Page 91 of Unholy Masks

“No.”

“Do you really want to play hard to get right now?” I murmured, my lips grazing the corner of her mouth but never quite touching. “When your body knows what exactly it wants?”

She shivered, tilting her chin up. “Maybe. You did. You…” I kissed her throat, and she stopped. “You said no, even when you wanted me.”

“Because I have more willpower than you, Doctor West. Unlike you, I know how to control myself, and you know that.” I chuckled when she growled and snapped her teeth at me. I squeezed her wrist just a little tighter before releasing her. “Now do what I tell you, Red. Hands on the counter.”

She glared at me before obeying, her palms flattening against the cold surface.

“Good girl,” I whispered, running a hand down her throat. She arched slightly, instinctively seeking more, whimpering when I refused her what she wanted.

“You know, for someone so damn stubborn, you become quite obedient when I promise you a good time,” I said with a grin, tugging the dress down until the soft flesh of her skin became visible. I trailed a finger, tracing the skin just above her bra, making her tremble. Her eyes fluttered closed.

She exhaled shakily when I stopped touching.

“Maybe I just like it when you tell me what to do.”

“I already know that. Let’s get you to the room now, shall we?”

“What about the pasta?” she whispered when I wrapped an arm around her, kissing her eyes. I turned the stove off with a smile.

“The pasta can fucking wait.”

Her answering grin made my heart falter—hell, I just couldn’t get enough of that smile.

“Race you?” I said, and we both bolted upstairs, our laughter chasing the darkness away.

She laughed when I almost fell and broke my skull.

“Slow down, Turtle Mocha. You can’t do all this and then go and break your bones.”

“You’re worried about not having sex, aren’t you?” I huffed when she laughed.

“Priorities,” she teased, pushing the door open. “I win, Ryden.”

“I’ll gladly lose to you, and you know it.”

I slammed her against the wall and kissed her. When I pulled back, she was panting, eyes glazed, lips bruised.

So fucking magnificent.

Her beauty was enough to break a man, and the best part was she knew it.

“You look ready to be taken,” I hissed. Her fingers ran along the bulge in my pants, her golden eyes burning with need.

“And you are ready to take me.”

“Not yet, Red, not yet,” I said, cupping her cheeks, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “We’re going to take our time.”

“Fuck,” she cursed when I grabbed the silk scarf and looped it around her wrists, securing them loosely behind her. Her breath hitched. “You destroy me, Ryden.”

“And?”

“I love to get destroyed by you.”

Leaning closer, I bit down on her shoulder. She gasped when my fingers slowly trailed lower.

I pulled the silk around her wrists. She let out a soft breath, her body melting into mine.