HIS DOE, HIS DAMNATION (An Erotic Billionaire Romance) novel Chapter 77

Meadow’s POV:

My hand inched toward the strings slowly. I hated that I was doing this. But even more, I hated the way he was looking at me right now.

Like he wanted to eat me up. Or maybe strangle me.

The rough hand on my jaw reached down toward my breasts, and Alaric cupped it gently, rolling my nipple with his thumb. I bit down hard on my bottom lip, swallowing the moan that threatened to come out.

I couldn’t let him know that I was enjoying this too much.

Although it looked as if he already knew.

My chest rose and fell in shallow breaths. “You’re disgusting,” I spat.

“And you’re stalling,” he said, eyes glinting dangerously. “Don’t make me decide for you, baby. You won’t like how thorough I can be.” He paused. “Or maybe you’d like it too much.”

“You called me a slut for opening my legs to you, Alaric,” I said, recalling the night before he left for Vegas. “Why should I do that now?”

Alaric’s smirk didn’t falter, but his jaw ticked. “I didn’t call you a slut that night because you opened your legs for me, Meadow. I called you a slut because I wanted to hurt you.”

For a moment, I was taken aback by his response. I wasn’t expecting him to be honest about it. I thought he would ignore it like everything else.

“And it worked, didn’t it?” he finished softly, cupping my face again.

My throat tightened.

His eyes narrowed, the smirk turning into something colder. “And now you’re here, wet. Shaking. Pretending that one word is enough for you to keep your thighs shut.” He tilted his head, eyes raking over me as he parted my bottom lip with his thumb. “But it’s not. You’ll still do it, because you want me more than you want to win this little argument.”

A gasp escaped my throat, and before I realized what was going on, he pulled on the strings of my bikini bottom. The smirk appeared again as he moved away from me, swimming toward the edge of the pool while I watched it float.

I was completely naked now. Shivering, not because of the cold, but because I realized that he was right.

As much as I wanted to fight him, as much as I wanted to hate him for spying on me, I wanted to do as he said.

I wanted to touch myself in this pool in front of Alaric.

Alaric pulled himself up, so now he was sitting on the edge of the pool. And then he took his shirt off, and my breath caught. Casually, he tossed it aside, his gaze shifting to me again. And he arched a brow.

“What are you waiting for?” he asked smoothly.

I drew in a breath so deep it made my ribs ache. My chest felt tight from how carefully he was watching me, his forearms resting against his knees

Oh my god.

I was going to finger myself in front of Alaric.

My jaw clenched and I swallowed, taking another deep breath. “I’ve been in this water too long. My body’s probably already wrinkly.”

He smirked wider. “Better get to it then.”

I scowled at him, rolling my eyes. And after a full minute of stalling and flapping my arms gently, I let myself tip backward, kicking my legs lightly to stay afloat. The water cradled me until I was floating. Naked. In the pool. In front of Alaric.

My core throbbed at the thought of him doing things to me inside this pool. Touching me, holding me like he did…

I wanted more of that.

I missed it.

And maybe I needed to show him just how much I did, and how wrong he was for leaving me.

I was going to show him what he missed.

Heat spread throughout my entire body and his eyes gleamed wickedly.

“Tell me what you’re thinking about. Right now.”

My cheeks burned. “You,” I breathed without hesitation.

He leaned forward. “Doing what?”

I swallowed hard, the words tasting heavy even before I said them out loud. “Holding me under. Making you take me until… until I can’t breathe.”

Alaric’s jaw tightened, his eyes flashing with a hunger I couldn’t comprehend. “Careful, Meadow,” he warned. “Say things like that and I could make them come true faster than you can blink.”

Two of my fingers were inside me now, and the heel of my palm ground against my clit as my other hand reached for my nipples, pinching and twisting. My body pulsed with an electric–like current and I knew my orgasm was close. So close.

“That doesn’t sound like a warning, Alaric,” I moaned, feeling the pressure build higher and higher. “I want you to take me. And I hate you for thinking that I’m not ready for you when all I’ve been since I met you is… ready. I want you to show me how intense things can get. I want you to stop holding back on me.”

I watched him through half–closed eyes. His expression was indifferent, and I couldn’t decide whether it was bordering on his usual coldness or… desire.

I just couldn’t read him. He didn’t say a word.

My body tingled and vibrated as the water rippled around me. And one more glance at Alaric and I came hard, eyes shut tight, gasping for breath as my orgasm washed over me, flooding my entire body.

It took a moment to gather myself, and when I finally did, I opened my eyes, wondering what Alaric would say to me. What he would think about this.

And my heart dropped into my stomach.

He wasn’t there anymore.