Page 21 of Beast

He sets the tray on the counter and turns to me, a dangerous glint in his eyes. “Beautiful, you’ve got no idea what a pain in my ass you are.”

I tilt my head. “Why don’t you enlighten me then?”

His hands settle on the counter either side of my hips and he leans in close, his warm breath caressing my face. “Having you in my home and not touching you, claiming you, is a special kind of torture.”

I tilt my head, unsure what he’s getting at. “Then why don’t you? You bought me, right?”

His gray eyes bore into mine, a mixture of lust and frustration swirling in their depths. “Because, baby girl, I want you to beg for it. I want you to crave my touch and my cock so badly that you can’t think straight.”

I swallow hard, my body responding to his words even while my mind rebels. He can’t win. He can’t break me. But fuck, the way he’s looking at me makes me want to surrender and drop to my knees before him.

“And what if I don’t?” I challenge, my voice coming out breathier than I intend. “What if I never beg?”

His lips curve into a smirk and he grabs my hips, digging his fingers in. “You will. It’s only a matter of time.”

I lean forward, my lips an inch from his. “Don’t be so sure, Gaston. I’m not like the other girls you’ve had.”

“No, you’re not,” he agrees, his gaze dropping to my mouth. “You’re a fucking wildcat, and I can’t wait to tame you.”

My heart pounds in my chest, my skin feeling too tight over my flesh. There’s this deep and dark part of me that wants to give in and beg him, but that would be admitting defeat.

I slide off the counter, pressing my body against his for a fleeting moment before stepping away. “Keep dreaming. Let’s find out if these tacos are edible, shall we?”

Grabbing the tray, I carry it to the dining table. My hands are shaking slightly and I don’t want him to see, but I can feel his eyes on me, burning into my back.

Gaston follows and takes his usual seat across from me. Silence falls over the table as we serve ourselves and surprisingly the tacos aren’t awful. I take a sip of wine, watching Gaston as he leans back in his chair, studying me with those intense eyes.

“Tell me how your day was,” he demands.

“As boring as all the other days I’ve been trapped in this apartment.”

He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “There’s plenty to do here. Swim, use the home gym, home cinema, read, surely you can’t already be bored?”

I shrug and eat more of my taco.

Gaston leans forward. “Tell me something about yourself. About your friends and family before you got captured.”

I stiffen, memories of my loved ones flashing through my mind. Memories of my three best friends still stuck in hell. They might have been bought already or maybe they’re still ‘training’. “I don’t want to talk about them.”

Gaston frowns, his brow furrowing. “Why not?”

I meet his gaze with steely resolve. “Because it’s none of your fucking business.”

A slow smile spreads across his face, his eyes glinting with something that makes my stomach flip. “Fair enough,” he says, leaning back in his chair once more. “But just know, everything about you is my business now. You belong to me.”

“I don’t belong to anyone.”

Gaston smirks, his gaze raking over me possessively.

I clear the dinner plates from the table, feeling him watch me. My skin prickles with awareness of his presence. I set the dishes in the sink and turn on the faucet, letting the sound of running water fill the tense silence.

I sense him before I hear him, the heat of his body alerting me to how close he is. Gaston moves behind me, caging me against the counter with his arms on either side of me. My breath catches as I feel his erection press into my backside through our clothes.

The frustration I feel at being cooped up in the apartment without my meds is making me act crazy. And the thrill of Gaston’s nearness is the most tempting thing to happen all fucking week. The desire to resist is strong, but the desire to take out my frustration on this man by fucking him senseless is stronger.

Gaston’s breath is hot against my neck. “You drive me crazy, baby girl,” he rasps. “I’m trying to be a gentleman, but it’s so hard with you tempting me.”

My lips part, and I focus on steadying my breathing. I shouldn’t want this, shouldn’t want him, yet I do. Gaston’s hand trails down my arm and I shiver at his touch.

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