Page 40 of When She Tempts (The Fallen)
“Got it.”
He counts down, and when he reaches “three,” he lunges at me, grabbing me by the neck, and pressing the length of his body against mine.
All air is pushed out of my lungs.
My adrenaline spikes, and for a moment, I’m just flailing blindly against him. All of my training is forgotten, and instinct takes over. I try to tear his hands off me, try to kick at his legs. When I land a kick to his shin, he grunts and slides a rock-hard thigh between my legs.
“Are you going to fight me or just annoy me?” he hisses in my ear.
What the— Is hetauntingme?
It’s enough to screw a few bolts back into place. I take his right wrist with my right hand. Grab one of his fingers.
Approval flashes in the depths of his eyes. “Good girl.”
Those two words have an unexpected effect on me, but I don’t let it distract me. I pull.Hard.
He drops one hand, but he doesn’t back away like before. Instead, he moves his other palm to cover more of my neck, his body still pinning me to the wall.
Our eyes clash together.
The inches of space between us seem to shrink.
His gaze falls to my lips.
I’ve caught him doing that before a few times, and every time he does it, a steady pulse appears between my legs.
I wonder if he thinks about kissing me.
Probably not. I’d put the chance of that at 0.01%.
But even that tiny,tinychance that he might be thinking about it makes me feel unbearably alive.
I use the same move on the remaining hand, and it works.
Yes.
He releases me and I hop away. “I did it!”
Giorgio smiles. Dear God, hesmiles.
“Really good work.” His warm hands land on the tops of my shoulders.
My heart pounds out an unsteady rhythm as I gape at him. How dare he just toss that smile at me like it’s no big deal? Legally, it needs to come with a warning.
“Thank you,” I manage to mutter.
He nods but keeps his hands on me. One second. Two seconds. Three.
He’s…lingering. Isn’t he?
“That’s enough for today,” he says finally, his voice low.
“O-okay,” I stutter.
At last, he lets go.
I return to my room with my heart still pounding in my chest and the ghost of his touch still burning through my clothes.
