Page 31 of Kidnapped Forced Mate

God, I can barely get enough of him.

He reaches the box and lifts it, facing me with a giant grin. Even with fresh slashes on his cheek, he's perfect. In fact, the remnants of a fight only add to the allure. Makes him rough around the edges, and my mind suddenly drifts into a despicable thought.

“What?”

“Nothing,” I giggle, coming back to the present and stepping forward. He held out a hand to help me get over the rocks and to the more leveled surface of the mountaintop.

“I know you were thinking something,” he observes keenly. “Tell me what it is.”

“Not right now,” I shake my head. “What's important is this.” I point at the box. I know exactly what it is, but I have no idea how it ended up here.

It's not like I'd brought my box of painting tools when Stryder flew me out here. And it's impossible that I magically manifested its arrival when I stood up here the other day, picturing myself painting the scene of the island.

“Right…” he says, holding the wooden box with both hands out toward me. “I thought it would be good for you to have something from your apartment. So I went back and found this.”

“How thoughtful.” I praise in a whisper, taking the box and feeling my heart swell with appreciation. I look up to find Stryder watching me through the veil of his lashes, his creamy cheeks filling with color.

He’s so sheepish right now; he appears years younger than he is. I mean, he is over nine hundred years old. But eternally, he always appears like a mature thirty-year-old. Right now, he’s dropped a couple of years, his arms behind him as if he’s waiting to be praised like a child who’s earned a trophy.

It earns him a kiss on the cheek, his eyes lighting up like it’s the exact prize he’d been hoping for.

“Thank you, Stryder,” I smile, clutching my box of painting tools with both hands.

“If you really wanna thank me…” he begins, clearing his throat. “... You could tell me where your mind was a few moments ago.”

Sighing in mock frustration, I roll my eyes playfully and turn to the view of the island. It’s so peaceful up here, the distant sounds of birds chirping matching the flow of the gushing waterfall, creating a harmonic melody that provides the perfect backdrop.

“Fine,” I relent, turning back to him. He has one brow raised expectantly, and I don’t have any reason to hide my promiscuous thoughts from him.

After all, he’s the only man I’ve been intimate with in my whole life. If he’s worthy of my body, he deserves my mind too.

“... I couldn’t help but notice how rugged you are now with all of this,” I giggle, reaching out and gently stroking his cheek where he’d been cut terribly.

“Hm…? And?” He captures my wrist and stares fiercely into my eyes, causing my heart to skip a beat.

I’m almost at a loss for words again, but I’ve learned how to overcome Stryder’s charms and compose myself when I need to. So, I take a deep breath and stare back into his eyes.

“I remembered that we have cuffs back in the room,” I whisper seductively. “You know, the ones you had me tied up with?”

“Uh-huh… I’m listening.”

I bat my eyelids purposely before continuing, “It would be fun to try out some roleplay. You could be the battered criminal, and I would naturally be the cop who arrests you.”

“Hm…” he drawls, licking his lips. “Sounds like fun.” His eyes quickly dart to the side toward the castle behind me, then settle back on mine, this time with a dark glow that tells me he’s already hard just thinking about it. “Wanna head back?”

“Nah…” I say blankly, slipping my hand out from his grip and turning toward the island. “I’ve changed my mind.”

A moment of silence passes, in which I feel a build-up of satisfaction in my chest. I don’t even need to see his face to know that he’s disappointed. He doesn’t say a word, probably pouting behind me and sulking for a missed opportunity.

He doesn’t realize that I have a very vivid imagination.

“I was thinking–”

“You were?”: he perks up behind me, prompting me to giggle with amusement.

“Yes. I was thinking I’d rather spend the day painting. After all, that’s why you brought my painting kit here, right?”

“Right…”

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