guy began to cry. "You broke my nose."

"I’ll break more than that if you touch her again."

That’s when I noticed his huge arms, my fingers barely able to grasp a few inches of muscle. The artwork on his arm was impressive, flexing as he held the jerk’s wrist close to breaking.

"Don’t. Please don’t. He doesn’t deserve your anger or mine." I tried to sound calm and even a bit seductive, but I knew it could give the wrong impression. This man was in incredible shape, but the rage radiating from him had nothing to do with the jerk who had insulted me. I could feel the heat pulsing through his body.

"Please… let… me… go," the other man wheezed, trying to claw at my savior’s arm while weakly slapping his chest.

What troubled me more than the fact that this muscular guy could easily snap the jerk’s wrist was how captivated I was by his beauty. It felt strange to call a man beautiful, but he definitely was. And unless I was mistaken, his eyes were a vibrant purple. Not a soft lavender or a blue with hints of plum—this was a passionate, intense purple. They seemed too striking to be natural, yet somehow, I knew they were.

"I don’t tolerate men who touch women without permission, cherie. That’s not allowed in my world." His voice was mesmerizing, the slight French accent digging deep into my core. "At least not unless the woman belongs to him."

His last words almost shattered the moment. He seemed just like any other controlling man, thinking his beauty gave him a right to dictate. I should know better than to fall for a gorgeous guy; it usually led to losing all self-control and worth.

The fact that no one was stepping in showed that the other customers were just as captivated by him as I was. Still, this had gone too far.

"I can handle myself. But thank you. Now, please stop." I used the authoritative tone I had in court, hoping he’d take the hint. Luckily, he released his grip. "And just so you know, women don’t like being treated like possessions. That’s a major turnoff."

In that intense moment, our eyes met. I had never seen such strength in a man's gaze before. Along with the anger in his eyes, there was a deep, heavy darkness mixed with explosive passion. He dared to step back, letting his gaze travel down to my stilettos before slowly lifting it back to my eyes, where it lingered for several seconds. My heart raced in time with the ticking seconds, making me even more jittery.

I held my breath, ready to keep it that way for the duration of his heated stare. Then he did something unexpected that would keep me awake all night.

He wrapped his hand around my throat, gently lifting my chin with his thumb. While he didn’t squeeze or threaten me, his hold was firm, and I could tell he was fully in control.

As he pulled me closer, he closed the space between us, looking down at me like I was just his prey. His scent was even stronger now, with pheromones sending electric shivers through my body. I noticed the pulse in his neck, thick and muscular like the rest of him.

He leaned down until our lips were just a few centimeters apart, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe, paralyzed by the overwhelming desire spreading through my muscles. It wasn’t just the heated look in his eyes; I actually wanted him to kiss me. Can you believe that? I was wishing for a stranger who had nearly taken out another guy to crush his lips against mine.

His lips were so tempting, moistened by a flick of his tongue. When he spoke, I was taken aback by the richness of his voice, even though I couldn’t understand a word he said.

“When I take a woman as beautiful as you as my own, I will never take the gift for granted, offEricag endless nights of happy passion. Because women are precious in every way, fulfilling a man’s most basic needs.”

All the air left my lungs as he did exactly what I had been wanting moments before. He captured my mouth, holding our lips together without any rush or urgency—just a clear expression of the passion between us. Still, I was overwhelmed by the intensity of his grip, the way he stroked my chin with his thumb while tightening his fingers around my neck.

The action was entirely too possessive, but I was drawn into him, my mind spinning with ungodly possibilities, unbridled desire rushing into my already overheated core. There was something about his hold on me, both mentally and physically, that was perversely satisfying, and I honestly had no clue as to why.

I found myself pressing my hand against his chest, digging my nails into his shirt, wishing I could slide my fingers under the thin material. But I feared the tips of my fingers would be permanently seared, scarred to the point touching anyone else would be impossible. Every move he made from that second on highlighted the urgency I hadn’t sensed before, including the way he wrapped his other arm around me, pulling my stomach against the hardness of his cock, which was throbbing.

As with everything else about the mystery man, he was controlling, grinding his hips back and forth, telling me in no uncertain terms that he was in near desperate need. I couldn’t breathe or think when he finally thrust his tongue past my lips, exploring the darkness inside my mouth as his eyes had done to my very soul.

It wasn’t right to be this aroused by a stranger. I’d been taught passion was developed and nurtured through friendship and love. It would seem my mother was wrong about that. I remained tingling all over, my nipples aching from how swollen they’d become. It was as if the room was spinning all around us, a whirlwind of our hunger spiraling out of control.

When he finally broke the kiss, I remained completely lightheaded, fearful I’d stumble if he let me go right now. I hadn’t realized I’d dragged my tongue across my lower lip until his eyes fell to the seductive gesture. “What did you say to me?” I heard the stilted tone in my voice and cringed.

“I said that when I take a woman as beautiful as you as my possession, I will never take the gift for granted, providing endless nights of blissful passion. For women are precious in every way, satisfying the most primal needs a man can have.”

“Oh.” Oh? No man had ever tongue tied me before, including the recent pig.

“And made no mistake,cherie. You will belong to me when the time is right.” As if to reiterate the point, he dropped his head once again, pressing his face into my neck. The moment I felt his teeth against my skin, I shuddered, my eyes involuntarily closing. His words weren’t just possessive in nature. They highlighted his control. And a predatory obsession.

Should I feel flattered or terrified?

At that moment I felt the scruff of his beard scratching my skin, something I’d hated before.

Not any longer. Right now, I thought the sensations had to be the sexiest thing imaginable. Suddenly, there was a surprising coldness from the air wafting across my heated body. When I opened my eyes seconds later, I wasn’t entirely certain I hadn’t imagined the entire thing.

He was gone, his searing touch still lingEricag yet I felt an absolute loss, a sadness reverberating through every cell, every muscle.

Yet when I lifted my head, I noticed he was once again staring at me from across the bar. Only this time, I had no doubt he’d undressed me with his eyes, tearing apart the good girl armor I’d used for my entire adult life.

And dear God, I wanted him to undress me in real life.

After giving me one last explosive look, he walked away, sauntEricag toward the dark entrance to the bar as if he had all the time in the world.

“Whew.” I pressed my fingers across my lips, taking a deep breath before attempting to return to the bar, able to make it onto the seat without making a fool of myself any more than I had.

I let out the breath I’d been holding, realizing the bartender had placed a fresh drink in front of me. When he grinned and winked, I had to wonder how much of a display I’d made of myself. At least no one from my office should be inside the hotel at this time of night.

Or so I hoped.

I polished off the single drink, pulling out my phone and daring to text Jenny.

Remind me to never listen to you again.

I didn’t wait for her to reply, knowing the kind of hell she’d give me for not getting his name. I was instantly driven into a piss-poor mood all over again, realizing I’d had the best kiss of my entire life and I’d been so damn befuddled by the man that I hadn’t thought to get his name. There was something significantly wrong with me.

That would be the gorgeous man who’d stared me down with lust in his eyes.

I had a thought and crawled my hand across the bar. “Oh, Matt. I have a question for you.”

The bartender sidled up to the bar, stretching his arms across and leaning over. “Of course.”

“Did the man from across the bar happen to pay with a credit card?”

Matt chuckled as if I’d made a huge joke. “He paid in cash. The best tipper I’ve had in a long time.”

Shoot. It figured.

“Damn.”

He backed away, a knowing grin on his face.