Without thinking, I darted my tongue across his lips, shivering visibly in his hold.
His dominance responded and he crushed his lips over mine, pulling me so tightly against him I couldn’t breathe. The taste of peppermint assaulted my senses. When he fisted a handful of my hair, I rose onto my tiptoes, pressing one palm against his chest.
Even more than before, the electricity coursing through every muscle, tendon, and vein was enough to derail all thoughts of rage.
For now.
The moment of intimacy was amazing, almost dipping into magical territory. He wasn’t gentle by any means, drinking from my mouth as if he owned me. Even more lightheaded, I was stymied for a few seconds, even enjoying the way his tongue dominated mine.
Finally, I came to my senses, using what little strength I had left, driving my hand into his chest. The move broke the kiss.
He jerked his head up, glancing away briefly.
We stood in the same position for a full ten seconds, doing nothing more than trying to breathe.
Staring at each other.
Hungering as we had the night before.
Neither one of us was prepared to budge. I almost found myself clinging to him, my fingers toying with his shirt. When he spoke once again, the annoyance in his voice broke the spell.
“Let’s start this again. I need for you to tell me why you’re here. You don’t belong inside this house and I know you’re up to something. Yes, you’re a dancer, but you’re so much more. Aren’t you? The bus dropping you off at the wrong location? Justbumping into me on a crowded street and your destination a business that is… important to me. Your ruse of innocence is not going to work. I suggest you start talking before you find yourself in a situation you can’t return from.”
Who in God’s name did this man think he was?
“You’re threatening me when you broke in? When you were doing God knows what with those poor men you held as captives this morning? Are you kidding me?” The words flew out of my mouth before I could stop them. This was obviously a highly skilled killer and I’d fallen into his trap.
The arrogance in his voice had returned and that irritated the hell out of me.
“I’m being extremely patient with you because you don’t seem to completely understand your situation. So let me be very clear about where we are in this game you’re playing. If you don’t tell me what I need to know, I’ll have no choice but to erase you from this earth, which I would hate to do given your beauty and obvious intelligence.”
There was the open threat I’d been expecting.
“I’m not playing any game and I don’t appreciate you threatening to kill me.” As hard as I was trying to keep my voice from wavering from the terror clawing its way through my system, I was failing. “I very much belong here. Just ask the owner. What are you doing inside this house?”
“I asked you first,” he snipped. “Time is ticking.”
“I was here first.”
His deep exhale annoyed me and I finally managed to shove him back, giving me enough space I snatched the towel off the tiledfloor. When a slow smile spread across his chiseled face, I was even more annoyed.
The handsome mystery man was leering at me. I could tell exactly what he was thinking. Over my dead body. “How dare you. Just leave me alone.”
“How dare I what?”
He had me flustered, a rare feat. “Breathe.” I grabbed the statue, giving him another surprise. When I tried to leave the bathroom, even racing toward the stairs with full intention of grabbing my phone and contacting the police, he was having none of it.
Within seconds, the statue was ripped from my hand, his arm wrapped around my waist. As if I weighed nothing, he hoisted me off the floor, taking long strides into the bedroom. My bedroom! With a flick of the light, he wasted no time plopping down on the edge of the bed.
The towel was ripped from where I was clutching it against my chest, tossed aside as if my nakedness wasn’t uncomfortable for him in the least.
As he dropped me over his knees, I was so stunned I didn’t realize his intentions until the first brutal crack of his hand across my naked backside. What in the hell did he think he was doing? I’d never been so shocked in my life.
It was like the night before, only this time not with the thought of pleasure in mind.
“Stop. Just stop!” My demand was met with a deep, husky snort and three more smacks hitting me in my sit spot on both ass cheeks.
I wiggled and clawed at the bed, kicking out and with my dancer’s legs, almost managed to slide off his lap.
