Chapter 912

Rosalind's eyes widened in shock.

Lucian had actually kissed her without warning!

Her palms pressed against his solid chest as she shoved him away. "Have you lost your mind? You spend your mornings with Genevieve and your evenings with Vivian—am I just another conquest to you?"

A dangerous smirk played on Lucian's lips. "What if I told you I'd dedicate every night exclusively to you?"

Heat flooded Rosalind's cheeks. She swung her hand to strike his arrogant face, but Lucian caught her wrist effortlessly.

His voice dropped to a velvet threat. "Every slap earns you another night in my bed. Care to test that theory?"

Panic surged through her as she tried to wrench free. "Let me go!"

Instead, he hauled her against him, tilting her chin up to claim her mouth again. The intoxicating scent of sandalwood and power overwhelmed her senses as his tongue invaded, demanding submission.

Her weak protest came out breathless. "Stop... don't!" But the words sounded more like an invitation than refusal.

Lucian chuckled darkly. "Your body betrays you every time, darling."

With one forceful push, he pinned her onto the mattress, his muscular frame caging her beneath him.

Rosalind twisted desperately. "Lillian could return any minute! This is her bedroom, for heaven's sake—have you no shame?"

The mention of his sister gave Lucian pause. Even he wouldn't cross that line.

Seizing the hesitation, Rosalind scrambled up—only for Lucian to catch her waist from behind and lift her clean off her feet.

"Put me down this instant!"

Ignoring her struggles, he carried her into the adjacent guest room and tossed her onto the king-sized bed. The sheets smelled unmistakably of him—spiced and dangerous.

She tried to crawl away, but Lucian dragged her back beneath him. "No more running. Tonight, you're mine."

His mouth crashed down again, hot and relentless, while his hands made quick work of her blouse buttons.

Raised as a sheltered heiress, Rosalind stood no chance against Lucian's raw strength. Now disheveled and trembling, she lay trapped under his dominant weight.

"Don't touch me with those hands," she gasped. "Not after all the women you've—"

He silenced her with a bruising kiss. "So you do care? If it bothers you so much, why did you keep pushing me toward them?"

"What?"

His burning gaze pinned her. "I haven't laid a finger on another woman."

Before she could process the shocking claim, his belt buckle clicked open.

"Lucian, no—ah!"