“Yeah, right,” I chuckled. “Lie all you want. I know what I saw.”
“Oh yeah? Prove it!”
I stepped closer, close enough until I could see the specks of black in her light brown eyes. “I don’t have anything to prove to you.”
“Fine.” She tilted her head up. “Let’s say I was trying to escape. What are you going to do about it?”
“Well,” It was too much fun not to tease her. “I do have dungeons.”
Her eyes widened. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“It has these huge, gnarly chains for your ankles, too. Of course there won’t be any showers in there.”
She yelped, and I held back a laugh.
“Relax, princess. I was only joking.”
“Y…You bastard!” she sputtered, shoving into my chest with her two hands and taking a step back. I froze at how that touch jolted me. “Try not to write a book on husband of the year, will you?”
“Whatever you say, wife,” I said, forcing emphasis on the word wife.
Her breath caught, just barely, but I noticed.
A gorgeous black lock fell across her cheek, and I felt an impulse to just reach over and tuck it behind her ear. My neck heated at the thought, and I dug my nails into my palms to keep from making that disastrous move.
It was much better for both of us to remember our places in the world.
“I want you to understand your situation,” I said. “The walls are twelve feet high and topped with sensors. Every gate requires fingerprints, so you can’t really run, even if you find one unmanned.”
I stepped even closer, forcing her back against the gate. “Now you can make this easy on yourself, or difficult. If I catch you trying to escape again, I’ll take away whatever little freedom you already have.”
Her eyes darted to mine, then quickly away. “What are you going to do now? Put your guard dogs on my heels?”
“Not if you behave,” I said, my voice dropping to an unplanned husky little whisper. I didn’t know what it was, but I couldn’t help myself around her.
I was close enough to sense that she was afraid. But beyond that fear, there was something else there, too. She breathed all uneven, and her eyes flickered to my lips. I didn’t dare let my mind wander to what that meant.
And I suppose, whatever it was she felt, scared the living daylights out of her because just like that, she was furious again.
“Are you threatening me?” she met my gaze head-on.
God, she was beautiful when angry. Her lips, I noticed, were shaped like a little heart, all plump and pink. For a quick second, I wondered what it would be like to taste those lips.
But this wasn’t part of the plan. She was a means to an end, a way to hurt the Lebedevs, and nothing more. She might be beautiful and smarter than hell, but I had no business forgetting I didn’t claim her for any reason other than revenge.
She was god damn bait, and touching her would mean forgetting why she was there. Whatever this strange desire was, I had to shut it down.
I took a step back. “I wasn’t threatening you. It was only a warning. You still get to keep your privileges, but don’t try that shit again.”
“We’ll see about that.” She glared back defiantly.
I felt that current simmer beneath my skin. She was a god damn fighter, through and through, and that only made her more interesting.
I tilted my head and watched her like a hawk. “At least you’re honest about your intentions.”
“Unlike some people,” she muttered.
“I’ve never lied about my intentions, princess,” I said. “I told you exactly why you’re here.”
