Page 17 of Scary Suitor

Like a good girl, she stops struggling.

My line of work is profitable as much as it is breathtakingly dangerous. However, Alina is a drug, and I’m reliant on her. If something were to happen to her, I would take the world with me as a present for my pretty girl, who would be sitting on hell’s throne.

“You can sit on my lap,” I murmur into her hair.

Her flabbergasted sputter is ignored. I spin her around and snuggle her frozen body deeper into my chest, squeezing her shoulders and waist tightly in hopes of becoming one with her.

I’ll beinsideher soon.

“I haven’t been this excited to take on the police in a while,” I say, tone rougher than the fingers bruising her waist.

“What?” she utters, trembling fiercely as the words sink in.

The implication has her arms clawing the back of my shirt. Now, she knows I’m wealthy, not by legal means. A lawful business venture would have my name and face, but mine doesn’t.

Alina searched me on the web, scoured paywall articles, and clicked out with disappointment. I saw every mouse click through our shared screen.

Her phone is not the only thing I wired.

“Give me a kiss, pretty, lots of them,” I demand, jaw set.

She pushes her palm to my lips, stopping my advances when she can’t get out of my crushing hold. Redirecting her attention and strength to something she controls, Alina blocks my lips with a curled sneer on hers.

I settle with kissing her palm. “I need to stock your love for emergencies when I get arrested.”

I have more faith in them finding a stolen wallet on a cruise ship than putting me behind bars. I just want to see the vivid joy at the prospect of me leaving her, a stupid glint of confidence in the absurd idea that we’ll be apart.

Not a chance. Over my dead body and rigor mortis hands.

“I don’t love you,” she says to be hurtful.

“That’s not nice,” I scold, ripping her hand from my lips. “I’m the most patient with you, but I feel you’re ungrateful about it.”

She’s afraid, pupils blowing wide, blood from her rosy cheeks rushing to the undulating pulse on her neck, and teeth harshly biting her lip.

“I’m sorry.” The whisper is soft and instinctual. And her body movement shields her from the signals mine is sending.

She doesn’t move without my permission.

“You’re tired from running, aren’t you?” I tut, bringing her trapped fingers to my lips.

Living in a new city, encountering rude people, and dealing with working in a stuffy office is taking a toll on her fragile body. It pains me to watch her drag her exhausted body into her apartment after a long day of work and hear her get yelled at by her now-dead manager.

At home, I can run a bath with her favorite scent, massage her sore muscles while she tells me about her day, and string out the sweetest moans on our bed.

Sadly, those indulgences have to wait.

“We can go home, right now,” I promise to the stunned silence.“No more running and hiding from me. I won’t get mad; it’s just a silly game.”

When she wants to play again, we’ll resume it or start a new game. The rules will change to a shorter timeframe, and she has to be the one to come back to me on her own.

A door squeaks open, forcing Alina to scuttle away from me. She rubs her sweater sleeve on her neck, the blush expanding as she answers her friend calling for her.

“Oh?” Finny roves her eyes over me, taking an interested glance from my legs to my face. Her attention stays on places that her eyes have no right to be.

I prefer Alina on her knees and between my legs for a closer look.

“Who are you, handsome?” she flirts.

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