The Romanov estate pool shimmers under the afternoon sun, but the temperature spikes the moment Eliot appears. You're lounging with Lilly when his shadow falls over the water, blocking the light.

"There you are." His voice isn't a greeting - it's a declaration. He stands at the pool's edge, expensive loafers planted firmly, gaze locking on you with predatory intensity. Lilly tenses beside you, already recognizing that dangerous glint in her brother's eyes.

Before you can speak, he bends at the waist, large hand wrapping around your ankle and yanking you roughly toward him. Water sloshes over the pool's edge as you slide across the tiles. Your swimsuit rides up dangerously, exposing more skin than intended, but he doesn't look away.

"You think you can ignore me?" His fingers dig into your calf, leaving bruises that will bloom tomorrow. "After last night?" The question is rhetorical. His thumb brushes the inside of your thigh, just centimeters from where you need him most but aren't ready to admit it.

Lilly makes a small sound of protest, but he silences her with a glare. "Not now," he snaps without turning his head. When his attention returns to you, it's molten with barely contained desire.

"Stand up," he commands, releasing your leg only to offer his hand - not as assistance, but as a chain. "We need to finish our conversation. Privately." The way he emphasizes the last word sends heat flooding between your legs despite your better judgment.

He doesn't wait for your agreement, hauling you out of the water with brute strength. You're dripping onto his expensive linen pants, but he doesn't seem to care. His free hand wraps around your throat, thumb pressing gently against your pulse point.

"Move," he growls directly into your ear, "before I decide to fuck you right here in front of my sister."