A Ruthless kind of love

The city whizzed by the car window, rain streaks on glass. Elena sat stiffly, notebook still clutched in her lap as a barrier, although it would do nothing to protect her from Damien's tempest sitting next to her.

He had not spoken a word since their kiss.

He didn't need to. The stillness was nastier-barded, heavy, like the atmosphere just before thunder. His hand rested negligently on the seat between them, his fingers touching the hem of her coat as if daring her to notice.

Her body noticed. So did all the nerves.

"Where are we going?" she finally replied, her voice trembling.

Damien slowly shifted his face, his black eyes locking onto hers. "Does it matter?

"Yes," she said, sharper than she intended.

His mouth curved, not in humor but in something darker, something that told her he enjoyed her defiance. "You're trembling again."

"I told you-it's the cold."

"Still lying."

Her jaw tightened. "You don't know me well enough to call me a liar."

"Fact is," he took a deep breath, his mouth inches from her ear she could sense his warm breath. His fingers brushed the inside of her wrist and a shiver ran through her. "Your body says it all."

She tried to pull away on her wrist, but he held her-not tight, not hurting, but hard enough to make her realize just how quickly he could hold her there.

"Let go," she breathed.

"Say please."

She gasped for air. His voice wasn't teasing. It was a test, testing depth. She hated herself for the flush that danced in her chest.

"Please," she got out.

For what seemed like forever, he held her stretched, his gaze still locked on hers. And then, slowly, deliberately, released her.

But rather than drawing back, he leaned in-his hand brushing the wet hair from her face, his fingers tracing the line of her neck.

Elena tensed, her heart racing.

"You feel that?" Damien breathed, his thumb pressed against the pounding rhythm of her pulse. "Your body betrays you. Every time."

She opened her mouth, a protest upon her breath, but before she could say the words, he was lifting her chin.

The kiss here was not reluctant. It was ravenous, insisting, his mouth taking her in claim. His hand dropped to the back of her neck, holding her in place as if he already possessed her.

She whimpered against his mouth, but the breath to a whimper changed when his other hand slid along her waist, pulling her closer.

The city outside, rain-soaked beyond, the rain, the leather armchair all receded. Damien alone remained. His mouth, his control, the icy way he seemed to know exactly how to unravel her.

His fingers, clever fingers, lay on her breast. She told herself she meant to thrust him away. But instead, her hands wrapped around that fabric of his shirt, holding hard.

He broke away from the kiss for a moment to whisper against her mouth: "You don't want me to stop."

"Yes, I do," she whispered.

"Liar."

His lips touched her jaw, her neck, the hollow of her collarbone where her shirt clung wetly to her skin. Each touch seared, each kiss a command her body obeyed despite her will. She shivered, torn between terror and lust.

"Damien..." Half warning, half entreaty.

He took a step back, dark, unreadable eyes. He simply looked at her for a moment-pink face, trembling lips, the jerky drop and rise of her chest.

Then, with a deliberation that skirted on deadliness, he took a slow breath and said, "Say my name."

She swallowed. "Damien."

A deep growl came out of him, edging towards satisfaction. His hand slid down her side, on her hip, his fingers sinking in possessively.

Her entire body seared. She despised to hate him. She must escape. But she inched forward instead, forehead colliding with his, lips meeting.

And just when she thought he'd consume her whole-when all her fight on the cusp of explosion-he went stiff.

Damien shoved her away with a harsh motion, recoiled in his chair with a sickening smile.

Elena blinked in dismay, her body protesting the lack of his touch. "Why-why'd you stop?"

His gaze burned into hers. "Because control is mine. Not yours."

The car hit slower speed and rode over, coming to a stop at her apartment complex. Elena hadn't even realized they were going home for the entire ride.

"Go inside," Damien told her, his voice unstoppable. "And we'll figure out what you want. Because the next time, Elena.... His eyes fell to her lips.

".there won't be stopping."

She was racing with a heart, trembling legs as she went out into the rain and opened the door. She didn't even look back, though she could feel the burn of his eyes on her until the car melted into the blackness.

And solitary in her apartment, rain pounding against the floor, Elena realized she had ever been so scared-

Or so desperate for his return.