Page 84 of Root

“Nice or not, you’re playing.”

“This,” I snarl, “is war.”

He snatches the material from me.

“Bring it the fuck on.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Rush

Jess growls, pulling on the special leash.

It’s a dog collar, but for humans, and not actually something I’ve bought before. I’m more into a soft touch with domination, preferring to seduce and charm a girl into doing my bidding.

But…as I loop the handle onto my wrist, and deftly tie her hands behind her back like some kind of goddamn sex slave in a girly girl dress, I think this is something I’m into.

Girly girl, for her…I find it romantic, pretty, I guess, and absolutely something so far from her I might as well have handed her a pink, frilly gown. Her looking lost and a little astonished by it just helps nudge her into a place where she’s off center in the right ways.

Not to mention her ire.

Because me putting Jess in a collar and dragging her around barefoot in a pretty dress is going to cause all kinds of delicious backlash from her.

And I’m looking forward to all of it.

I know fucking Nikolai’s concerned I’ll lose sight of keeping an eye on her and trying to find out the truth to her real story, but I can mix pleasure with a mission. Just call me Bond.

Although…

She stares at me, murderous, glittering and so fucking hot I’m hurting and rubbing against the confines of my boxer briefs.

I don’t generally like girls with lots of make-up. It bores me to death the time and energy they put into it to appear like they have none on, or worse, an approximation of some fucking runway model.

Not Jess.

It’s something for her to hide behind, something to throw flames through. It’s exaggerated and sexy, and it seems to take her five minutes.

“Stop looking at me like that,” she snaps, voice deadly.

I tug her forward, making her stumble, and her tits heave. Fuck, do I want them to tumble out of the dress. Pop? Bounce? Escape? That arena, anyway. “Like what?”

“Like you want to die.”

“Nah, I don’t want that.” I tug her across the polished floorboards of the foyer to the stairs. “I’ve got plans, and I just don’t think haunting you will get those plans done.”

“I don’t know what your plans are but—”

“Besides, I don’t think you want me dead. I think you want me to take you and fuck you again.”

“I think I want to kill you.”

“You say that,” I whisper, licking a path along her throat. “But you don’t mean that.”

I turn and take the next couple of stairs.

Jessie isn’t done. “You—”

I pull and she shuts up, almost falling, but I’m there, arm around her waist. Since I’m here, I steal a kiss and it’s delicious. The lipstick has that particular lipstick taste, but it’s imbued with Jessie, and I want to lick it off.

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