His gaze dropped to her dress, and he noticed the stain was still there. "My invitation did put you into a humiliating situation earlier. I hope you're not dwelling on it."
"No, I'm not dwelling on it," Selina answered as she shook her head with a slight smile.
She walked past the low table that contained an alcohol bottle, drinking in half, as she was striding towards him. When she approached him, her small figure halted beside his towering frame as she gazed out of the window.
She noticed there was no enchantment outside, except darkness that clouded every corner of the mansion grounds.
"At least I was able to meet him after eight months, and I had fun with him. Thank you," she added, allowing herself to be entangled in the intoxicating scent of alcohol engulfing him.
She barely remembered the previous incident because the time she spent with her father had filled that void. She shifted her gaze back to Zane and noticed he didn't seem surprised by her brief, strained relationship.
Now, she was before him; she guessed it was time to ask him why he wanted her tonight, yet he seemed to be acting indifferent and concerned at the same time.
Selina cleared her throat before saying. "It's been three years since we last saw each other, and the present I got for you had been ruined earlier. I'm sorry,"
"Your little present does not matter significantly to me other than having you before me," Zane answered in his usual firm voice, hinting at an intention she still couldn't understand.
Puzzled more about his words, Selina asked. "Then why do you want me here when we never had a casual conversation in the pub? You acted like I was invisible,"
Zane ignored her inquiry while he slowly turned to face her. "It seems you now owe me a favor for reuniting you and your father."
"How did you know I was referring to my father?" she asked, a hint of surprise simmering beneath her voice. She could remember her father didn't spill out about their relationship earlier, even when he almost did.
With an expressionless face, Zane took a step forward, and Selina instinctively retreated. "You don't understand how desperate I've been, waiting for this day to see you being tortured, crying, and begging for your peace relentlessly." He replied as his voice dripped with deep-seated grudges he had struggled to conceal.
"But I haven't wronged you either for me to be tortured by you." She attempted to sound confident in the tense atmosphere.
"As long as your father hurt me, so did you. It will hurt a lot to receive his retribution," Zane commented in his deep voice.
"How did my father hurt you? I can't pay for something I'm not sure of either," Selina retorted softly, dismissing his words, which she found false and accusing.
"Disrobe," he commanded, his words landing like a bombshell.
Selina's eyes fluttered open with disbelief glinting in there as she froze in her spot. As his command still lingered around her, she realized she had never misheard him.
"Seriously, Mr. Zane? Why would I undress in front of you?" Her voice, defiant but laced with uncertainty, only seemed to provoke him further.
Zane narrowed his brows at her defiant which he never expected. "Because I want you to."
That word didn't sound convincing after she discovered his dark intentions, and it thickened her fear, and a cold sweat broke out across her skin, dripping down her spine and sending chills through her. She knew she couldn't stay there, not when he appeared far more menacing tonight than the gentleman she thought she had seen before.
"I'm not doing it," Selina turned him down.
She quickly spun around to escape. Her fingers brushed the doorknob, but before she could make her move, his grip tightened around her wrist, pulling her back with unyielding force.
Selina's back collided with the wall as her breath hitched, holding his unyielding stare. The proximity was intense, and his heat engulfed her, causing her pulse to quicken.
"Let go of me, Mr. Zane. I'm not ready for whatever you want to do with me," she rasped, her heart pounding in her chest.
Zane's intense eyes pierced through her while he lifted her chin, his gaze heavy with intent, coaxing her to meet his eyes. "You don't need to be ready to feel how hellish this will be."
Selina swallowed hard, feeling a lump form in her throat. She knew there was no escape tonight, no defiance that could change this, since the estate was lonely and distant.
She had longed for a passionate moment with him, but just not like this. Not when he seemed to be babbling things that didn't make sense to her. Yet his eyes brimmed with mixed emotions, betraying the pains in his gaze. She didn't want to get hurt in this situation.
Selina swiftly scrambled in her head about a way she could get out of this suffocating situation tonight without getting hurt. While she was staring into his amber eyes that seemed like a door to his dark thoughts, an idea struck her after a brief research.
It felt absurd, but in the chaos of the moment, Selina clung to it, hoping it might work. Releasing her clenched fist at the side, she curved her lips into a smile, one that reached her eyes and masked the nervousness beneath.
"Fine then. I'll do as you say," she muttered.
Speechless, Zane raised his brow as he expected she'd quiver and beg for her freedom. Instead of yielding so quickly.
With surprising grace, she slid her hands up to his neck, pulling him closer while their lips almost clashed. "I wish Mr. Zane would go gentle with me," she whispered, her voice low and sultry.
Zane's frown deepened with annoyance and flashed through him at her brazen touch. His gaze flickered, darkening as something dangerous smouldered beneath the surface. "Don't dare trick me," he warned, his voice tight, sharp with warning.
"I'm not tricking you," Selina replied softly, her tone unwavering as she slipped her fingers into his dark hair, massaging the scalp with deliberate tenderness. "I find this fiery side of you quite appealing. It makes you even more irresistible," she nibbled on her bottom lip in a silent allure.
Zane snorted at her, sweet-mouthing him. "You're playing with fire, Selina," he muttered in his velvet voice.
"Then let me burn in the flames with you," Selina declared, dismantling his stern warning.
Her proclamation did not touch Zane, which he believed was insincere. Driven by something darker, a compulsion to make her pay for the sins of her father clouded his instinct. He had no desire to engage in a passionate night or pleasure.
As he tightened his grip on her wrist, attempting to halt the mesmerizing massage she was delivering to his body, Selina was quick to seize the moment with a desire glint in her eye.
In one swift motion, she tiptoed up to his height, capturing his cupid's bow lips in a slow, sultry kiss—urgent enough to leave him momentarily stunned. She didn't break the kiss as her hand glided over his broad, well-built chest, fingers tracing the fabric, teasing the buttons undone. Her tongue explored the depths of his mouth in a passionate dance, searching for a response.
Zane stood frozen, eyes wide with surprise. Her mesmerizing touch, her sincere yet deliberate words, and the way she kissed him as if she owned him sent his pulse racing in a way he couldn't understand. He was nearly breathless yet unsettled him.
Zane narrowed his brow, shutting down the unwelcome stirrings within and sealing them off with unwavering grudges. He didn't like this incomprehensible weird feeling he usually felt around her, which he forbade them.
A pang of frustration cut through her nerves as Selina's eyes fluttered open, locking onto Zane's. Their gazes collided in a sharp and unyielding stare.
The intensity of his stare felt like a blade pressed to her forehead, the sharp point threatening with the weight of a death sentence. She wasn't certain if she had offended him.
The air thickened, heavy with tension, as silence settled between them. The moment seemed fragile, teetering on the edge, as if the outcome was uncertain.
She wondered if he was a statue. Maybe an Alpha werewolf who can't tame his beast and is impossible to seduce. She wanted to escape, but she felt trapped, pinned between him and the wall.
"What a useless effort," Zane snarled.
He once again underestimated her innocence, failing to see through her schemes to pull him into her charm, trying to flip the tables on him.
"You shouldn't be upset, Mr. Zane." Selina's voice came in an awkward tone as she twisted her face. "I was only doing what you wanted."
"Get on the bed and spread your legs," he commanded, his voice cold and heavy, void of any hint of desire. "I want to see all of you."
Without protest, feeling powerless, Selina climbed onto the soft bed. Her nervousness bloomed in the pit of her stomach, mingling with the bead of sweat that surged across her skin once more. She felt as if her flawless figure couldn't even stir his desire in his eyes.
It left her with a cocktail of emotions like something between cruelty and impatience, as if he had been waiting for this moment to consume her.
The tension between them thickened, heavy with a doom far more potent than desire.
Despite the flicker of hesitation in his eyes, his gaze drank in her flawless curves with a hunger that both unsettled and ignited him. Heat surged through him with arousal, warring against restraint as he slowly took off his trousers, leaving his bare skin exposed.
Selina's eyes widened at the sight of him bare. She clutched the soft blanket beneath; her heartbeat thundered in her ears as Zane climbed onto the bed, his body hovering above hers. His cool, slender fingers slid into hers, intertwining their hands in a firm, possessive hold pinned above her head.
"Since you're ignorant of your desires," he whispered, his breath warm against her ear, "I'll show you what hellish flames feel like." His icy fingers traced her thigh, sliding between her legs.
"I'm doomed," Selina whispered in her head. she felt his finger around her folds, his other hand cupping her breast, squeezing with a slow, deliberate touch.