55

Vivian's POV

I  took him until I could barely breathe. That sigh slowed to a whimper, then to nothing at all. When he was fully seated inside me, he withdrew, only to push back in, filling me completely. The water slowed his thrusts, making me feel every inch of him dragging against me. It was a slow, devastating friction, heat clashing with the cool lap of the pool water against my nipples. I was burning and freezing all at once.

His hand slipped beneath the surface, his thumb finding my clit. He pressed and pinched, sending sharp, electric pulses through me.

“You might as well get the first one out of the way,” he murmured, his voice laced with dark amusement. “No point in delaying the inevitable.”

My eyes squeezed shut as my body responded to him. My mouth parted, spilling moans and incoherent thoughts as I clenched around him. By the time I came undone, I was drooling.

Dorian kissed my neck, his lips brushing against my heated skin. “You’re so fucking beautiful when I make you come.”

I peeked one eye open to find him watching me. His pupils were blown so wide, his eyes nearly black. I had just unraveled beneath him, but the hunger in his gaze made me want to do it again and again. As long as he looked at me like that, I would give him anything.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, angling my hips to take him even deeper. “Am I still beautiful when I make you come?” I teased.

Dorian spun us around, pressing his back against the wall this time. The shift left me in control, and it took every ounce of my strength to move. He had made it seem so effortless. No surprise there.

I rode him, my thighs burning with exertion as I moved up and down his throbbing length. He pressed his forehead to mine, his breath ragged. “Only one way to find out.”

So I gave him everything I had. I chased both our highs, panting between kisses, my fingers threading through his damp hair. When he finally tensed, his grip on my hips turned bruising.

“Fuck, Vivian,” he groaned, jerking as he spilled into me.

The rawness in his voice when he said my name shattered me. I followed him over the edge, my body wracked with pleasure as I collapsed against his chest. Our heartbeats pounded in sync, our bodies still tangled in the water.

Back inside, I expected Dorian to retreat to his office. Usually, he found some excuse—a meeting, a call—to leave. But this time, he followed me down the hall. To his room. Our room, for all intents and purposes.

I bent down to grab a pair of jeans from the bottom drawer, and Dorian let out a low growl.

“That bikini,” he muttered, peeling his damp shirt over his head.

Just like that, the air thickened. He stood in the dim light, his bare chest glistening, muscles taut and perfect. It should have been illegal to look that good. I half-expected his hair to start blowing in some imaginary breeze.

“You’re so dramatic,” I mumbled, fighting back a grin.

“You’re going to kill someone in that thing.”

“I can’t tell if you love it or hate it.” I turned toward the bathroom to change, suddenly hesitant about stripping in front of him. It felt too domestic for whatever this was between us.

“It depends on who you’re wearing it for,” he called out. I heard him rummaging through the drawers.

“If it’s for me, I fucking love it.”

I bit my lip, trying to smother my smile. “And if it’s for someone else?”

Dorian appeared behind me, his jaw tight as his eyes caught my reflection in the mirror. His hands covered my breasts, fingers bunching the bikini fabric in his fists.

“If it’s for someone else,” he murmured, his voice dark, possessive, “I’ll shred it, burn it, scatter the ashes, and then cuff you to the bed so I can remind you that no one will ever touch you the way I do.”

My brain emptied. The sheer dominance in his voice left me reeling.

“It’s for you,” I whispered. “There’s no one else.”

Dorian nodded, satisfied. As if nothing had happened, he turned and walked back into the bedroom while I gripped the sink and splashed cold water on my face. Suffice it to say, we handled sexual tension very differently.

By the time I emerged, my legs still weak, Dorian was fully dressed, sitting on the edge of the bed. A thousand questions raced through my mind—What are we? What am I to you?—but I bit them back. I knew better than to push too hard.

“I heard you spent the day with my sister,” he said, breaking the silence.

And just like that, the ice settled back in. One moment, he melted me with his touch, the next, he grilled me about his family.

I raised a brow. “How do you know that? You said I wasn’t being watched.”

“You’re always being watched. Just never looked at.” His gaze traveled over my body, slow and deliberate. “There’s a difference.”

If he liked what he saw, he didn’t show it. I crossed my arms, suddenly feeling exposed.

“Leonora and I didn’t start off great this morning, so I tried to make things right. I latched onto her when she got back from the mall. I guess it worked. She invited me to sit by the pool.”

“You wore that to sit with my sister?” He exhaled sharply.

I made a mental note never to tell him that Leonora originally bought the bikini for herself. He’d been through enough.

“She thought it was cool. Body positivity is a big thing with teens nowadays,” I shrugged. “But she opened up to me… about everything.”

“Adri talked to her for half an hour this morning, and she didn’t say a word. But she opened up to you?” He shook his head. “Unreal.”

I bit my lower lip. “I didn’t mean to overstep—”

He waved me off. “What did she say?”

“She’s just lonely. She missed you and Adrian while she was gone. She’s happy to be back, but she wants to feel welcome.”

“That would be easier if I had any warning she was coming,” Dorian muttered, dragging a hand down his face. “She showed up out of the blue and expects life to revolve around her. Adri and I have things to take care of.”

“She knows that.”

Dorian’s eyes sharpened.

“I’m not taking sides,” I said quickly. “I’m just saying… she wants to be part of your lives. She wants to feel at home. Can you blame her?”

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Not really.”

“Confidence runs in the family, doesn’t it?” I teased.

A faint smile flickered on his lips. He stood, exhaling. “Keep talking to her. Right now, you’re the only one she seems to like. If she’s going to talk to anyone, I’d prefer it be someone I trust.”

Dorian trusted me.

The weight of that admission settled deep in my chest. I fought to keep my smile hidden and nodded. “Of course. Whatever you need.”