Chapter 3 - Strip

[Alma]

The moment my lips touched his, everything in me went still.

His lips were warm against mine, and for a moment my mind simply… stopped working.

My fingers tightened on his shirt like it was the only thing keeping me grounded, my lips moving slowly over his as if I was trying to understand what I had just done rather than enjoy it.

He tasted like expensive wine… rich, sharp, and something deeper I couldn’t place, something that made my thoughts blur at the edges in a way I didn’t understand.

My heart skipped.

My body followed right after.

And then—

A low sound broke from him.

Not loud.

Just enough.

Enough to crack something open inside me.

Reality rushed back in all at once.

I pulled away too fast, stumbling back as my breath caught in my throat, my lips still tingling like they didn’t want to let go of what had just happened.

What did I just do?

My hand lifted instinctively, brushing against my mouth like I could erase the feeling of him still there.

I shook my head slightly, trying to clear it, trying to explain myself, that it was just alcohol, just a stupid dare I couldn't walk away from.

But my body wasn’t listening properly anymore.

I forced my eyes up.

And that was my biggest mistake.

Hazel eyes.

Were locked right on mine.

"I’m…" My voice came out weaker than I wanted. I swallowed hard, forcing the words out. "I… I shouldn’t have done that. I'm sorry, it was just a dare."

Even as I said it, it sounded wrong.

Thin.

Unconvincing.

Like I was already halfway out of my own lie.

I took another step back, ready to turn, ready to leave, ready to pretend this never happened.

But before I could take a few steps, strong arms closed around my waist.

My eyes went wide as he pulled me back to his chest.

He stared at me, his eyes dark. "And who said you had the right to leave?"

Fuck me, what in the fucking hell was that deep voice?

Before I could understand what was going on, his lips crashed back to mine.

My eyes flew wide, my fingers curling into a tight fist as his hand pressed harder against my waist, dragging me closer.

A deep groan tore from his throat, and my thighs clenched before I could even think to stop them.

I shook my head, trying to break free..

No...no, this wasn't supposed to go like this.

I was supposed to kiss him and walk back to that table, I was supposed to...

I should pull back, I can't do this...I shouldn't.

I'm married...I'm fucking married to the love of my life, I...

Fuck it...why the hell does he taste so freaking good?

My eyes slid shut, my hand clutching his shirt as I returned the fervor.

Grunt and moans filled the air and everything else faded around me.

Heat pulled out of me in an instant.

Maybe it was the alcohol. Maybe it was the pull of him — this stranger whose eyes looked like they wanted to devour me.

I didn't know which it was, but everything inside me stirred as he kissed me like I would disappear if he let go.

My body reacted before I could stop it, his tongue sliding deeper, tracing every corner of my mouth like he already knew exactly how to undo me.

My breathing turned unsteady, my heart beating in a way that felt almost reckless, and then—

A gasp tore from my throat as my feet left the floor in one swift motion.

And suddenly I was holding onto him, legs wrapping around a stranger in the middle of a damn club without even thinking.

He suddenly pulled back, a dark smirk curling his lips, eyes burning into mine.

My throat tightened, heart stuttering.

"Bold one, I see," he whispered, and heat coiled low in my belly, tightening with every inch of his gaze.

My throat worked, my gaze flicking back to his lips as I leaned closer on instinct, as if my body had already decided before my mind could catch up.

What the hell is wrong with me?

"Easy, shall we?" His deep voice filled my ear again as he leaned closer to my ear, too close, his breath brushing my skin like he had no intention of giving me space.

My heart skipped, then slammed hard in my chest, his voice dropping lower until it felt like it wasn’t just in my ear anymore but inside me.

"I don’t do crowds…" he whispered, and my hips moved before I could stop them—just a small, helpless shift that betrayed me instantly.

A low growl rumbled from his chest, vibrating through me as his hand tightened on my waist

And then he leaned closer again.

This time his breath hit my neck properly.

Warm.

Close.

My mind flickered.

Then blurred.

"Maybe a good room will do. What do you say?”

The words didn’t feel like a question.

They felt like something I was already falling into.

"Yes."

The word left me before I even recognized it as mine.

My eyes widened immediately.

Wait.

Did I just—

"Deal."

The word had barely left him as he crashed his lips onto me again, harder this time, like the answer had sealed something in him.

My breath broke instantly against his mouth.

Heat rushed through me so fast I couldn’t think straight, couldn’t pull, couldn’t even remember why I should.

His grip tightened at my waist, holding me in place like I might disappear if he let go for even a second.

And then...

A sharp spank landed on my ass, my body jerked into him again, stealing what little control I had left.

A low sound broke from him into my mouth, like he felt every reaction I didn’t know I was giving.

My fingers clutched his shirt harder without thinking.

I should stop.

I should—

But I wasn’t stopping.

Not when he kissed me like that.

Not when my body answered him before my mind could catch up.

And then suddenly...

Movement around us changed.

The world tilted, a door somewhere opening and closing too fast for my brain to register, my knees meeting something soft as the kiss suddenly broke.

I blinked up.

A room.

Silence swallowed everything instantly.

My breath faltered as I looked up at him, standing there, watching me like he hadn’t missed a single second of how I fell apart in his hands.

My throat tightened as I tried to speak, to say anything but then a single word left his lips, cutting through everything.

"Strip."