Page 32 of Untamed

Now I’m furious. I open the door to the roof and holler up the stairs. “Hello? Who the hell is up there?”

Nothing.

I take the stairs two at a time and anchor my hands on my hips at the top. The light isn’t that great up here unless there’s a full moon, but right now, there’s a waxing crescent, the little sliver of moon casting hardly any light, so it’s dark.

I grip the phone tighter, my chest heaving. My mind screams at me to stop, to just call Reggie or leave it alone. But my body, my stupid, traitorous body, propels me forward.

I mentally go through self-defense moves if I need them.

“Who the hell is up here?" I bark into the darkness as I swing the light beam across the roof.

Silence. Then, as I take a step closer to the corner, a deep, low chuckle cuts through the night.

"That’s cute, little queen," a voice says, smooth and unhurried, with just enough of an accent to make my knees weak.

Oh god.

Oh god, oh god, oh god.

My stomach drops, and I whip around, shining the beam where the sound came from. The flashlight shakes in my hand as the figure steps forward into the dim light.

I wasn’t imagining things. I wasn’t making shit up. He’s here, in the flesh, and I—I can’t breathe. I can’t talk. I’m frozen in place like he’s waved a magic wand and incapacitated me.

He’s wearing the same black shirt from his videos, the tattoos winding down his forearms visible as he tucks his hands into his pockets. His mask is firmly in place, the black hollows of his gaze fixed straight on me.

"You," I hiss, my voice trembling with anger and… something else. "You followed me," I snap, trying to sound braver than I feel.

He cocks his head. "You invited me, little queen."

"You and I have very different interpretations of what ‘invitation’ means. I did not invite you.”

"Didn’t you?" His voice lowers as he takes a step closer. "All those messages, all those taunts. Testing me. Begging me to prove you wrong. Did you think I wouldn’t call your bluff?"

I backpedal, but he matches my movements, his steps slow and deliberate.

"You’re insane," I breathe out, but my voice has lost its bite. “If you hurt me?—”

His words come in a rush, sincere and full of meaning, his hands splayed out in front of him like a gesture of peace. “I’m not here to hurt you. I told you that.”

Did he? His words are quiet, but they slice through me like the edge of his knife.

My back hits the wall, and I realize I’ve run out of space. He prowls toward me, and god help me—either I’ve watched way too many masked men videos, or he knows exactly how to play this because this feels like the most delicious foreplay I’ve ever experienced. There’s an electric current under my skin, a thrum of anticipation echoing in my chest as heat floods my core.

He moves with predatory, fluid grace, all muscles and sinew. Those videos didn’t do him justice—he’s strength and power personified, so much taller than I imagined, so much bigger, his shoulders blocking my view, and the mystery of the man behind the mask has my heart beating so fast I’m a little dizzy.

I stifle a squeak when he reaches me. His arms cage me in, the heat of his body seeping into mine, but he doesn’t touch me. Not yet. One arm pressed against the wall, his gaze bores into mine. I lick my lips, my mouth dry.

"Go on," he murmurs, his lips close to my ear. "Tell me to leave. Tell me you don’t want this, and I’ll go."

I open my mouth, ready to shout, to shove him away, to say something—anything—but nothing comes out.

I imagine he’s smirking as if he knows my answer already. One of his hands lifts, and his knuckles brush my cheek, the touch barely there but enough to send a shiver down my spine.

"You like being in control, don’t you?" he whispers. "But what if, just for a moment, you let go? What if you let someone else take the weight for once?" He bends his mouth to my ear, his words a heated whisper that makes my bones feel like rubber. “What if yougave into that fantasy, little queen?”

I open my mouth to tell him to stop, but nothing comes out.

“You could’ve blocked me the first time I tagged you, but you didn’t. Deep down, this isn’t a fantasy for you, is it?”

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