Page 12 of Duplicitous
He crosses his thick arms over his broad chest, as though restraining himself from reaching for me.
“So, that’s how you want to play this? I’ll take pleasure in taming your bratty mouth, but I don’t intend to coddle you tonight. You’re not my babygirl, Karolina. You’re my prize. My prey. You’ll get no softness or mercy from me.”
My lips tremble slightly at the edges of my sly smile. Keeping up my bravado is getting more difficult with every passing second.
“Promises, promises,” I taunt. “You’ll have to catch me first.”
He spreads his arms wide. “Look at me, kitten. Do you really think you can evade me for long? You’re fast, but you’re so much smaller than I am. So delicate and fragile. So deliciously breakable.”
I force a shrug and a breathy laugh. “I bet you’ll lumber through the woods with all those bulky muscles. You can’t possibly be faster than I am.”
He edges closer, and I instinctively scoot back.
His low chuckle rolls over my flesh, drawing goosebumps to the surface of my skin.
“There’s nowhere for you to run right now. I could make you my pretty little plaything until we arrive at the hunt. Your legs will be shaking so hard that you won’t be able to run at all. Are you sure you don’t want to adjust your attitude?”
I cross my arms over my chest and remark, “So stern. These Daddy vibes aren’t hot, Bones.”
He’s in my personal space, his body heat pulsing against me.
“Liar,” he drawls. “You’re already trembling for me. I bet you’re wet.” He inhales deeply. “I can practically smell your arousal, greedy girl.”
My laugh breaks slightly. “As if you could smell me through that mask. Who’s the liar now?”
His gloved fingers stroke my cheek, buttery soft and warm. I go completely still at the first contact I’ve ever shared with him. His touch trails over the contours of my face, as though he’s memorizing me. The reverence of the gesture makes my belly flip, and I’m not sure if it’s in arousal or fear.
No one has touched me like this in years. Suddenly, my eyes sting with a swell of emotion, and my heart threatens to crack open. The intimacy is sharp enough to cut.
I blink rapidly to ease the burn of tears, focusing on the decadent sensation of his glove on my mouth. The flavor is slightly salty, and the heady scent of leather suffuses my senses. My lips part on a small gasp as all of my sensitive nerve endings light up.
For an insane moment, I want him to tear off his mask and claim my lips in a fierce kiss.
I swallow hard and suppress the mad desire. This connection is safe because his mask will stay on, a firm barrier between us.
This isn’t a romantic meeting.
It’s purely carnal, and I’ve needed this release even more desperately than I realized.
My entire body comes alive for him, and he’s barely brushed his fingers over my face.
“Your safe word, Karolina,” he prompts. “Now.”
“Blue,” I sigh without fully thinking through my answer.
He cocks his head at me. “Whyblue?”
Brandon’s eyes flash through my mind: darkly twinkling sapphires.
I shrug off the memory of the beloved foster brother who betrayed me all those years ago.
“It’s my least favorite color.”
“Alright,” Bones allows after a heavy moment. His gloved hand skates over my hair, as though he senses I need soothing. “If you sayblue, everything will stop.”
“What about you?” I ask. “What’s your safe word?”
His touch trails down my neck, testing my racing pulse.
