The moment she stepped into the conference room, wearing that figure-hugging dress that left just enough to the imagination, Alex,the ceo of luxe cosmetics his gaze darkened. His fingers tapped slowly against the glass table, his signature smirk in place as she slid into the seat across from him.
"Miss Aria," Alex drawled, voice smooth as silk, laced with something darker. "You look… absolutely ravishing today."
Aria smiled, her eyes flicking ever so slightly to Ethan, who sat rigid beside her. His jaw ticked, his grip on his pen tight enough to snap it in two. *Perfect.*
She leaned forward just a bit, resting her chin on her hand, letting her lips curve into something coy. "Oh, Alex, you flatter me." Her voice was sweet, dripping with playful innocence. But her eyes? They were anything but.
Alex chuckled, eyes locked onto her like a predator playing with his prey. "I don't flatter, sweetheart. I state facts." His gaze dragged over her, lingering just long enough to make Ethan exhale sharply.
Aria didn't miss the way Ethan's grip on his knee tightened beneath the table, his knuckles going white. He was holding himself back. Barely.
She turned her attention back to Alex, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Well then, I'll have to make sure I look my best every time we meet."
Ethan *snapped*.
The meeting was forgotten. The moment Alex dismissed the board, Ethan was up, his hand wrapping around Aria's wrist before she could slip away. "A word," he ground out, his voice dangerously low.
Alex merely smirked, leaning back in his chair, watching the scene unfold like a man who knew exactly what he was doing.
Ethan pulled her into a secluded hallway, his body crowding hers against the wall, his breath hot against her cheek. "What the *hell* was that?"
Aria tilted her head, feigning innocence. "What was what?"
"Don't play games with me, Aria," he growled. His hands were on either side of her head now, caging her in. "You think you can flirt with *him* - let him *undress* you with his damn eyes - and I'll just sit there and take it?"
A slow smile curved her lips. "Are you jealous, Ethan?"
His dark chuckle sent shivers down her spine. "Oh, sweetheart… you *want* me jealous, don't you?"
Aria gasped as his hand gripped her waist, his lips brushing against the shell of her ear. "You *wanted* to see me like this. *Angry*. Possessive. On the brink of losing control."
She barely had time to reply before his lips crashed onto hers - hot, demanding, punishing. It wasn't a kiss. It was a claim.
And she? She had just played with fire.
The second Ethan's lips crashed against hers, Aria knew she'd pushed him too far. But wasn't that exactly what she wanted?
His hands weren't just gripping her waist now - they were *possessing* her, fingers digging in as if daring her to pull away. But she didn't. She *wouldn't*.
She felt the raw *anger* behind his kiss, the way his mouth moved over hers with punishing force, as if trying to erase Alex's words, Alex's *touch*, from her skin.
When he finally pulled back, his breath was ragged, his forehead pressed against hers. "You *love* testing me, don't you?" His voice was low, dangerous, barely restrained.
Aria's lips curled into a smirk, her fingers toying with the collar of his suit. "And what if I do?"
Ethan let out a sharp breath through his nose. "Then you better be *ready* for what happens next, sweetheart."
Before she could respond, he spun her around, pressing her back against the cold wall, his hands pinning hers above her head. His body was pressed flush against hers, heat radiating from him, his scent - dark musk and something distinctly *him* - clouding her senses.
"You think I didn't see the way you were looking at him?" His lips brushed against her jaw, teasing, punishing. "You think I didn't notice how you *leaned in*, how you let him flirt with you?"
Aria let out a shaky breath, her body betraying her as she arched slightly into him. "I was just having fun."
His grip tightened. "Oh, sweetheart," he murmured, voice dark, teasing. "Let me show you what happens when you play games with me."
She barely had time to react before his lips were on her neck, his teeth grazing over her pulse point before biting down - *hard*. A gasp escaped her lips, her knees threatening to give out, but Ethan's hold on her was unrelenting.
"Mine," he murmured against her skin, his tongue flicking over the fresh mark. "Not his. *Mine.*"
She should have stopped him. They were at work. This was crossing every line.
But instead, she tilted her head, giving him *more*.
And that was the moment Ethan *lost* himself.