When he straightens and Bea realizes he’s not offering anymore kisses, she rubs against his ankle one last time, then struts away, tail held high in triumph.
Viper’s gaze is locked on me when I look at him. “Hello, little rabbit.” The lazy grin that curls his mouth sends a chill down my spine.
The book he was reading is hanging loosely at his side.The Brothers Karamazov,I note, by Dostoevsky.
“That’s a good book,” I tell him, motioning toward it.
He doesn’t answer. His eyes are locked on my lips.
I clear my throat nervously. “You don’t have to stick around here anymore, you know.” I force a smile and raise my hand tothe ceiling, pointing at the camera above us. “Seb installed a, uh…a security system. To keep an eye on me.”
Viper doesn’t look up at the camera. His grin turns feral as he moves closer to me, and I instinctively take a step back. Then another. It’s not until my shoulder blades hit the bookshelf behind that I realize he’s cornered me, trapping me between him and our wide range of classic books.
“To keep an eye on you,” he repeats. He keeps coming closer, until we’re pressed against each other. He’s huge, so big he takes up my whole field of vision, and I struggle to take a full breath, staring up at him. “And how long do you think it would take him to get here,” he asks, “if you were in danger?”
I hadn’t considered it. Not until now.
My pulse races. Viper leans down, his lips hovering over mine. “Do you really think he’d be fast enough to save you?”
It feels like a threat, the way he says it.
“Viper, I?—”
His hand moves up toward my face so fast I flinch, my words devolving into a squeal. But he doesn’t touch me. His hand stops right beside my head, the book clasped in his grasp, his eyes never leaving mine as he pushes his copy ofThe Brothers Karamazovback into place on the shelf. He leaves his hand there after, palm flat against the book spines, boxing me in.
“You’re so pretty when you’re scared,” he coos with a wide grin, dark eyes sparkling.
I should do something. Scream. Slip under his arm and run. But I’m frozen in place, trembling, and he leans further into me, lowering his face to brush his nose against the vulnerable skin of my throat
“Viper.” My breath stutters as he presses me against the shelves with his body, his hand slipping under my shirt. He makes a satisfied sound deep in his throat as his thumb grazes my ribs.
I manage to get my hands up and press them to his chest, but don’t push him away. I’m not even sure I could.
Another low sound, unmistakably masculine, as his teeth graze over my pulse. He inhales deeply, nuzzling into my neck. “You smell like sex,” he murmurs against my skin. His fingers tighten, nails biting into my ribs.
What was it? The thing Sebastian said to him?
“Line, Viper,” I gasp, heart pounding, palms pressing into his chest.
He goes still. The hand gripping me beneath my shirt pauses.
Hesitantly, I push a little harder against him, and to my surprise, he moves back, taking a step away from me. His hand drags down my stomach before he pulls it away completely.
He’s still too close, eyes narrowed as he watches me, a slight curl to his lips. I’m all too aware of all the places we’re still touching. The way my chest brushes against his with every breath I take, the way his leg rests between mine.
“You can stay,” I tell him. Truthfully, I don’t mind him being here. It’s comforting having him around, protecting me. “If you don’t bother the customers. If you don’t hurt—”Me, I almost say. “If you don’t hurt anyone.”
Viper hums thoughtfully. “And where’s the fun in that?” His mouth curves into a manic smile that’s all teeth.
The worst part is I’m not scared. Or maybe I am, but not enough. My skin is hot where he touched me, too sensitive. And despite everything—despite the giantwalking red flagthis man is, and despite the fact that I have no excuse for being this turned on after everything Sebastian did to me this morning—I want more.
There must be something deeply wrong with me. Because all I want is to feel him touch me again. And, as if he senses it, he leans in closer, thumb brushing over the corner of my mouth.
“You can’t touch me here, you can’t—” I swallow hard. “Not here. Not where I work.”
Viper tilts his head, studying me. Something shifts in his eyes.
“Not here,” he repeats. His stare is heavy, all-consuming. I feel like a bug caught under glass. Something interesting but foreign to him. “Fine.”
