Page 36 of Hot Blooded

A dark thrill shivered over Tessa’s skin.

“The sun sets at 7:21 tomorrow. Wait until 7:30 to leave your house.”

“Will you be waiting for me?”

Amos grinned, a sharp curl of his lips that was so unlike his usual mildness. “I will be—but you won’t see me.”

“Oh,” she breathed.

“You’ll leave your house and start walking.”

“Where?”

“Anywhere. There’s not a block in this city you couldn’t safely walk through when I’m watching you.”

The entirety of her body was made of butterflies.

“Dark alleys, empty parks, rail yards, the docks… you can go anywhere.” His voice deepened. “I’ll find you. Wherever you are.”

Tessa knew the answer, but she couldn’t help asking, “And then what?”

Amos’s grin sharpened. “And then you become prey.”

Her heart was already pounding. She was half tempted to turn on her heel and run, just to see what Amos would do. But, no, that had to wait for tomorrow. The sun would rise soon, and Amos needed to get to the light-proofed safety of his bedroom. For a moment, Tessa imagined herself curling up into his bed with him. How much better would she sleep if she were doing so beside Amos instead of in a rickety twin bed in her childhood bedroom? Just cuddling with him on a couch had given her the best sleep she’d had in months.

“Tessa?” Amos asked, his voice soft.

She blinked, realizing she’d zoned out for a second.

“Are you afraid? We don’t have to—”

“No, I want to. I was just thinking about… you. Us.”

“Oh.” His expression didn’t shift much, but somehow, pleasure radiated from him. “Well.”

Tessa fidgeted, uncharacteristically bashful again. What the hell was it about this man that turned her into a giddy teenager?

Amos glanced up at the sky, brow furrowing, before looking back to Tessa. “Before I leave you, we should establish safe boundaries for tomorrow.”

“Like what?”

“You want to be overpowered?” Amos asked.

Tessa nodded. She wanted that very much. “Yes.”

“You want to fight to get away?”

“Only if you won’t let me.”

Amos’s gaze darkened. “I won’t. And I won’t physically harm you to do it, either. I don’t need to, and I don’t want to.”

Tessa wasn’t into that either. She didn’t need pain. She just wanted to be overpowered. Have control stripped from her. Be allowed to struggle and fail, and have it be alright—praised even.

“But if something’s gone wrong,” Amos continued, “if it’s too much, I need a way for you to tell me that it’s not play anymore.”

“A safeword.”

“Yes.”

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