Page 37 of Brazen King

It’s just a matter of time.

And if Boris is smart, he’ll take advantage of the peace offering.

But I doubt he’ll take it.

Something clatters to my right, and I turn on instinct. But the empty glass bottle rolling across the ground isn’t what sets my senses to tingling. It’s the flash of movement behind me that comes a second later.

It’s so fast, and silent, that I don’t have time to process what’s happening until it’s too late. A sharp wire snaps tight aroundmy throat, jerking me backward with enough force to make me stumble.

My inertia pulls me into the alley beside the Brooklyn Chophouse—away from prying eyes. The oversized dumpster gives a hollow clang as the person behind me backs into it one second before my shoulder blades find their chest.

And even without seeing her, I recognize Natasha’s lithe body pressed against mine, her slim arms pulling hard and her chest pressing out to create an astonishing level of tension against the wire around my neck.

A choked cough bursts from me as the bite of metal cuts into my skin, and if I don’t do something fast, she might actually garrote me. I fight to get my fingers beneath the metal, but she’s got it pulled tight, her body straining to maintain control at all costs.

I’m impressed.

Even as my lungs scream for oxygen and my head starts to swim, I have to admit, she’s good. I didn’t see her coming this time. But she must have been watching, waiting for the opportunity to get me away from Lance but before I reached my bedroom, where I wouldn’t be on my guard and expecting her.

Too bad for her, I’m still nearly twice her size.

And I don’t mind fighting dirty.

Dropping to a knee, as if in defeat, I use the sudden shift in levels to catch her by surprise. I drive my elbow into her gut. And air rushes from her lungs, even as she fights to keep the cord tight around my throat. She gives me the slightest opening, though. And as I slip my hand between the wire and my neck, I bring my head back.

I find her chin with the back of my head, and that stubborn point she likes to tip up in defiance is hard as hell. It sends a sharp stab of discomfort through my skull. But I headbutt herwith enough force to send her head back into the dumpster with another clang.

Her body goes slack as she’s momentarily stunned. And that’s all it takes.

On one knee, I spin until the garrote is at the back of my neck. I grab her wrists, shoving them up over my head, then hers. Natasha gasps, her dazed gray eyes growing wide as I turn the tables in a flash, pinning her against the dumpster.

In one deft movement, I loop the wire around her wrists, fashioning them into makeshift cuffs. Then I turn, moving Natasha with me as I trap her against the alley wall with my body. That was a close call. She nearly succeeded in killing me, and I release an exalted laugh as I come to terms with just how good Natasha is at what she does.

“Hello, love,” I breathe, my smile breaking across my face as her eyes narrow in fury. “It’s a bit early for foreplay, isn’t it?” I glance toward the public street not twenty feet away. “I never pictured you as an exhibitionist.”

She’s not wearing her typical all-black bodysuit tonight, though she’s wearing dark clothing to make her less conspicuous. But I suspect she’s dressed as a civilian—in black leggings and a dressy hunter-green belted top—to more easily blend in with the crowd once she’s done killing me. And God I love the way she looks with her hair cascading around her face in rich burgundy waves.

“You’re not depraved enough to fuck me in an alleyway, are you?” she taunts, tipping that impressively strong chin up in her signature look of defiance.

“I assure you I am,” I growl, grinding my hips forward to show her just how hard I am for her right now. “And once I’m done with you here, you’re going to meet me at my place to uphold your end of our bargain.”

“You can’t possibly be serious,” she hisses. “After the proposal you sent to my father today? You think I’ll still fuck you?”

“What, is the thought of marrying me really that abhorrent?” I tease.

A flicker of doubt and confusion flash across her face, then something almost akin to relief. But before I can make sense of the emotions, dark fury takes over, making her gray eyes snap with fresh heat. And that only makes me want her more.

“I’ll never marry you,” she whispers, the challenge in her tone setting my pulse on fire.

“Maybe. Maybe not, but the only decision you need to make right now is whether you want me to fuck you or kill you,” I say. “So, what’s it to be, princess? Does our deal still stand?”

Tension crackles between us as the silence stretches. I’m sure Lance and my sister are wondering where the hell I ran off to, so I’ll have to make this quick. But I want to be inside Natasha more than I want my next breath.

So, when she mutters a frustrated, “Fine,” I don’t bother toying with her further.

Instead, I lean in and claim her lips with fiery need.

Natasha gasps, her mouth opening for me. And when I delve between her teeth, she meets my tongue with the same level of intensity. I keep her wrists tied as I settle her arms around my shoulders.

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