“I didn't touch anything.”
“Ah, but you wanted to.”
My throat tightened.No.
He took another step. I took one back. A mistake.
His hand shot out, gripping my jaw. Fingers pressed into my skin, forcing my head back so I had no choice but to meet his gaze.
“Tell me, Dolcezza,” he murmured with dark amusement. “Which one fascinated you the most?”
My pulse slammed against my ribs.
“The cuffs?” His thumb dragged over my lower lip. “The blindfolds?” His grip tightened, making my breath hitch. “Or was it something else? Something hard?”
I let out a shaky breath, but it barely made it past his fingers.
“None of them,” I forced out, my voice barely above a whisper. “I wasn’t—”
“Lying doesn’t suit you.”
His thumb dipped into my mouth, pressing down against my tongue.
I went rigid.
Heat. Shame. Fear. It all crashed into me at once. My body locked up, my nails digging into his wrist, but he didn’t let go.
“You should’ve asked if you wanted a demonstration,” he murmured, voice nothing but silk and sin.
I yanked my head back, and he let me go. A slow retreat. A calculated one. He was toying with me, and we both knew it.
I swallowed hard, my throat raw.
“You think this is funny?” I bit out, trying to steady my breath.
He just smiled.
“No,” he said. “I think it’s cute.”
My stomach twisted. He was enjoying this. My fear. My helplessness. The way he could bend me without lifting a single finger.
Then, as if he hadn’t just spent the last minute making me question every choice I’d ever made, he reached into his pocket and pulled something out.
A small, black velvet box.
I stared at it.
“A gift.”
I didn’t move.
“Take it.”
My fingers trembled as I reached for it, the velvet soft against my skin. I flipped the lid open— and froze.
It was an anklet.
Delicate, shimmering under the low light. Diamonds woven into thin platinum links, gleaming like something stolen from royalty. Too expensive. Too beautiful.
