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ASTRID'S POV:

What the hell was I doing?

I tried to tell myself it was just part of the plan—to seduce him, to stay on mission—but that was a lie. A flimsy, pathetic lie.

I wanted him.

I didn't know what that meant beyond the obvious, beyond the heat coursing through my veins and the way my body ached for his. Maybe it was just this moment, this night. Maybe it was more.

"Damon, I'm sorry, but I just can't accept that." My voice was softer than I intended, but there was steel beneath it. "I can't accept that you don't want me."

I pushed him back onto the bed, straddling his lap.

His eyes widened, shock flickering across his face. "What?"

"I won't let you push me away."

I pried his hands from his sides and guided them to my lower back, my skin burning under his touch.

"Kiss me."

For a moment, he just stared, tension rolling off him in waves. His muscles tightened beneath my hands, his breathing deep and heavy. But he didn't push me away.

Instead, his lips crashed onto mine, consuming, claiming, devouring.

"Astrid," he breathed between kisses, my name a desperate whisper on his tongue. I opened my mouth, inviting him in, and he took without hesitation. His tongue tangled with mine, hot and hungry, and I moaned into him, every nerve ending alight.

I barely heard the curses he muttered under his breath, but every time my name left his lips, heat pooled between my legs, my thighs clenching involuntarily.

When we finally pulled apart, our breaths mingled, our bodies pressed so close I could feel his heartbeat hammering against mine. His emerald eyes burned into me, torn between restraint and raw desire.

"You want me," he murmured, brushing a stray strand of hair from my face. "Don't you?"

"I—I don't know," I stammered, trying to find my footing in this whirlwind. "We—"

He cut me off, his hold tightening around me. "None of that matters. You can't deny it. I can feel it."

I had no words.

"And maybe, just this once," he continued, his voice low, intoxicating, "just for tonight... I'm going to want you too."

But then, just as quickly, his expression darkened. He turned his head, breaking our eye contact. "But after this, Astrid... this changes nothing."

The moment shattered.

I refused to let him ruin it.

Before he could say anything else, my hands threaded through his dark curls, tugging hard enough to pull a deep grunt from his throat. "Cállate," I whispered against his lips.

He groaned, his body shuddering against mine.

In retaliation, his hand came down hard on my ass, the sharp sting making me gasp.

"Ngh~" I whimpered, the sound spilling from me before I could stop it.

His grip tightened, his fingers curling around my throat. He tilted my chin up, forcing me to meet his gaze, his control suffocating and electrifying all at once.

"Again."

"What?" I smirked, teasing, even as his grip stole my breath.

"I said..." His fingers squeezed just enough to make me lightheaded. "Again."