Which is nothing, other than studying my prey. Drinking in her timid expression, how her chest expands.
The smallest smile curves my lips up when she trusts me enough to skim her fingers along my jaw, leaving a trail of heat behind.
Softness, tenderness, she brands both into me.
Fuck, I love how shy she can be.
The blankets I pulled high over her slip to the floor, alerting me that she might not be shy after all. She might be tricking me, using her arms to distract me long enough to slip out of the chair.
Or maybe she just needs to use the bathroom.
Whatever it is, I’m boiling at the thought of her getting away from me.
My grip on her thigh tightens, my arm locking around her waist.
My body becomes her cage.
She’s not leaving this chair. She’s not leavingme.
“Knox, I—” She flinches.
There’s nowhere to run.
“No.” My fingers bruise her flesh. My chin presses against the top of her head. “Stay.”
“You’re hurting me.” Her nails scraping my neck is the hottest thing. “Why? I thought I was special.”
“You are,” I rasp, voice thick from desire so deep I’m having trouble understanding it myself. “Mine.”
“Then why are you hurting me?”
My cock jerks with all that wiggling.
The feel of me beneath her stops Skylar’s frantic attempts to escape.
When she tilts her head up, I draw mine back so I can look at her. Her pupils are huge. Her fingers brush the hollow of my throat, making me shiver.
I see the change in her expression before I hear her.
“Okay, then. Knox.” Her manipulation attempt isn’t subtle. But her fluttering eyelashes and the way she says my name make it hard to deny her anything. “I was wrong. You aren’t hurting me. I’ll stop fighting. I’ll do better. I…” Her cheeks burn bright red. “I can get on my knees for you again, to earn your forgiveness.”
Plenty of living-hides have tried that before. Offering sex in exchange for mercy happens more often than I’d like.
Jett lied to them, both men and women. Took without fulfilling his end of the bargain.
I never did. Never cared about anything other than doing my job.
Until her.
Thing is, even though I’m hard, sex isn’t the only thing on my mind.
Nurturing her is a compulsion. A calling.
Using her body will come later.
“Don’t need your apologies right now, so don’t even try.” I dip my chin, staring her dead in the eye. “Not unless you want to find out what it actually feels like when I hurt you.”
“What? You said I was safe with you.” Those nails she scratches my neck with, they cut deeper now.
