Page 85 of The Masquerade: Room 2

Her breath hitches before she closes the gap, her lips crashing down on mine. I’m intoxicated by her scent, the needy caress of her lips, and the way her curves press tight to my chest. It’s the first time I’ve truly melted into a kiss, not caring if it leads to sex. I just want to savor every second of this connection. I have never let anyone get this close to me—body, mind, and soul.

“Bedroom,” she says with a breathless rasp, full of sultry desire. She takes my hand and leads me to the door across the room, her eyes never leaving mine.

“Freya… we need to talk.” What the hell am I doing? My dick is screaming at me to ignore my pesky feelings and fuck her.

“What about, Sir?” she asks with a sly grin, reaching for the hem of her shirt.

“Stop!” She visibly startles at my command.

“What?”

“You know what. Stop calling me Sir.”

“Oh, you want to talk about this now? I’ve been here, every day for weeks, doing whatever you want while you distance yourself from me. You shut me down that night at your apartment. You can’t just come in here with your savior complex and tell me you’re in love with me. That you want to whisk me away to your penthouse, but you don’t want to indulge the very thing I came to you for in the first place.”

“This is about kink? You want to fuck Flex? Sure, I’ll set it up.” My heart drops into the pit of my stomach.

“This has nothing to do with kink and everything to do with you saying all these amazing things to me and acting the opposite. How do you go from not letting me sleep with you to having me move in with you?”

“I can’t win. What the hell do you want from me?”

“I want you! I want my Daddy back,” she exclaims.

“I…”

“I know your nightmares are memories. You were shouting for your Daddy to stop. Did he hurt you?”

“I’m not doing this.” I turn to leave, but she runs in front of the bedroom door, slamming it shut.

“If you love me, you won’t walk out.”

“And if you love me… oh wait, you don’t.”

The furrow of her brow tells me I’m about to get a tongue-lashing. “Are you that clueless?”

“Clueless? I confess my undying love for the second time, ask you to move in with me, and it’s not enough.”

“When have I ever said you’re not enough? Never! Do you know why?”

“No. Enlighten me.”

“Because I love you too. I’ve never needed anyone before, and it terrifies me! I love you… Daddy.” With her back against the door, I step toward her, caging her in. “Daddy, I love you… more than my next breath.” Tears spill from her eyes. “So much it hurts.”

I hesitate—a plea for permission—an apology. Brushing my lips over hers, I can hardly breathe. “You love me, little one?” My voice cracks, a strange sensation spreading through every fiber of my being.

“Yes, Daddy. I love you.”

I ghost a kiss on her soft, pouty lips, my heart taking flight. “Move in with me, little one.” I continue to pepper her with kisses, cupping her face with my hands.

“Yes.” It’s the single, sweetest word I’ve ever heard. The last time someone told me they loved me was my mom, the day she killed my father.

“Let’s go home, little one.”

“Yes, Daddy.” I relinquish her lips long enough for her to pack a bag and get her out of this hellhole. If I’d known she lived in this rough neighborhood, I would’ve had her out after our first week together.

I wasn’t exactly planning on moving her into my place, but nothing with Freya has happened at a ‘normal’ pace or under ‘normal’ circumstances. She’s extraordinary, and together we are breaking all the rules. She’s mine now.

Another thought flits in and out of my mind—the tendrils of darkness clawing at my happily ever after. I quash it, silencing the same voice that’s been in my ear for as long as I can remember. The devil on my shoulder that refuses to leave, no matter what I do.

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