CHAPTER 257: STOP

Anna had no idea what had come over her when she said it—but the moment Daniel lifted her with one arm wrapped firmly around her waist, her body reacted faster than her mind. She instinctively hooked her legs around his torso, clinging to him as he strode toward the kitchen island with deliberate, hungry steps.

Her palms hit the cool marble the second he set her down, but she didn’t let him pull away. Her legs tightened around his waist, dragging him closer until their bodies were pressed together, heat to heat, breath against breath. She kissed him with a fierce urgency she didn’t recognize in herself—something raw, something hungry, something he had lit inside her and seemed determined to fan into a blaze.

His teasing... his words... every slow smirk and deliberate touch had pushed her to this point. Now she didn’t want restraint. She didn’t want space. She wanted him—more of him, all of him.

Her fingers rushed to his shirt, fumbling only for a second before she began unbuttoning it with impatient swiftness. The fabric parted under her hands, revealing the hard lines of his sculpted chest. She traced him with both hands, gliding over the warm skin, the taut muscles, the steady rise and fall of his breath.

Daniel groaned into her mouth, a low, deep sound that sent a tremor through her. He angled her chin, claiming her lips again as if he couldn’t stand even a moment of distance. His tongue slid against hers, demanding, savoring, tasting her like she was something divine—something forbidden yet impossible to resist.

She had heard him say she was addictive many times before, usually in a tone laced with amusement or awe.

But tonight... tonight it felt different.

Tonight, the way he held her, kissed her, breathed her in—it felt like addiction wasn’t strong enough a word.

It felt like he needed her.

It felt like he was losing himself in her.

And God help her, she was losing herself right back.

Daniel’s hands slid to her hips, fingers digging in just enough to pull her closer, almost lifting her again even though she was already caged between him and the counter. His shirt hung open, brushing against her skin as he leaned in, his breath warm against the curve of her jaw. He pressed a slow, deliberate kiss beneath her ear—one that stole the strength from her spine.

"Anna..." he murmured against her skin, his voice roughened by desire, by restraint, by something deeper that she didn’t dare name.

The sound of her name on his lips made her exhale shakily. She tilted her head, giving him access without thinking, her fingers curling into the hard muscle of his shoulders.

He smiled against her neck—she felt it, a soft, wicked curve of his lips before he kissed her again, this time slower... deeper... as if savoring the way she melted beneath him.

Her legs flexed around his waist when his hand slid along her thigh, his thumb brushing teasing circles that made her breath catch.

"Look at you," he whispered, lifting his head just enough to meet her eyes. His gaze was molten, dark with want yet bright with something tender. "You were all shy minutes ago...now you’re holding me like you never want me to leave."

Embarrassment flickered across her face—but desire quickly drowned it.

"And if I do want that?" she breathed, surprising even herself.

Daniel’s eyes sharpened... softened... darkened all at once. As if she had just said something that struck him somewhere dangerously close to his chest.

He leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers while his thumb traced the curve of her lower lip. "Then don’t let go," he murmured.

Her heart stuttered.

Her fingers lifted, brushing over his jaw—slow, reverent, trembling slightly from the intensity of the moment.

He turned his head just enough to kiss her palm, his lips warm and purposeful. Then he kissed the inside of her wrist, sending another delicate shiver through her.

Anna’s breath escaped in a shaky whisper. "Daniel..."

He lifted her chin between his fingers, forcing her eyes on him. "You don’t know what you do to me," he said, his voice quiet but thick with emotion. "Every time you look at me like this... every time you touch me... I feel like I’m going to lose control."

Her lips parted, her pulse thundering.

"Then lose it," she whispered.

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Then Daniel exhaled a strained laugh—one full of want, disbelief, and surrender. His hands slid under her thighs, gripping her firmly as he pulled her even tighter against him.

"Careful, Anna," he murmured against her mouth, kissing her once—slow, desperate. "I just might."

And when he kissed her again, she knew he already had.

Daniel’s hand slipped beneath her top, sliding it upward in one fluid, commanding motion before tossing it aside. The cool air kissed her bare skin, leaving her in nothing but her bra.

His fingers found the strap, tugging it down slowly—deliberately—until her breasts spilled free, her nipples tightening under the heat of his stare. A flush crept up Anna’s cheeks as his gaze devoured every inch of her, turning her breath shallow.

The next second, his mouth closed over her, hot and hungry.

Anna’s head fell back, a low moan escaping her parted lips as she arched into him. Daniel’s tongue flicked over her sensitive bud, sucking as if tasting something only he could sense. Her hand instinctively found his hair, fingers threading through the soft strands, while her other hand gripped the counter to steady herself.

Pleasure rippled through her, sharp and electrifying, making her toes curl.

"Ah—!" she gasped as he grazed her nipple with his teeth before shifting to the other, giving it the same intoxicating attention. Her body trembled, responding to every pull, every teasing stroke of his mouth.

His lips then trailed downward, slow and worshipful, brushing over her stomach and the soft curve of her lower abdomen. His eyes lingered for a beat on the faint scar he’d noticed before—but this time, he said nothing. He wasn’t about to steal the moment from her, from them.

Anna’s breathing turned ragged, her chest rising and falling rapidly as Daniel slid her shorts down her hips, letting them pool at her feet. She stood bare before him, vulnerable yet burning with desire.

The look he gave her darkened—possessive, sinful, and so intensely focused on her that her knees nearly buckled.

His eyes burned with a sinister promise as he leaned in, pressing a slow, deliberate kiss to her heat while guiding her legs open with firm hands. The innocent gesture of parting her thighs felt anything but innocent—he handled her like she was something he’d earned... something he fully intended to devour.

Daniel didn’t rush. He never did—not when it came to her. Instead, he savored every second, taking his time as though preparing himself for the feast he’d waited far too long for.

Ever since he’d tasted her, nothing compared. Her scent, her sweetness—her—had become his newest addiction, one he craved with a hunger that bordered on dangerous.

The moment his lips brushed her folds, Anna’s breath shattered into a sharp hiss of pleasure. Her head fell back, eyes fluttering shut as her body arched. His palms slid up, cupping her breasts as if rewarding her for offering herself so willingly to him.

She was already wet for him—aching, ready, trembling in anticipation—and Daniel let out a low groan against her, the vibration sending sparks shooting straight through her.

He dragged his tongue slowly, deliberately, tasting her like she was the one thing he needed to breathe.

Daniel’s tongue moved in slow, claiming strokes, savoring every drop of her. Anna trembled, her fingers curling tight in his hair as he drew another soft moan out of her. He groaned into her heat, the sound vibrating through her and making her knees threaten to give out.

She was lost in the rhythm of his mouth when suddenly his movements faltered—not stopping, just... slowing. His breath warmed her skin, but the pressure of his lips eased as if his strength wavered.

Anna blinked, her pleasure-fogged mind barely processing it.

"Daniel?" she whispered, voice breathless.

He tried to continue, dragging his tongue once more as though refusing to stop. But a faint wobble in his posture gave him away. His hand, the one gripping her thigh, loosened slightly.

He exhaled a shaky breath.

"Just—give me a second," he murmured against her skin, resting his forehead gently at the inside of her thigh. His voice was low, strained, almost irritated with himself. "I shouldn’t have skipped lunch... my head’s spinning."

Anna’s heart clenched—not with worry alone, but with the way he still refused to pull back completely, as if he couldn’t stand the idea of stopping.

She slid her fingers through his hair, softer now. "Daniel... come here."

He reluctantly lifted his head, eyes dark with desire but hazy at the edges, the dizziness clearly tugging at him.

The mix of sensual tension and sudden vulnerability between them thickened the air.

Anna’s breath was still unsteady, her body humming from the pleasure he’d built inside her, but the moment his touch faltered—just slightly—something in her shifted. She felt the concern before he even admitted it.

The way his grip loosened on her thigh... the subtle sway of his shoulders... the faint hesitation in his breath.

Her fingers softened in his hair, no longer pulling him closer but gently grounding him.

"Daniel..." she whispered, a quiet thread of worry flowing beneath the heat in her tone.

He exhaled against her skin, frustration flickering in his eyes as he lifted them to meet hers. "I’m fine," he tried, though the slight unsteadiness betrayed him. "Just... dizzy."

Anna’s brows knit, but she didn’t panic. Instead, she cupped his cheek, her thumb stroking the corner lightly. She knew him well enough to read what he didn’t say—how much he wanted her, how hard he was pushing himself, and how his body was warning him despite the desire simmering in his gaze.

"You skipped lunch again, didn’t you?" she murmured.

His jaw tightened, and he tried to lean into her again as if he could pick up exactly where he left off, refusing to let his weakness show. But Anna’s hand slid from his cheek to his shoulders, steadying him before he could push too far.

"Daniel stop" she said softly, her voice laced with heat but also unmistakable care.

"..."