Aliana’s thoughts were completely tangled at that moment. She could barely think about anything except the one thing both her mind and heart kept desperately repeating to her over and over again.

Only he could calm her down..... only he could make this unbearable ache stop.

She had never been the type to overthink her actions, especially when it came to her love life. If anything, Aliana firmly believed that people only lived once, so there was no point in denying themselves experiences they truly desired.

And yet, despite all the men she had dated in the past, she had never once allowed anyone to completely cross that final boundary with her.

She had questioned herself about it before, wondering why she always stopped before things could go further. But somehow, deep down, she had never truly felt comfortable enough with any of those men to give herself to them completely.

Yet now, as Gavriel dropped her onto the mattress, she bounced slightly upon impact.

Her grey eyes remained fixed on him, taking in the intimidating and imposing figure he cut before her.

He was a dominant man, without a doubt.... that much was clear in the way he issued commands and the effortless authority behind his every action.

Under normal circumstances, she would have never tolerated any man trying to assert that kind of authority over her. Because Aliana herself possessed the exact same commanding nature.

Yet somehow... when this man, Gavriel Valentine, acted possessive and authoritative towards her, instead of resisting him, she found herself growing even more drawn towards it.

And that terrified her a little.

Because she truly did not understand what was happening to her body anymore.

All she knew was that the unbearable ache consuming her continued growing stronger with every passing second, and right now, she needed him before she completely lost herself to it.

She watched as his tall figure loomed at the edge of the mattress, his darkened gaze locked onto her.

Tilting his head ever so slightly, his long fingers unfastened the buttons of his suit jacket before he slipped it off, tossing it carelessly onto the corner of the bed. Next, he gripped his tie, yanking it loose in one sharp motion before pulling it free. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

After that, he began unfastening several buttons of his white shirt until the toned expanse of his chest became visible beneath the dim lighting of the room.

He quickly discarded his cufflinks and rolled his sleeves all the way up his forearms, revealing the pale, muscular contour of his arms, where thick veins bulged against his skin.

Her breathing turned erratic as she tracked his every elegant, predatory move, as anticipation bubbled fiercely in her chest.

Once he was finally done, the mattress dipped beneath his weight as he slowly climbed onto the bed, placing one knee beside her before hovering over her still figure completely.

Placing his hands on either side of her head, he let his fingers entangle in her golden locks, loosely wrapping the strands around his knuckles before leaning down to take a deep, lungful of air. His eyes shut as he inhaled, thoroughly savouring her scent before his lids lifted, allowing his icy gaze to meet hers once more.

He looked at her as though he were carefully assessing his prey before finally breaking the heavy silence between them.

"Aliana."

The moment her name left his lips, her heart somersaulted inside her chest at the way he spoke it in that deep, magnetic voice, like he was savouring the taste of her very name itself.

Her lips remained slightly parted while her warm breath fanned softly against his face as he leaned closer. Slowly, he released her hair before his fingers brushed against her burning cheek.

"Since we are about to get married, I’m aware there are many things we haven’t spoken about yet."

His thumb slowly stroked along her cheekbone as his gaze remained locked onto hers.

"Sex is one of the major things we need to talk about."

Observing her closely, Gavriel noticed the nervous way she gulped before he continued in a low, resonant voice.

"You need to understand something, Aliana. I will never touch you if you don’t want me to."

His fingers brushed slowly along her cheek before his gaze darkened slightly.

"But that also means you cannot go elsewhere seeking that experience from another man either."

There was no hesitation in his voice as he continued calmly, "I have never been a tolerant man, and this..."

A dangerous glint flashed through his icy blue eyes.

"This is something I will never forgive. I would kill anyone who dared to touch what belongs to me."

His thumb tilted her chin upwards slightly. "You understand that, don’t you, Aliana?"

She could see the absolute gravity in his expression.

He was not joking when he promised death to anyone else, and she could only nod in response.

"Use your words," he commanded softly.

"Yes," she replied, her voice barely a whisper.

"Good," he went on, his tone shifting into something terrifyingly smooth. "Now, coming to the main part. Listen carefully, little rose."

When she gave him a slight nod, his voice remained entirely calm and clear. "I am not a man who holds back. Ever. I only know how to take what I want hard and rough. Are you prepared for that, Aliana?"

Aliana felt her heart slam hard against her ribs, her cheeks burning under the steady weight of his icy blue eyes. In all honesty, his confession did not surprise her.

In the brief, fleeting moments they had gotten remotely intimate until today, Gavriel had never once struck her as a man who practised gentleness.

But was she truly okay with it?

Recalling what she had experienced in his arms so far, she could only agree. It was not as if she had been gentle with him either. If anything, the sheer danger of it thrilled her.

Knowing he was waiting for her confirmation, she parted her lips and replied, "Yes."

He studied her face in the silence, his gaze heavy and calculating before he added, "Are you certain, Aliana? Because I can promise you that whatever you have experienced with me until now does not even come close to how rough and intense I can get."

As he murmured those words, the back of his fingers slowly brushed against her burning cheek in a strangely tender contrast to the dangerous warning leaving his lips.

Though a small part of her wondered if what he was implying might push past the boundaries of her imagination, her resolve did not waver. "I think I can handle it," she replied.

"Really?" A flicker of dark intrigue passed through him, his predatory gaze sharpening instantly.

Even as her pulse quickened frantically beneath her skin, Aliana gave him a slow, deliberate nod.

His lips curled ever so slightly into a sadistic smile as his hand slowly drifted towards her slender neck before his fingers loosely wrapped around it.

Then, in that same deep magnetic voice, he continued, "I don’t think you fully understand."

His thumb brushed lightly against the side of her throat as his icy blue eyes remained locked onto hers.

"I sometimes like to choke my partner, blindfold them, tie them up, or spank them. And I do not stop until I want to."

The dangerous calmness in his voice only made the words sound even more sinful.

Leaning closer, his breath brushed against her skin as he asked once more, "Are you absolutely sure you are okay with that, Aliana?"