“I don’t remember giving you a third option.”
“I’m creating a third option.” She eyed him with cold assessment, once more the empress she’d been when she had him on his knees. Had that been only this morning? They’d lived lifetimes since then.
“You gave me a rule earlier. Was that all just talk?”
Eric shook his head. “Nikki, you don’t want to play this game with me right now.”
“Yes, I do.”
He shoved away from the door, stalking toward her. “You remember the way I made you choke on my cock? Right now, I’ll be rougher than that.”
They were toe to toe, her head tipped back so she could hold his gaze.
“Get in the bathroom,” he commanded again. “Give me five minutes to get myself under control, and then whatever you decide, sex or sleep, I’ll be ready to be civil.” He shrugged. “Mostly civil.”
“What if I don’t want civil? What if I want to be taken, fucked,usedby the man who rips people’s heads off.”
“If you come out naked, I will fuck you.”
“I don’t doubt it, but I just told you I want more. I want to be used.”
Eric’s blood was molten hot. “No, Nikki, I could hurt?—”
“You won’t.”
“Objectively, I will.”
“Would you deliberately,trulyhurt me? Slap me until my eyes swell shut? Beat me with a belt? Do things that will harm not just my body but my soul?”
“Never. Never like that.”
Nikolett started to circle him, trailing her fingers along his chest, over his arm, across his back. “Do you ever think you’re in the wrong place? The wrong time?”
Eric turned his head to watch her, assessing. Planning.
He had a vague plan of bending her over the bed and fucking her hard and fast if she opted for naked. If she chose pajamas, he’d planned to stay awake all night holding her and worrying.
This third option she’d created was far better than either of his. He never claimed to be the smarter of the two of them.
Still, he resisted, worried that if she freed him from his self-imposed chains, he’d take it too far, use her too hard.
“The wrong time?”
“Maybe you were born out of time. Meant for a more brutal age. One befitting your nickname.” She stopped, facing him, nails lightly digging into his chest. “The Viking.”
“I’m not the only one. You were meant to rule.” He dipped his face to hers, lips touching her ear. “Savage and beautiful.”
“Maybe we’re both refugees from the past, time travelers trying and failing to blend in.”
“Very poetic.” He made one last valiant effort to limit what was able to happen. “Get in the bathroom and strip. I promise we’ll have sex when you come out.”
She stepped back. “I don’t want to just have sex…” She raised a brow, then turned and ran.
He didn’t know what it said about him that his first instinct was to chase and catch her. The bedroom was large, but notthatlarge, and she wasn’t moving all that fast.
Eric took three big steps, grabbed her, and threw her over his shoulder.
She wiggled, trying to get free, so he spanked her as he stalked to the bed. She pinched his ass in retaliation.
