Page 56 of Desire
Emma’s lower lip trembled, her eyes searching his, desperate for reassurance. “But the things she said, the way she made me look...”
“Aren’t true,” Dante finished firmly. “You are grace and fire on those skates, Emma. A few stumbles don’t change that. Kiki’s just trying to get under your skin, to make herself feel better by tearing you down. Don’t give her that power over you.”
He pulled her closer, resting his forehead against hers, their breaths mingling in the scant space between them. “You’re a fighter. A survivor. And you’ve got me, and Colleen, and Anya, and the whole Couture crew in your corner. We believe in you—now you just need to believe in yourself.”
Emma’s hands fisted in his shirt, clinging to him like a lifeline amidst the chaos of her emotions. She drew in a deep, shuddering breath, the air hitching in her lungs as she struggled to find her equilibrium. Dante’s words echoed in her mind, but the doubts still clamored for attention, insidious whispers that refused to be silenced.
“I want to believe you,” she murmured, her voice raw and ragged. “I do.”
His thumbs brushed over her cheekbones, wiping away the tears that had begun to fall. “I know it’s hard, baby.”
Emma leaned into his touch, drawing strength from the solid warmth of his presence. She wanted to believe him, to trust in the conviction that blazed in his eyes, but the scars of her past ran deep, the wounds still raw and aching. “I think I’m going to quit.”
“I forbid it,” he snapped in his Dom voice.
It straightened her spine. She pulled away to look up at him. She wanted to argue with him, but the look in his eyes made her think better of it.
“We’ll discuss this later. Right now, I want you to go back to work and not think about Kiki Pretty or her poison for the rest of the day.”
“Easy for you to say.”
“Easier still if you remove your underwear and give them to me.”
“What? Dante, I’m not looking for sex.”
“And I’m not looking for disobedience.” He slapped his hand down hard on her ass.
“Ow.” She rubbed the spot.
“Now,” he said.
Unbuttoning her shirt, she slid out of her bra and handed it to him. Her nipples pebbled in the cool air conditioning of his office. He tweaked one and she gasped in pain.
“Now your panties,” he said when she had fixed her top.
Kicking off her shoes and stepping out of her pants, she handed them to him. Dante thrust two rough fingers between her legs and rubbed her clit until she clung to him. “So very wet. So very needy.” He stroked her to the brink of orgasm and them kissed her fiercely when he pulled his fingers away.
“Get dressed,” Dante said.
Well, he was right about one thing. She wasn’t going to be thinking about Kiki Pretty while she was aching from Dante’s touch and feeling exposed because she wasn’t wearing underwear. He gave her one last smack that had her stumbling out the door.
She turned back to glare at him.
“We’ll discuss that look later as well,” he threatened.
Emma’s entire body shivered and she made a quick retreat before she made it worse for herself by taking her anger out on Dante.