Chapter 300: The Devil’s Menu
Her grip on the countertop tightened as he leaned lower, never breaking eye contact through the mirror. His breath fanned across the nape of her neck as his hands moved slowly along the curve of her back, coming to a pause at the zipper of her exquisite gown.
His lips never touched her skin, yet she felt a scorching intensity from the mere brush of his breath against her sensitive flesh. For a moment, the moonlit bathroom was filled with silence, until it was broken by the soft sound of the zipper sliding down, exposing her back to the cool air, a stark contrast to the heat simmering between them.
Then, with predatory grace and without breaking eye contact, he inhaled her unique, intoxicating scent like a hunter ready to claim his long-awaited prize, making her shudder softly.
Her reaction pleased him, and he couldn’t resist trailing the back of his elegant fingers along her now-exposed skin. Through the mirror, he watched her bite her lower lip, stifling the moan that threatened to break free.
Moving away from her neck, he brought his other hand forward to cup her chin. He ran his thumb firmly along her bottom lip, easing it out from under the assault of her teeth.
"Don’t," he said, his voice low and sinuous. "Don’t do that, baby."
Eve remained still, held captive by his intense gaze, until he leaned closer to whisper against the shell of her ear. "Don’t do that... unless you want me to lose control completely. Unless you want this entire estate to hear you cry my name, again and again."
Eve was momentarily stunned by what she was hearing. She had seen Ivan’s shameless, seductive side many times before, but this was different. He was deadly serious.
The raw intensity in his gaze and the dark promises in his sinful voice made her realize something had shifted within him. It was a change she couldn’t quite name, yet it sent a blast of heat through her entire body, making her own breath turn hotter by the second.
Even with his warning ringing in her ears, a small, defiant part of her wanted to test him....to see exactly what he would do next for the sheer thrill of it. However, she knew better than to push a dangerous beast that was already teetering on the edge of breaking his shackles.
Submitting to his command, she slowly parted her lips to comply.
A low rumble erupted from his chest....a sound of dark satisfaction at her compliance. He moved his thumb across her lower lip in a slow, rhythmic motion, savouring the incredible softness of her skin against his own.
Her breathing turned ragged at the simple touch, but her heart nearly stopped when his lips descended onto the curve between her neck and shoulder.
She shivered violently as he latched onto her sensitive skin, his mouth grazing her before he dragged his lips all the way to her blushing ear. One warm hand curled possessively around the column of her delicate neck, while the other tightened around the curve of her waist.
He nipped at her earlobe, his voice a dark, rough whisper that vibrated through her. "Tell me, Evelyn....what do you want me to do?"
Her eyes flew wide open at the sound of her full name. It had been a long time since he’d used it; he almost exclusively called her "Eve" or "baby" as an endearment. Her gaze sought his in the mirror, locking onto the molten orange that still burned within his irises.
She finally understood that Ivan was different because he was seething with rage. That even so, his eyes were still saturated with a deep, raw desire, making her wonder if fury and passion were battling for dominance within him.
She noticed his touch was unusually hot, evidence of the physical manifestation of the anger boiling in his blood. The heat served as a stark reminder that she must anchor him before he went ballistic.
Licking her lips slightly, she met his gaze in the reflection and answered breathlessly, "I want you, Ivan."
In response, his grip tightened around her throat, and he pressed his body more firmly against her from behind, making her keenly aware of his thick, heated length moulding between her shapely hips, sending a rush of excitement, thrill, and deep anticipation through her.
Not releasing her from his smouldering gaze, Ivan gave the shell of her ear a languid lick, drawing a shiver from Eve. "Hm....what was that?" he murmured.
"You want me? How?"
His hand, which had been resting at her waist, began to travel lower across her stomach until it reached just below her navel.
Eve braced herself, expecting him to seek the place that had begun to ache for his touch, but to her surprise, he dragged his palm upward instead. He moved slowly until his hand came to a rest right beneath her breasts, his touch was like a searing brand against her skin.
Her face blazed as realization slowly struck her that he wanted her to describe exactly what she wanted him to do. She looked at him questioningly through her deep blue eyes.
"Don’t look at me like that. Answer me," he commanded. "Tell me exactly what you want me to do to you....Evelyn." He rolled off her full name from his lips in such a seductive whisper that she felt as though she might combust on the spot.
His hand continued its slow, agonizing journey up and down her stomach, deliberately avoiding the places she craved his touch the most. Meanwhile, he began to nuzzle his nose from her ear down to her neck and back again in a rhythmic caress, driving her to the edge of the cliff.
"I-I told you....I want you, Ivan," she managed to stammer, her voice trembling amidst the slow torture he had begun to mete out.
"And you have me. I am right here with you," he replied in a low, seductive whisper, as if he were getting lost in the game he was playing. He deliberately brushed his palm against the underside of her breast, and her peaks hardened instantly at the fleeting touch.
His other hand, which rested around her throat, shifted to caress her collarbone with a feather-light touch, sending her pulse racing. Eve arched her back in response, pressing unintentionally against his hardness. Ivan swallowed hard at the contact, a momentary crack in his composure that she was drowning to notice.
"But if you don’t tell me, word for word, exactly what you want me to do... how am I supposed to know?" He asked the question as if he were completely clueless, yet his voice was thick with wicked promises.
It made her acutely aware that if she did not spell it out, he might leave her burning in the fire he had ignited without ever extinguishing it.
Gathering a thin thread of her remaining wits, Eve finally parted her quivering lips. "I want you....inside me."
His hands, which had been roaming over her stomach, inched lower once again until they finally reached the space between her thighs. Without warning, he pressed a single finger firmly against the fabric, landing precisely on her sensitive nub.
Eve let out a low, broken whimper at the contact. Even as her body betrayed her, she heard him continue to press her, his voice a dark, relentless murmur in her ear.
"What exactly do you want inside you, Evelyn?"
Her eyes widened once more, her face burning to the roots of her hair at his brazen question. She gaped at him through the mirror, where he continued to watch her unblinkingly. The wicked glint in his gaze told her everything; he was savouring every second of her torment.
"Go on....tell me. What do you want inside you? My fingers? My tongue?" He paused, his voice dropping to a dark, seductive goad. "Or my cock?"
Eve flinched slightly, stunned to hear him state those things so shamelessly, as if he were laying out a menu for her to choose from.
"H-how can I-" she stammered, her voice failing her.
"Oh, but you can....just say it, and it’s yours," he whispered against her neck. His hand, which had been roaming near her cleavage, descended to gently cup her breast. But, he did nothing more than rest his palm there, the stillness of his hand a silent demand for her to speak.
Eve drew a shaky breath. "Y-you know what, Ivan. Stop torturing me!" she said, her voice laced with exasperation.
"No, I don’t think I do, Evelyn....tell me, baby." He began peppering her neck with light, stinging kisses that made her want to roll her eyes back in pure sensation.
She wanted him so desperately that her patience for his games was finally snapping.
Refusing to prolong the agony any further, she whispered, "T-the last one."
"The last one? I seem to have forgotten. Use clear words, baby, or you won’t get it." The devil behind her did not relent.
He pressed his finger a little harder against her swollen, sensitive nub, while the thumb of his other hand began to rhythmically brush against the hardened peak he was cupping.
Eve’s legs began to give way under his ministrations. His touch was gasoline on the raging fire within her, and her breathing turned ragged.
Unable to take it anymore, she could not help but utter in absolute need, "Ivan..." Her flushed face looked delectable to him, but it was her pleading eyes that pushed him further. "P-please....stop."
And he stopped his wandering hands instantly. The hand that had been on her breast moved to grip her chin again, turning her sideways as he bent down to look straight into her eyes.
