Page 39 of Merciless Wager
Her eyes narrowed, then her gaze dropped down to my pants, where my erection could clearly be seen. “That,” she said pointing to it, “says otherwise.”
“Hard is a constant state for me, Bellezza. I do want to just talk, though.”
“You just want to talk? Let’s do it another time because I’m tired.”
“You lie so easily to me, but your eyes betray you every time. And they’re not the only things that do. Those luscious fucking lips of yours give you away, too. The façade you’re presenting is just further proof.”
“You just think you know everything about me. Don’t you?”
I grinned wider. “I know that my words about Drake and Brae stung. Enough so that you plan to go upstairs and cry over them.”
“So what if I am? Would you rather have me cry on your damn shoulder instead?”
“Since your tears belong to me, that’s exactly what I want.”
“They don’t belong to you, and neither does?—”
My hand shot out and seconds later, it was wrapped around her throat. “Until you’re shipped off to Russia, I own every part of you, including your fucking tears. Now, I said we’re stayingdown here, so get your ass onto the couch before I put you on it myself.”
Idon’t know why I had thought to test Zarren, but at his command, I couldn’t will my legs to move. True to his word, the damn Neanderthal fucking swept me up into his arms, then deposited me down onto not only the couch, but his lap, where I now felt his erection pressing against me.
Why again did I tell him that I didn’t want sex? As Drake and Brae came to mind, a mouthful of bile did too, and I knew it was because of them. Knowing they were still sneaking around behind my back pissed me off. My small hands balled into fists, and the overwhelming urge to strike something took over.
The coffee and end tables were too far away to reach, and the back of the sectional was partially blocked by... As I turned in his lap and looked up into his smiling face, fury took over.
Before I even knew what I was doing, I struck him. The sound echoed in the silence, and while I expected him to retaliate in some way, he just stared down at me.
Goddamn psycho!
“I’d ask what that was for, but I have a feeling it might have to do with what I told you earlier,” he said.
His voice. How could it be so cruelly mocking, yet so damn sensual at the same time? He was a viper... A serpent, just like that tattoo on his chest. For once, I almost wished he’d do as that one proverb said and he’d bite his own damn head off.
I slapped him again, and this time, his expression changed slightly. He still didn’t retaliate, but I could see his lips narrow as my red handprint bloomed across his tanned cheeks. I raised my hand again, but he grabbed it this time and brought it to his lips.
“If you insist on striking me, I want something in return.”
Wait! What?Zarren was actually going to let me expel some much-needed rage out on him by letting me slap him. “What do you want in return?” I asked suspiciously.
“Do your worst to me, but get something out of that hard head of yours. Each time you strike me, you will unload something into the air.”
“Are you crazy? I’m not going to assault?—”
He brought the hand he was still holding to his cheek, then rubbed it against the reddened spot. “The stinging in my cheek says otherwise. And don’t even think about lying to me. As I’ve said before, I know you better than you even know yourself.”
I slapped him with my other hand. “You piss me off when you say things like that.”
“Why does that bother you so much?” he asked me softly.
How in the hell did I explain something that made so little sense to me?
Finally, I just spit it out. “Because it sometimes feels like you might be right. And I hate it!”
“Duly noted,” he said with a smile that could melt the panties off a fucking nun. “Is that all?”
I struck him again, this time a bit harder than intended, because I had to shake the burning out of it by the time I drew it back. “I also hate that you’d kidnapped me, and that you’re holding me captive.”
“You do realize what the definition of kidnapping is, yes?”
