Chapter 199: The luxury of the villa
Augustine closed his eyes for a second, exhaling slowly. Then his voice rang out, sharper than before. "Yes. We’ll be there in a moment."
He didn’t move. His eyes stayed fixed on Anne, intense and smoldering. He reached up, his thumb brushing slowly across her flushed cheek.
"We’ll eat," he murmured. "But I’m not done with you."
Anne felt her heart trip over itself. The hunger in his eyes, the possessive edge to his tone—it sent a fresh wave of heat coursing through her veins. Every nerve in her body stayed alert, attuned to the fire that still burned between them.
"Go get dressed," he whispered, "if you really want to eat."
Anne’s skin prickled with heat at the implications of his words. She pressed a hand firmly against his chest, trying to create space between them.
"I’m hungry," she said, attempting to slip away.
But Augustine’s arm tightened around her instead of letting her go. His voice dropped to a low, velvety murmur, eyes burning with intensity. "So am I, and I don’t want to wait."
His lips hovered dangerously close to hers, so near she could feel the warmth of his breath. Her body tensed, lips tingling in anticipation. But he didn’t kiss her. He was holding back on purpose, playing with restraint.
Anne could see it clearly now: he was taunting her, coaxing her to break first, to surrender to the tension and turn it into something more. But she wasn’t going to let him win that easily.
Instead of resisting, she met his gaze with a calm defiance and slid her arms around his neck.