Page 19 of Lost Petal

Chapter 11

Petal

His lips connect with mine with such abrupt ferocity that I don’t stand a chance. I tense in his vigorous embrace, unable to grasp what’s happening to me while his unexpected attack robs me of my ability to move.

But as vicious and unyielding as he was when he started the kiss, it soon softens, melting into an affectionate peck that is not nearly as invasive as his first motion suggested. He decided to take something from me, invading my space like he hasn’t before, but once he’s there, it seems he’s no longer interested in torturing me any further.

His hold on me is strong and adamant, but the way his hand moves along my spine with a gentle caress tells a different story. So do his soft lips on mine. He kisses me, carefully tasting my reaction while his mouth moves on top of mine, his lips never parting enough to make room for more.

I’m too stunned at first, but once I’m lulled into a possible false sense of security, I allow myself to give in to him.

I can’t believe what I’m doing. I’m kissing the man who imprisoned me, the man who robbed me of everything and locked me away in a dark cell, leaving my questions unanswered and my pleas for help unheard. Instead, he has punished me for not obeying his strict commands, he’s beaten me until I cried, and then he left me alone with my pain and tears.

And now he’s kissing me, and I’m kissing him.

And it doesn’t feel all that bad.

What the fuck is wrong with me? I should stop this, or at least try. I should attempt to get away from him, to free me of his unwanted touch and this invasion of my privacy. I should yell for help, I should hit him, kick him. I should do anything but this.

I should not kiss him.

Yet I do. And when he withdraws his lips from mine, I can feel myself lingering on, swaying toward him instead of away from him.

There was something familiar in this kiss. A sense of security, a pleasant smell and intimate warmth.

Do I know this man? Do we have some kind of history that has been erased from my memory just like everything else?

“Look at me.”

I didn’t even realize my eyes were closed until now. I’m met with his dark gaze as I open them, scared of what might happen next—and even more confused than I was before.

The expression on his face is welcoming at first, but hardens a moment later, as if he’d remembered something.

“I’ll make you an offer.”

My ears prick up and my eyes widen with anticipation. An offer. This is the first time he’s given me a promising word.

Will he finally give me the answers I so desperately need? Will he end this hell and bring light to the black hole that is my mind?

My heart sinks when he adds, “You clean up this mess, and you’ll get a treat.”

I furrow my eyebrows. “A treat?”

What the hell is he talking about? Why does he insist on treating me like a goddamn zoo animal?

“Yes, a treat.” He nods. “But you have to clean up this mess you created. Right now.”

He lets go of me, leaving it up to me how much distance I want to put between the two of us after he so violently took any choice about this away from me. I hesitate before I take a careful step back, away from him, while my eyes never leave his observing gaze. It’s only the second time we’ve faced each other—as far as I can recollect—but already he has such a fierce hold on me, making me feel like nothing I say or do is up to me while he’s in the room. He could decide to punish me any moment, even for something as mundane as backing away from him.

But nothing on his face shows any dissatisfaction with my motion and he leaves me be, expecting only a reply to his proposition.

“What kind of treat?” I ask, tilting my head to the side. “Will you answer my questions? Will you tell me who I am and why you’re keeping me here?”

“No.” He responds without hesitation, extinguishing any glimmer of hope that sparked in my heart before.

“Then I don’t want it,” I retort, crossing my arms in front of my chest to put emphasis on my words, even though I’m not quite sure if I really mean them.

He shakes his head. “Fine. If you prefer to rot in here, that’s your choice, Petal.”

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