Page 36 of Bleed with Me

I held his fierce look like a starving creature clutching its last meal. Relief flooded my system, washing away the panic that lived in my chest while I watched him fight for his life.

Dorian didn’t move. He just stared at me, slowly taking me in as if memorizing every inch and matching it to a memory. His expression darkened when his attention reached the leather gripping my thighs before lifting to my mask. The moment our eyes locked, my heart slammed so hard against my ribs the bruise there pulsed with the impact.

The nasty reminder of my first reason for kidnapping Dorian harshly brought me back to reality. The unsigned marriage certificate shattered the illusion I clung to. The excitement of seeing him was almost chased away by the devastating truth: I had nothing to prove we were married.

“You broke into my hospital,” Dorian said flatly, but the pulse ticking at his throat betrayed him. “The list of your crimes keeps growing, ma vilaine.”

“Don’t flatter yourself.” A seductive smile stretched my lips. “Security here is embarrassingly incompetent.”

It was a lie, obviously. Four guys in the lobby and a dozen cameras were easy to dodge, only thanks to Lucas and his miraculous gift of hacking.

“What is it then? A social visit?” Dorian crossed his arms over his broad chest, the simple white T-shirt highlighting his flexing biceps and flat abdomen. The memory of those perfectly ripped muscles momentarily hazed my mind, but I quickly regained my composure.

“A social visit?” I let out a quiet, slightly maniacal laugh. “No, handsome,” I purred, dragging my gloved finger across the seam of my thigh holster. “I came to collect what’s mine. You didn’t think a hospital full of guards would keep me from my husband, did you?”

My falsely innocent look collided with his narrowed eyes. The dangerous glimmer in them attacked all the right places in me. He took a calculated step closer, his scent blending with the thick air around us.

His presence hit me like a drug. My heart kicked hard against my ribs, but I kept still, even though part of me wanted to press my face against his chest and inhale him into my lungs like the addict I was.

“Which mental institution did you escape, ma vilaine?” he asked in a sweet, patronizing voice, most probably trying to get me off my game. But he forgot that it was my game and I made the rules.

“Whichever one decided it was safer for society if I stalked you instead of rotting there.” I winked at him, letting him know his hints about my mental state didn’t affect me at all. I knew I was one foot in the cemetery and the other in the asylum.

“Stalk me,” Dorian mumbled under his breath. “And how long have you been stalking me?” He took another step closer, making me highly aware of his tall, muscular body. Not because he was absolutely edible, but because he was much bigger and stronger than me.

“A few weeks,” I replied casually, standing up. My gun was one swift movement away, and he needed at least two steps to jump me. I was confident my reactions were quicker despite the height difference.

“But you seem not to have learned anything about me.” One corner of his tempting full lips lifted in an arrogant smirk. A weird dark energy surrounded him, chasing away the light that radiated off him most of the time. “If you knew me at all, you’d know walking into my den means you don’t walk out unless I say so.”

A loud click of the door lock resonated through the office, proving him wrong. Lucas had obviously ignored my request and was listening to our conversation, demonstrating power at the right time. Dorian whipped his head toward the door, zooming in on it while I used this tiny distraction to put more distance between us. I moved behind his desk, watching him with a sly smile.

“You were saying, handsome?” I raised a teasing brow, grazing the back of the leather chair with my hand.

“You’ll get yourself killed,” he ground out, surprisingly angry. His eyes flashed with something I hadn’t seen before. It wasn’t just annoyance with my behavior. It was something… unhinged.

“That’s the second time in one day you sound like you care, Dorian.” I raised my index finger at him, wagging it in a teasing, mock-scolding way. “Admit that I’m growing on you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” He chuckled as if I had told a hilarious joke, but his eyes showed no amusement. “You kidnapped me and trapped me in my own office.” He shook his head in disapproval. “Why don’t you just invite me for dinner? A free meal offer would earn you some points.”

“Points?” I echoed in disbelief. My heart missed a painful beat, and I instinctively placed my hand on my hip, but the gun wasn’t there. My nails dug into my leather jacket as a tiny seed of jealousy grew in my chest at the speed of light.

“I don’t need any points, baby.” I cast him my hardest glare. “You are mine. And if I ever find you dining with another woman, I’ll make sure it’s her last meal.”

“Possessive much?” he mocked.

“You have no fucking idea,” I hissed, jealousy, anger, and a strong feeling of momentary helplessness taking control of my rational thinking. Still, it all vanished into thin air when a painful groan cut our staring contest short.

“Fuck.” Dorian bent over, clutching his abdomen. The movement was completely unexpected, catching me by surprise. For a second, I just looked at him as he fell to his knees, gripping the edge of the glass coffee table for support so he didn’t collapse on the floor. He looked trapped inside his own body, frozen mid-collapse, teeth clenched so tightly the muscle in his jaw throbbed.

“Dorian!” I yelled when my slow brain finally caught up. Every survival instinct vanished. I ran to him and dropped to my knees. Cupping his cheeks with my hands, I scanned him for injuries, but saw nothing. “Talk to me. What’s going on? Where does it hurt?”

I inspected his chest and stomach, touching him everywhere to find the source of pain. My entire body shook, fear for him overwhelming me.

“Dorian, please.” I looked into his face, realizing too late that he had outplayed me. Harshly, he pushed me, and I fell backward, unable to defend myself when he grabbed my throat and pinned me down.

“Well, well, well,” he sang, his thumb pressing against my speeding pulse. “Game over, ma vilaine.”

I licked my lips, fighting to push him away, but he only chuckled. No matter how much I kicked or punched, nothing worked. He kept me down with ease, and when my arms annoyed him too much, he pinned them above my head, and his massive chest pressed against mine did the rest.