“Countless cameras, a shrine of my favorite things, astockpile of gifts for Freddie … you’re actually crazy,” I murmur, glancing up at him.
His face falls, the inner corners of his eyebrows twitching with sorrow.
I should run; this is absurd.
But there’s not an ounce of fear in my body.
The only thing I’m feeling right now is intense, unbridled affection for the man who fought for us when I was scared—a common theme as of late, apparently.
I blamed it on the rule and the boundary that my dad set long ago, but I think—more than anything—I was scared to pursue a relationship with Bates because I knew he saw right through me.
His gaze was always piercing, like he could read every thought in my mind—the good, the bad, the dirty, dark, and twisted.
I think maybe we were always meant to end up together, some kind of wicked inevitability. Or maybe Bates has a way of controlling fate, and once he set his eyes on me, there was no escaping.
It’s about time I come to terms with what I want, regardless of what any man in my life may think, one way or the other.
Bates cuts me off as I open my mouth to speak. He nervously rambles, and I can’t deny the hot man his romantic confession. “I get that you’re mad with how I did things, that they were wrong and sneaky. I’m aware of that, and to be frank, I also was aware the entire time I did it. I didn’t care because I just …fuck, Serena.” He exhales the curse and my name, his hands finding my body as heturns me to face him. His fingers slide into my hair and he cups my jaw, tilting my head up to his.
His eyes penetrate mine, latching on to my soul as he pours his heart out. “I couldn’t move on from that first night we met. I couldn’t … breathe properly until you were mine. I am a madman when it comes to you. I’ll do anything to earn your gaze. I knew that you wouldn’t give the realusa chance, so I found a way into your life that didn’t break your rules.”
I shrug, fighting an amusing grin. He certainly broke some moral ones, but I was a happy accomplice along the way.
His breathing quickens, his control waning fast.
The passion in his voice morphs, becoming possessive, reminding me of the man who dons the mask. “You’re mine. And youlikeit, belonging to me, and I, to you. Brand your name on my chest for all I care; I’ll heat the iron with a goddamn smile on my face.”
He’s panting, his forehead an inch from resting atop mine as he crumbles beneath my stare, falling apart right in front of me.
My lips wiggle, a quiet giggle slipping past … because I’m afraid that I’m just as insane as he is.
His words only make me surer of my choice to get out of my car and come in here, to stand before him and lay everything out on the table.
I never expected this side of him to emerge. I didn’t even know itexisted. But I like it—because now I’m certain that this isn’t a joke to him. This is as real for him as it is for me. That’s all I needed—confirmation that this wasn’t some fantasized figment of my imagination.
Now I have two new choices.
To either be the good girl and let him out of his cage.
Or be the brat and poke him through the bars.
The answer is obvious.
Rising up onto my toes, I brush my nose against his, and he sucks in a breath. I repeat the motion, caressing the tip of his nose with mine.
A ragged breath rumbles through him, his restraint snapping.
Ghosting my lips across his, I whisper, “Where’s the iron?”
His gaze darkens in an instant as he inches away, the intense stare boring into me. I watch the shift in his face, the vulnerable Bates slipping away, being replaced by the dominant side that’s going to put me in my place.
And I can’t fuckingwait.
He scoffs audibly, his hands sliding down my body, getting greedier and rougher by the second. “Are you messing with me right now, Little Cupid? Toying withme?”
Biting down on my bottom lip, I smile. “Be careful. I’m the one with the leash.”
Leaning down, he strokes his tongue across mine, teasing me with the taste of his kiss as his hands wrap around my hips, his fingers splaying out and digging in.
