NIKOLAI
So my little captive likes to watch.
A dark, hungry smile tugs at my lips as I step into the shower and crank the heat. Steam wraps around me as I brace my palms against the tile and drop my head, letting the spray pound the back of my neck.
She thought I didn’t notice her until we made eye contact.
But I felt her the moment she appeared in the doorway. I could sense those big brown eyes tracking the flex of my muscles, and the sweat running down my spine.
I could've stopped. Could've acknowledged her and sent her back to her room with a warning.
But I didn't.
I kept going. Because I liked her watching me. Liked the way her plush lips parted with a silent gasp when she first saw me. And how she struggled to swallow as she tried to look away but couldn't.
I reach for the soap and work it into a lather between my palms. The scent is clean and sharp and as I drag my hands across my body, I feel the tension start to ease from my muscles.
She couldn't drag her eyes from me.
I saw it all in the mirror. Saw the lust written across her face.
My little captive isn't as immune to me as she pretends to be.
I run my hand through my wet hair, pushing it back from my face as the water continues to pound against my skin. My body responds to the image of her standing there, caught between running and staying. Between fear and desire.
Am I going to punish her for breaking the rules?
Maybe.
The idea of it sends a dark thrill through me. Maybe I should show her what I'm capable of. Show her what I can do to make her breath quicken and her cheeks turn that delicious shade of pink.
I turn off the water and step out, grabbing a towel. As I dry off, my mind is already working through the possibilities.
She's afraid of me.
But she's also drawn to me.
I saw the hunger on her face in that mirror.
AndthatI can work with.
Because I'm more than willing to whet her appetite.
I wrap the towel around my hips and catch my reflection in the foggy mirror. My skin is still damp, my hair slicked back from my face.
I smile, because this game just got interesting.
You can say you want to run all you like, little captive.
But we both know you're not going anywhere.
7
HOLLY
Back in my room, I lie on the bed and squeeze my eyes closed and desperately try not to think about a shirtless Nikolai.
Or the rough grunts he made as he hauled his muscular body up and down through each pull up.
