Page 195 of Forcing Fate

I sat up and reached down for something to throw at the insolent man. Seizing one of his boots, I chucked it. His laughter rumbled, and he shifted as I reached for the other one. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me to the floor. Wrestling with him, we thumped and banged our heads and limbs on the floor, laughing and cursing each other.

A bang on the wall cut our laughter short. We froze. He was pinned to the ground, holding me with my back pressed to his chest. He held an arm around my waist and his legs were wrapped tightly around mine.

“Get it over with in there!”

The stranger’s muffled shout made Rafe snort in amusement. He chuckled, bouncing me with the movement. “If they only knew,” he rumbled.

I giggled and relaxed on top of him. My soft curves fit against him perfectly, like pieces of a puzzle. I shifted, something hard digging into my backside.

“You never finished,” he whispered in my ear.

Heat coiled through me, making my heart race and face flush. My logical side reared its ugly head, screaming for me to run away.

“Where was I?” I teased.

“Big, tall, strong, ruggedly handsome, wears a cloth over his eye. Makes him seem more dangerous,” he offered.

I laughed and squirmed in his arms. “I did not say all that!”

“You meant it,” he said.

His legs lowered from around mine, and he cradled my hips inside his strong thighs. He nestled me against him, letting me feel every firm muscle and hard ridge of his body.

Letting me feel his need.

“I–” I started, but didn’t know what to say.

I lay there against him, feeling like the game was up. I had lost. My heart raced, and the simmering heat beneath my skin convinced me I wanted to lose this game.

“Say it.” His voice was rough.

I wanted to roll and face him. I wanted to see the emotion on his face. What was he going through? What was he feeling?

“It’s true,” I whispered.

“No, say it.”

“Say what?”

“Say the name of who you’d bed.”

His tone was dark and demanding. He needed me to say his name, as if it were permission for whatever acts would follow. It was as if saying his name was the dam holding back the reckless flood of need and want that was both pleasure and ruin.

I was tipping over the edge of the abyss, knowing if I made this choice, there would be no going back. I could never come back from the actions and consequences that followed.

“No.”

As soon as I breathed the word, he released me, groaning as he pressed his limbs to the floor.

“Up.”

“You don’t like my game?” I rolled over to see him.

The light was too poor to make out anything, much less read his face. I maneuvered my legs to straddle his hips, settling back against his hard length. My cheeks burned with the tangible proof of his desire. He had the same all-consuming need that threw my good sense to the wind.

“Avyanna of Gareth, I warn you. If you don’t get up right now, I’m not responsible for my actions,” he growled between clenched teeth.

He held his arms to the floor and dropped his legs, freeing me from any restraint. His muscles were hard and taut beneath me, as if letting me go was the last thing he wanted to do.

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