𝑀𝓎 𝑀𝒶𝒻𝒾𝒶 𝐻𝓊𝓈𝒷𝒶𝓃𝒹

Ch 21: Hard to resist me.

ASTRID'S POV:

As everyone makes their way towards the exit, he finally turns to me, hand covering his head in utter disbelief. "Astrid, you can't be so fucking naive," he pauses, "not with a body like that..."

"I know, I'm sorry..." I can see how tired the situation made him in his eyes, like it took all of his energy trying to protect me. "You can't trust everyone..." his gaze was serious as he locked eyes with me. "I'm the only one you can trust."

My eyes widened at his words, realizing just how much he meant them. But I couldn't say the same thing back, because in the end... I made a choice and that choice was to kill him.

"I'm going to my office," he made his way to the foot of the elevator, "don't bother me."

Why was he putting on a cold facade again now that everyone was gone?

How can he pull me closer, then ask me for space?

What did I do?

"Damon..." his name sat at the tip of my tongue.

At the sound of his name he pauses in his tracks, his gaze cool and expression unreadable. "I said not to bother me." His tone was curt, not unkind like earlier in the day, but with the intention of setting boundaries between us.

It was as if he was afraid of what he might to do me if we were alone in a room.

"Please..." my small figure stands behind him and slowly I outline his biceps, my arms wrapping around his stomach while my chest presses onto his back. "Damon... you can't just leave me like this," my intrusive thoughts take over and I kiss the nape of his neck, hating how his entire body tensed up. He lets out a low growl, which sounds like a warning more than anything else.

Yet despite the harshness of his voice, his hands don't move to push me away. Instead, his hand comes up to grip my hips tightly as he turns around to face me, trapping me against the wall.

"Earlier... when I tried to touch you... I ran my hands up your dress. You resisted, why?"

I think back to a few minutes ago, the bad memory still fresh in my mind. I wanted to trust Damon with the truth. "Gray had just touched me in all sorts of places against my will... I had no idea what to expect, and frankly," my voice lowered into a faint whisper. "I was scared."

As if accepting my answer, he tilts his head to the side, giving me better access to his neck while I continue to peck him. "Say something, please."

I suck on the flesh of his skin as I bury my face in the crook of his neck, earning a low groan from his lips. "Astrid... this is a bad idea," The heat radiating of his body is intense, like he could burn through the fabric at any minute.

"Are you sure?" My warm breath escapes onto his throat as he finds a way to melt under my touch. "Fine...just once," he mutters as his gaze flickers over me, taking in every inch of my body. "See? Isn't it better just to give in?" I sink my fingers into his fluffy hair, hearing a long pause before he finally speaks, his voice low and rough.

"I said, just once," he repeats, as his other hand leaves my hips, moving down to rest heavily on my ass, spanking me. "Ngh!" With a squeal, my eyes roll to the back of my head, leaving me panting like a dog. "Astrid..." His thumb brushes over the curve of my cheek, his voice barely above a whisper. "Don't think this changes anything."

"Why shouldn't it?" His eyes flash dangerously as he looks down at me, the intensity of his emerald stare making my heart pound wildly in my chest.

"Why?" He warns, "Because I'm not a fucking saint. If we continue with this, I will lose control."

I whisper into his ears. "Then don't Damon." I hold his face in my palm, "I trust you."

"You trust me?" He sighs heavily, finally building up the strength to push me away. "Look Astrid, this marriage isn't about companionship or desire. It's about duty, obligation, and business." His eyes harden slightly, his body's reactions to my touch betraying the words he spoke. "If we cross those lines... it will only complicate things."

I grab his collar and pull it closer to my face, surprised at the groan that escapes him when my breath hitches on his throat. "That's... That's enough, Astrid," he manages to choke out, his voice strained. "You're crossing a line..."

His hands ball into fists at his sides, his knuckles turning white against the dark fabric of his suit. "What line?" I taunt, wrapping my arms around his neck. Despite his protests, he makes no attempt to free himself from my grasp.

"What line?" He echoes, his voice coming out as a rough growl. "The one where I remind you that you don't want to play with fire, Astrid."

I jump up and wrap my legs around his torso, using my hand on the back of his head to pull him into a deep kiss. "Damon, I don't mind being burned." I give him a second to take those words in before continuing. "You keep denying you want me, but I can see for myself."

His eyes go wide, my name leaving his mouth in a raspy tone. "Astrid," he warns. "You don't have to do this." I answer by ripping my pants off, the look on his face like a starving man.

"Wait," his mouth says, but his eyes urge me to continue. "Eyes on me," I tilt his chin upward, feeling like a predator. "Astrid," his warning is more urgent this time as his knuckles turn white while gripping the sides of the wall almost as if he's trying to hold himself back.

I don't know why I craved for his touch so bad. Maybe it was because I had to confirm that his touch would be different from Grays. That just him standing before me would make me twist and turn underneath him, that he could make me feel good without forcing his fingers into me.

Everything about his touch just felt so right.

"Please Damon," I wrap my hands tenderly around his throat, holding him in place as I continue to move my lips against him.

My father would be proud of me.

He grunts, doing his best to maintain control. "Maybe you don't care about being burned," I watch as he swallows hard at my expression, as if he already knew my true intentions. "But I won't be the one to light that fire Astrid."

I pause to search his eyes for an answer. "Why not? I thought you wanted me..." His eyebrows furrow as he carefully sets me off him, "I'm a guy. None of this means I want you..." he insisted even as he sets a hand on my face, kissing me fiercely. "It just means I'm weak."

I rest my hands on his chest, loosening his tie. "Don't do this to yourself, you don't really want me, not like this. I'd just be taking advantage of your body like every other girl I've fucked." The thought that maybe he could be right was frustrating and it hurt.

I bury my head into his suit, trying to hide my face from him. "...Shut up," But he continues, knowing his words are resonating with me. "If you're just trying to test something out with me, because of what that man did to you, you're going to regret it." Tears start to run down my cheeks as my grip loosens with every word. "You can't force these things Astrid, I won't let you do that."

I choke out, turning away from him. "Since when did you become the nice guy..." Red creeps up my cheeks from the realization of what I just did. Biting my bottom lip I attempted to make a run for it, but he caught my wrists before I could, his grip a lot stronger than it was when we sparred.

"Come with me, I don't want to end the night like this." My feet moves toward him before my brain can process his words. "Where are we going?"

A smirk curls on his lips. "For a drive."