“Don’t do that.” She touched my mouth.
“Don’t do what?”
“Look at me that way. With that icy smirk.”
I blinked, shifting it away. She flinched again, and I cringed internally because I knew that instead I was giving her my “dead” look.
“That’s even worse,” she murmured under her breath.
My hand tightened on her ass. “You keep bringing up another man’s name when you’re sitting in my lap. And youdon’twant me to murder him?”
“Yeah. Okay. I get that, but please answer me. What are you intending to do with him?”
I toyed with my answer.
“The truth, Creight. Do that for me.”
“I would do anything for you.”
She scoffed, but the corner of her mouth tugged up. “Would you carry me over a mountain if it were in my way?”
“I would blow up the mountain for you.”
She went still in my lap. “You’re serious.”
“Of course.”
She remained still, holding my gaze for a longer beat. I didn’t know what she was looking for. Whatever it was, a softness came over her, and her mouth gentled. “Where are my lines with you?”
“What do you mean?”
“I keep pushing and pushing, and you always let me. Everyone has a line. Where’s mine with you?”
My gaze fell to her mouth. “It continues to surprise me that you don’t get it.”
“Get what?”
My hand returned to her throat, and I traced a finger up to the tip of her chin, raising it so I could see into her again. As our eyes met and held, her entire body trembled. “You challenge me. I never want you to stop challenging me.”
I’d surprised her. “Why?”
My hand splayed out over the side of her throat before moving to the back, where my fingers sank in, anchoring her in a grip. “Because I need it. You stand in front of me, and you have a hook growing through my chest. You keep pulling me toward you. With each challenge and each yank, you are daring me to become a better man.”
“A hook? Sounds bloody.”
“The bloodier the better.” I pulled her head back, knowing I hadn’t given her the answer she wanted. “You told me I couldn’t physically harm your housemate. My plan is simple. I’m going to torture him until he harms himself.” Beautiful. Simple.
Physical pain would heal. Emotional pain could endure forever.
She blanched, and her mouth dropped open. She fisted my shirt in her hands. “God.No.”
I leaned to her, my mouth grazing over hers. “He hurt you.”
She flinched, turning away. “Only for a moment.”
“No.”
Her gaze returned at my vehemence.
