Page 54 of Untamed

Her hesitation stretches out as her eyes search mine as if looking to check the veracity of what I’m telling her. Finally, she exhales and turns toward the door before unlocking it with a sharp twist of her wrist.

I can’t help myself. Before she can step through, my hand catches her, pulling her against me. My mouth is by her ear before she can protest.

“And when we’re done, little queen,” I whisper, “you’ll understand why some lines aren’t meant to be crossed. Not byanyone.”

Her shiver tells me she’s heard every word… and that she just might be ready to test me anyway.

“Riiiight,” she says with a tight smile before she tucks under my arm and disappears into the dark. She calls over her shoulder, “Be careful on the second stair. It wobbles.”

I want to smack that perfectly taut little ass so goddamn hard—I stumble on the second step, and she sighs. I can’t help that my feet hang off the edge of the damn things.

Flights and flights of stairs later, we’re wheezing and out of breath when we make it to the rooftop.

She stops dead in her tracks, forcing me to turn back and face her. “So I—I’ve gathered you’re… into me.”

“I am. Obviously, yeah.”

Her laugh is sharp, almost bitter. “You don’t even know me.”

I lean against the wall. “I know more than you think.”

She crosses her arms, her coffee cup tucked into the crook of her elbow like a weapon. “If that’s supposed to make me feel better, it doesn’t.”

“Maybe it’s not supposed to.”

Her lips press into a thin line, and for a moment, I think she’s going to walk away. But then she sighs and looks up at me, her eyes full of something I can’t quite name.

I lean in, close enough to feel the faint hitch in her breath. “Tell me, Ember, when you post those book scenes, do you ever imagine someone like me reading them?”

I watch her pupils dilate and her throat move as she swallows. “I always imagined a man like you’d have a better use for your time.”

Ouch. My brother would agree. I blow out a breath. “Yeah.”

She stands up taller. “Listen…you saw how problematic Shawn is.”

I grunt in reply but don’t interrupt.

“This is maybe the craziest idea in the world, but…the hate comments have all but stopped since you’ve been interacting with me. And I just think that… well, maybe if he won’t accept a no fromme,he might if he thinks you’re my boyfriend.”

Her cheeks flush.

I knew it. I won’t hesitate, not when she’s giving me exactly what I want. “First, you’re going to tell me exactly who the fuck Shawn is and why I need to fuck him up. Second, you willnotfuck around with your safety. If I’m going to pretend to be your fake boyfriend or whatever the fuck, then you’re not gonna poke holes in the bucket by doing stupid shit.”

“I didn’t say you have to fuck him up?—”

“As if I’d pretend to be your boyfriend and not take that step if I had to.”

Her eyes widen, before she finally nods.

I pause, letting my words hold weight. “And I’ll have a condition of my own.”

Actually more liketwelveconditions, but I’ll ease her in.

Relief flickers across her face, but she quickly masks it, her walls slamming back into place. “There always is,” she says with a sigh. “What?”

There always is?What the fuck?

“We do this on my terms,” I begin, stepping closer until we’re toe-to-toe. “We’re doing this at my place, not yours. I wouldn’t fit in your shower.”

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