“And what are you going to do about it? Torture the information out of me?” she throws right back at me, her eyes narrowing as they meet mine once more.
If only she knew. I have tortured men for information I cared about less before. In her name, when I was trying to find her, I did unspeakable things to try and reach her in time.
And the innocent way she throws around the word “torture” reminds me of what different worlds we come from—of how foreign and fantastical mine always felt to her.
But for her, there are other means than violence to get what I want, and I know the exact buttons to push if I’m going to get it. “Absolutely,” I confirm, shifting us suddenly until her back finds the bed and I’m hovering on top of her.
Stephanie’s breath catches, her palms flying to my chest in shock as she looks up at me with wide-eyed surprise.
Every hint of distress is gone, and truthfully, as much as I want to know what her dreams are about, I just wanted to take the pain away—to distract her from whatever her nightmare had been about.
“Tickle torture,” I warn, one hand sliding down her ribs to the spot I know gets her every time.
She gasps, the sound appalled. “You wouldn’t,” she dares me.
“No?” I quirk an eyebrow, adding pressure beneath my fingertips to test the waters.
“Gio!” she hisses, her hand flying to mine, and I flash her a wicked grin.
“There’s an easy way to avoid all this unpleasantness,” I tease. “Just tell me about your good, vivid dreams.”
A flash of defiance lights her eyes, and I get a glimpse of that same spirited woman I fell in love with ten years ago.
My pulse quickens, excitement thrumming through my veins, and if I weren’t so determined to find out what she’s trying to keep from me, I would steal a kiss from her right here and now.
“Do your worst,” she says, lifting her head off the bed as she glares rebelliously.
“I was hoping you’d say that,” I growl, and I race my fingers over her abdomen, adding just the right pressure that I know she can’t stand.
Stephanie yelps, then bites her lips together to muffle the sound as she starts to squirm.
Her hands fly into defense mode, slapping harmlessly against my skin as she tries to push me away.
I chuckle darkly, continuing the playful torture until a peel of laughter rushes from her when she can’t hold back any longer.
The sound of it fills me with a kind of joy I never thought I’d feel again, and I savor the moment, awestruck by the realization that Stephanie is in my life once again.
I give her a break from the tickles—mostly because I know she won’t want to wake Jackson in the other room with her uncontrollable giggling.
And she breathes heavily, her bare chest rising and falling rapidly as her hardened nipples stand out like mountain peaks, begging for attention.
“Are you ready to tell me what I want to know?” I ask darkly, letting a hint of a threat edge my tone.
Stephanie hesitates, her eyes flitting to the side, as if she’s contemplating trying to run away.
Before she can make a move, I roll on top of her, snagging her hands and trapping them above her head as I pin her down with my body.
Then I trade her palms to one hand, holding them together as I slide the other down the curves of her body to tickle her once more.
“Okay, okay!” she whisper-yells. “I’ll tell you.”
With a wolfish grin, I relax my fingers as I look down at her, suddenly intensely aware of how connected our naked bodies are and the way her soft skin brushes against mine with each ragged breath.
Stephanie’s eyes darken, dilating as our chemistry turns more sensual, and her gaze flicks down to my lips for the breadth of a second before coming back up.
“I have… sex dreams,” she admits haltingly, that beautiful blush returning in full force. “Some strong enough that I’ve woken from an orgasm.”
Holyhell, that’s hot. Just picturing it makes my cock hard.
