Page 61 of Strictly Forbidden

“Because at this moment you’re acting like a spoiled brat. Now, I suggest you come with me and we can sit down and talk about this.”

“Talk? You barely say a full sentence let alone string enough together to have a full conversation.”

He walked closer and this time I was determined to keep my wits about me and hold my temper. There was no chance at getting out of here, at least not this way. As he trudged closer, I was allowed a strong whiff of his masculinity. He was all male and today, he had the scent of timber and dirt, rosemary and cigar smoke and I had never seen him smoke anything.

The combination was irresistible, so much so my heart fluttered. I took a solid long stride toward him as well, planting my hand on my hip as if that was going to scare him or make him feel the least bit intimidated. He was a solid seven inches taller than me and a whole lot heavier.

He was also someone that I wanted to keep my distance from but wasn’t able to. He was powerful in some aspects, damning in others but the attraction was raw and real.

When we were only inches apart, his entire face shifted into one filled with lust. When he reached out to grab my arm, I was too quick for him, pulling it away.

But that was the moment I could tell he’d had enough of my games.

He jerked me against the heat of his body with such a tremendous amount of force I was pulled onto my toes, the air knocked from my lungs.

I didn’t have a chance to try to free myself. He fisted my hair, twisting his hand to lift my chin. And without hesitation, he captured my mouth.

I’d been so intent on shutting down my emotions but at that moment, they shot into awareness, my mind spinning as fast as my heart was racing. I’d adored the taste of him before but something about this moment, in this dark and bleak place, made the taste of him even better.

He shifted his other arm down my back, cupping my buttocks. As he held me close, he ground his hips back and forth. It was his way of telling me he was taking what he wanted. I should be incensed, angry as I’d been before, but too much excitement tore through me. It was such a relief not to feel the terror from before, the horrible angst that had nearly driven me over an edge.

I was usually much stronger, but with everything that had gone on, it was more difficult than before. His kiss was rough, the man dominating my tongue, but it added to the constant shots of electricity flowing through us, the sense we had to live in the moment. I could tell by his actions he felt the same way.

He kept his firm grip, refusing to let me go, the moment of intimacy keeping me warm while the desire continued to build.

When he finally did break the kiss, he ripped my head back, growling like some beast in the forest before raking his teeth from one side of my jaw to the other.

I closed my eyes, panting as he dragged his tongue all the way around my mouth. It was sensual, the feelings amazing and I wanted this man right here.

Right now.

Maybe he sensed I was acquiescing, falling into his crazy spell that he’d used before, but he pulled away, gripping both my arms and shaking his head.

“You can’t do that shit. I can’t protect you if you run off halfcocked. We are in danger. What do I need to do to help you understand that? To tell you I don’t want anything to happen to you? I don’t. I feel the need to protect you on every level and it has nothing to do with some crazy scheme you have running around in that mind of yours. I can’t be the good guy you need, but I can save your life. Work with me.”

“I… I will.”

“Uh-huh.”

I wrinkled my nose, still uncertain how I should or could feel. “It would appear I have no other choice.”

“No, you don’t, but I’m going to try and make certain you do work with me.”

I don’t know why I didn’t figure out what he was doing but when he lifted me off my feet, tossing me over his shoulder, I couldn’t react at all for a full minute. I thought he was taking me into the house but instead, he was trudging deeper into the woods. Suddenly, he stopped, managing to snap off a twig from a tree with his bare hand.

“What are you doing?”

“I told you. Teaching you a lesson,” he said in his rough and tumble voice before plopping me down on my feet. I didn’t have a chance to object or argue with the man as he deftly unfastened my jeans, spinning me around and pinning me against a tree.

“Whoa. Hold on. This is crazy. I’m not a child.”

“Then don’t act like one. This should help. It’ll calm you down if nothing else.”

I seemed frozen in time or because of the weather, but when he jerked my jeans and panties to my knees, I finally managed to let off a shriek.

The sound echoed in a forest leading to nowhere. No one was coming. There was no sign of intelligent life out there. I sensed it in my gut.

Kage wasn’t a man to waste time, bringing the switch he’d collected down on my bottom.

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