Chapter 182: Do you still have doubts?
Zara shuddered at the intrusion, her body arching toward him despite herself, as if pulled by an invisible magnet.
The taste of red wine lingered on his tongue, mingling with the warmth of his breath until it intoxicated her senses. The faint masculine spice of his scent wrapped around her, searing into her skin, making her dizzy with want. Her mind went blank; there was nothing but Nathaniel—his lips, his breath, his heat.
A moan slipped from her throat as she clutched at his shoulders, her nails digging into the hard muscles beneath his shirt. The sound seemed to ignite something darker in him, and he kissed her even harder, tilting her head back to ravage her mouth completely.
Their tongues tangled in a fierce duel, turning the kiss into a consuming firestorm. Every brush of his mouth sent sparks racing through her veins, every press of his tongue set her body aflame. It was a wild, reckless, and maddening kiss that awakened a desire too powerful to suppress.
Zara no longer tried to escape. She kissed him back with equal fervor, surrendering to the blaze he had ignited.
Nathaniel’s kiss only grew wilder, as if every ounce of restraint he had once held back had shattered. His hands roamed over her body with a heat that seared through the fabric of her clothes, gripping, kneading, owning.
Zara gasped, the heat of her body growing until she could no longer deny it.
When his mouth left hers, trailing along her jaw and down her neck, she shivered. His touch was rough, yet it was consuming, making her pulse race.
"You wanted proof," he growled against her skin. "Now you’ll feel what I am. No weakness. No restraint. Only me."
Her soft moans filled the room as he claimed her lips yet again, touching her everywhere with a fierce urgency. Zara’s body arched violently beneath Nathaniel’s touch, every nerve ignited under his fingers. She had never seen him like this—so unyielding, so determined to brand her as his. He wanted her to surrender, to prove that she belonged to him.
Clothes were scattered carelessly on the floor. Skin grazed against skin.
Zara trembled with need, arching toward him, aching for more of his consuming touch. His raw dominance, his fierce energy wrapped around her until she could scarcely breathe.
His erection pressed against her, turning the moment even hotter. "You feel that?" he murmured, his lips grazing her ear. "This is what you do to me. Do you still have doubts?"
His question wasn’t meant to be answered. It was a challenge, a command, as though he was about to erase every last trace of doubt she had ever carried.
His hand slid lower, deliberate and unhurried, the heat of his palm searing her trembling skin. His fingers teased closer, brushing the sensitive heat between her thighs, making her cry in need and jolt against him.
Then his finger was inside her. A gasp tore from her mouth, her eyes rolling back into her head.
He was surprised as he felt the dampness down there. "Already wet," he quirked his lips. "So hungry for me." He claimed her lips as he inserted two fingers, moving in and out with precision.
Zara’s back arched instinctively, her body already reaching for him, desperate for the release only he could give. He was fire itself, and he had set her ablaze.
His eyes were dark and merciless, burned into hers. There was no softness, no hesitation, only a fierce determination to claim her. He curled his fingers slightly, hitting at the right spot relentlessly, quickly.
"Uh..." Her moans dissolved into broken whimpers as the intensity left her thoughtless. Every curl of his fingers sent her spiraling higher, every precise thrust pulling her tighter against him until she shattered completely, wave after wave crashing over her.
Nathaniel’s arm locked around her waist, keeping her pinned against his chest. His gaze never left her face. A dark, possessive satisfaction gleamed in his eyes. He had drawn this from her. He had marked her with his touch so thoroughly that she could never again doubt him.
"Look at you," he rasped. "Falling apart in my hands." His lips brushed over her temple, then trailed lower to her throat, where he bit down just enough to make her gasp.
Zara still shuddered, her body weak and pliant, every muscle quaking from the release he had forced from her. But Nathaniel wasn’t done. Not by far.
In one swift motion, he pulled open the nightstand drawer and retrieved a condom. His breathing grew heavier as he ripped the packet open with his teeth before sliding it around his hard length.
Zara’s eyes followed his every action, her body igniting with anticipation. The next moment, he thrust into her with such force that a sharp gasp tore from her lips.
She felt split open, overwhelmed by the fullness. The heat in her belly coiled tighter until she could no longer distinguish between pain and ecstasy. Her legs tightened around his waist instinctively, pulling him closer, locking him against her as if to keep him inside.
And then, he shoved deeper into her, shattering every doubt she had voiced, proving with every movement, every searing touch, that he needed no doctor, no consultation.
"Did you feel it?" he whispered, leaning down to her. "This is me, inside you, claiming you. Do you still think I can’t do it?"
She could barely form words; only ragged cries slipped out as waves of pleasure tore through her. Her body answered his every demand. Every movement made her shudder, every surge of power from him set her nerves ablaze. His heat engulfed her, his growl low and possessive.
Nathaniel moved with a fierce rhythm, each motion a declaration, a punishment, and a reward all at once. He drove her higher, faster, until her world blurred. She wasn’t thinking of questions, or doctors, or doubts anymore. All she could feel was him—his strength, his relentless claim.
Her climax hit like a storm breaking, her body quaking under the force of it, every part of her screaming his name.
Nathaniel didn’t stop. His thrusts grew even more feral, answering her cries with his own raw dominance, as though determined to mark her soul as much as her body. His grip on her hips was bruising as he drove her to the edge again.
The coil in his body snapped. A guttural groan tore from his throat as his release hit him like fire. He poured himself into her with a raw force that shook them both.
Zara cried out as his release triggered her own, pulling her into another crashing wave.
He held her tightly as they fell apart together, his face buried in her neck.
The echo of their passion still hung in the air. Zara lay beneath him, flushed and trembling, her lips swollen from his kiss, her body spent. Her eyes were wide with awe at the intensity of the orgasms she had experienced. She had almost forgotten she could feel something like this.
Nathaniel lifted his head, his gaze fierce, almost feral, as he studied her. "Do you still need to take me to the doctor?"
At that question, Zara’s face flushed further. She buried her head into his chest. "I have no doubts," she whispered.
He quirked his lips into a satisfactory smile. But his tone was still cold as he spoke. "That’s good."
Pulling her closer, Nathaniel wrapped an arm around her with possessive certainty, his palm pressing firmly against her back. The wild storm had passed, leaving only the sound of their mingled breathing. Beneath his touch, he could feel her heartbeat slowing, syncing with his.