I approached the door without hurrying. It wouldn’t serve me any purpose to appear too eager and excited about this. I knew better than to show my captive my motivations or reactions. Just like any other job I handled, I had to be steady and careful with what I said and did.
I never gave away anything someone could use against me.
Never.
Showing any weakness would be my downfall. That was why I paused at the door, taking a deep, steadying breath before entering.
She couldn’t see how much curiosity I’d been holding about her. I wouldn’t let her guess that I was intrigued about whatever she’d tell me or do. Because the second she guessed that she could hold something over me as leverage, the game would be harder to play and win.
Control was a currency I would never relinquish accidentally.
I opened the door and entered.
She’d woken up, all right.
And I knew I was fucked.
Just one look at her eyes, those glittering blue orbs of sass and anger, and I was addicted. She glared at me with so much heat and venom that I stopped in my tracks and watched her. Not because I feared her or disliked her wrath, but because it was my doing.
I was the one to spark her into such a seething, furious state. I had the impact to make her look so fierce and bold.
Fuck me.
She was glorious, so alive with her anger. Spitting mad and sexier for it.
My little agent would certainly keep this interesting. At the allure of playing with her, I smiled slowly and entered the room fully. Without taking my gaze off her as I closed the door behind me, I appreciated how she didn’t flinch, didn’t frown with confusion.
She was awake. With it. And oh-so-well aware that she was limited under my say so.
“Did you have a nice nap?” I teased.
She only slitted her eyes, funneling her hatred that much more precisely on me.
With that gag over her pretty lips, she couldn’t reply. That was the first thing I corrected. Interacting with her was the reason I’d captured her. I didn’t want to miss my only chance to look my fill of her. I wanted to hear what she had to say, the motive she had to spy on me and follow me. I wanted to feel her, too, but for now, I settled on merely bringing a knife to her gag and freeing her mouth. The barest brush of my knuckles on her soft cheek was more than enough to excite me.
“Better?” I taunted.
“Release me,” she demanded. No frills. No pouting or begging. Just that order.
I smiled wider. “Not yet.” I’d let her stew on whether I was joking or not. All that mattered at this point was that she understood who was in charge here. If she was an agent who’d been trained in any psychological means of interrogation, I’d do well to persuade her against trying to twist this situation into her favor.
Before she could find the need to speak again, so haughty and hot that her sass was the ultimate turn-on for a sicko like me, I opened the water and brought the bottle to her lips.
She kept them clamped together, stubbornly, as she glowered at me.
“Thirsty?”
“Untie me.”
I shook my head, staring at her lips as I pushed the opening of the bottle toward them. Even though she wasn’t happy about it, she cooperated as I tipped the container.
Watching her mouth was risky business. It was too fucking easy to imagine her wrapping it around me. Once she seemed to be done, I pulled the bottle away. A dribble of liquid spilled from the corner of her mouth, and I lifted my thumb to smear it away.
God damn.She was so soft. Smooth. Tempting.
She was too damn sexy. And as of now, all mine.
I set the water bottle on the table and dragged a chair over for myself. After turning it so I’d face her, straddling the back of it, I rested my arm on the top of the back, then placed my elbow on my hand. Setting my chin in my other hand, I watched her.
