You are not going

DARIAN

She had completely thrown me off balance. She wasn’t my height—not even close—but if there was one undeniable truth, it was that her temperament matched mine perfectly. She knew how to throw barbs, and she never let anyone get the upper hand.

Fuck.

The moment I thought getting the upper hand, my mind veered off in an entirely different direction.

She had landed a solid blow with her words.

Damn it. I had deserved that.

What kind of clinging was that anyway? I’d turned into a teenager who’d never kissed before. If it weren’t for my pride, despite what she’d said, I would have dragged her back from the door, crushed my mouth against hers again—and this time, I wouldn’t have stopped at just clinging.

My body ached with need. I stormed into the bathroom, irritated beyond reason. The thought that she’d been standing here naked just minutes ago made me hard as steel.

I shut my eyes in frustration and stepped under the water.

Damn it.

Neither that kiss nor the image of her bare body would leave my mind.

My hand drifted down to my cock. Her naked body paraded shamelessly before my eyes as I started stroking myself.

Seeing her in nothing but her underwear earlier made the rest easy enough to imagine.

Fuck.

How long had it been since I’d last masturbated?

I groaned, thinking about how a woman that small had reduced me to this state. I pressed my forehead against the tiles and moved faster.

Her lips were on mine again.

Her body—surrendered to mine—was right there before me.

I groaned once more, teeth clenched, and within minutes I came with a curse ripping from my throat.

Fuck me.

It was the fastest orgasm I’d ever had.

I punched the tile in fury—at myself, at Belinda—and finished showering quickly.

---

Throughout dinner, I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

I didn’t even know what my problem was. Maybe I was looking for a crack—some tiny opening.

I didn’t miss a chance to throw in a jab here and there. Credit where it was due: she handled me exceptionally well. In a way no one else ever had.

That was probably why my interest kept circling back to her.

No one had ever sparred with me like that before—matching me word for word, striking back instantly. Most people simply did whatever I wanted, like loyal dogs afraid I’d kick them out or cut off their access to my resources.

Even though I saw interest in her eyes, she never gave an inch.

Maybe that was exactly why I kept pushing her—those unyielding, take-no-shit manners of hers.

Everything had been flowing naturally enough. Dinner, tea…

For some reason, my family had warmed to Belinda far more than necessary. She must’ve been coated in some kind of charm.

Her body resurfaced in my mind.

No—no charm. No fur. Nothing like that.

For fuck’s sake.

Not her body again.

---

When the topic turned to money, everything changed.

God damn my mouth.

It truly had no bones.

The words slipped out before I even registered them—freezing the entire table solid.

It had sounded like a harmless phrase. A common saying about how you can’t show mercy to everyone.

But the moment I saw her face drain of color—when I remembered she was an orphan—it exploded in my mind.

Fuck.

I still might not have trusted her. She might still have been playing some kind of game. But she absolutely did not deserve to hear that.

Not from me.

What the hell had I done?

I watched her stand up slowly, go inside, grab that damn troublesome cat of hers—with the same vacant look in her eyes.

My entire body went numb. I couldn’t even feel my blood flowing.

I wasn’t this kind of bastard.

If my mother heard what I’d said, she’d skin me alive. My father wouldn’t hesitate to punish me, no matter my age.

If I could rewind time, I would—right now.

“What the hell did you do?” Luke asked in horror once Belinda went upstairs.

Finally, my body unlocked. I stood abruptly and took the stairs two at a time.

My intention was to apologize. To convince her to stay.

I even managed to screw that up.

Trying to explain myself—what a fucking joke.

That hadn’t even been my intent. I’d only meant that blind mercy breeds trouble.

Of course I wasn’t going to hand over money to those men without being sure! Five hundred thousand dollars—or five million—it didn’t matter.

Still, I’d chosen the worst possible way to say it.

Her anger erupted between us like a volcano.

It was one of the most genuine reactions she’d given me since we met—raw, real. She was truly hurt.

She told me to go to hell and shoved past me.

I wasn’t about to let her leave.

I followed her calmly. What else could I do? Did she really think she could walk out of this villa without my approval?

Strangely enough, despite everything—my stupidity, my recklessness—I realized I was enjoying this.

I didn’t even need to hurry. Security wouldn’t let anyone leave or enter without my consent—unless they were family.

We reached the garden. After a brief exchange with security, she turned those furious eyes on me.

I slipped my hands into my pockets.

“You’re not opening the gate,” I said coldly.

I stepped toward her. Every inch of her body trembled with fury.

“You walked into my life without permission,” I continued. “But you don’t get to leave without it, little lady.”

Her chest rose and fell rapidly. Her fists clenched. Her eyes burned like a dragon’s.

Exactly how I wanted her.

And yet—why was that what I wanted?

In a single day, she’d completely shattered my sense of reason.

“Who do you think you are, keeping me here?” she hissed.

I smiled.

Provoking her made her flare instantly. Like a spark igniting dry wood.

I wondered how her skin would react to my touch. If she burned this fast with anger, she’d set the bed on fire.

“I?” I leaned down closer. God—she was short. Infuriatingly so. Like a tiny footstool.

I shook my head, irritated. Ever since that kiss, my mind kept drifting dangerously close to sex.

“I’m Darian Freeman,” I said. “Your husband. The owner of this place. And the world you’re standing in.”

Her eyes widened—then hardened again.

“Egotistical bastard. Go to hell.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” I replied lazily. “And neither are you.”