Page 58 of Red Captive

“We’re attracted to one another. I’m seriously fucking attracted to you, Jen. I know you feel the same way, so don’t even try to deny it.”

There was, in fact, a denial on the tip of my tongue. I close my mouth instead of saying the words, which would have been a bald-faced lie.

“Maybe somewhat,” I croak. “I might think you’re okay.” I hold up my hand and let it dip from side to side, as if I’m not sure.

He laughs softly under his breath, and just like everything else about him, it’s sexy. “We have to share an apartment for the coming weeks while you meet with a bunch of males, one of whom you’re going to mate with. You’re doing it to save your family. I’m not judging you…not anymore. I don’t believe all the terrible things the general told me about you.”

My eyes go wide. “He told you bad things about me? Why would he do that? They’re not true. I’m not bad, I swear. What did I ever do to him? What did he tell you?”

“It doesn’t matter. He did it to get me on board. He said what he needed to say to push my buttons. At least, I suspect that’s what he did and why he lied. It isn’t about you at all. He said what he did to ensure that I would accept this role. So that I would take it very seriously. We have history. I owed him one. It’s a long story.”

“Four years old.”

“Something like that.” He gives me a half smile.

“You’re not going to tell me about The Pit? Or about what happened?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “Nope. We need to keep our distance. There will be no chitchats—”

“And no flirting,” I say, pulling a face. “And absolutely no spanking of any kind. It doesn’t matter whether it’s serious spanking or spanking of a sexual nature. Both would be off the table.”

“Jesus.” His shoulders shake a little as he tries his best to hold back a laugh, failing dismally. “We won’t even talk about any of that, let alone do it or even think about it.”

“You’ve had thoughts about me involving spanking?” I brighten up.

“Stop, Jen! I mean it. It has to stop, all of it. This right here.” He gestures between us. “It stops right now. I’mnotfucking you. It doesn’t matter how much I would love to bury myself inside you. It doesn’t matter how good I know you would feel.” His jaw tightens. “Or how much I’d love to hear the sounds you would make when you’d come all over my cock. None of it matters because it can never happen.”

Holy shit!

I hold back a deep moan. My lower belly tightens.

I make this little squeaking noise. “You’re right, but you really can’t talk like that ever again. Not ever! You have one hell of a dirty mouth, and I never knew this about myself, but I love it.”

“Fuck! Damn…okay…noted. No thinking about sex, no talking about it. No dirty talk, no flirting, no spanking, no chitchat. No being friends. We can’t be friends.”

“We can never ever be friends,” I agree.

“We avoid each other as much as possible when we’re at the apartment, but when we leave, I’m sticking to you like a second skin.”

“Sounds good.” My mind goes straight to the gutter.

“Jen,” he warns.

“I mean, yay, that would be nice. It’ll be good to feel safe. I have to say, I do feel safe with you, Steel. I used to have these nightmares about something that happened to me, but I don’t get them anymore. Not since you’ve been watching me.”

“I would ask what happened, but I won’t because we’re not doing that.” He shakes his head.

“Got it,” I say.

“Are you good with salmon for dinner?”

“The one with rice noodles, soya, and broccolini?” I am sure I sound excited because I really enjoy that particular salmon dish. I can pivot and change the direction of our conversation in an instant, just like the next girl.

“I’ll put the order in,” he says. “Let’s try to stick to the rules, and we’re golden.”

“Sounds like a plan.” As much as I hate it, I have to agree with him. Muddying the waters with sex would be completely the wrong thing to do. It would be stupid. I might be a lot of things, but stupid isn’t one of them. Steel isn’t stupid, either. Not even close.

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