Chapter 41 (Author’s POV)

Amanda straddled him, her hands splayed across the firm muscles of his chest. She could feel the rapid rise and fall of his breathing, the heat radiating from his skin, the tension coiling beneath it.

Raphael looked up at her, his pupils blown wide, his lips still swollen from their kisses. His hands instinctively gripped her hips, fingers pressing into her flesh as if anchoring himself to her. She smirked at the way his jaw clenched, his control barely hanging by a thread.

"What's wrong, Raphael?" she teased, dragging her nails slowly down his torso. "You look... frustrated."

A muscle in his jaw ticked. "Amanda." His voice was rough, warning.

But she ignored it.

Because for once, she had the power.

For once, he was the one unraveling beneath her touch.