Page 39 of Cruel Games

I slammed my hands over my ears, blocking out their lies. “Stop it, stop it, stop it,stop it!”

I didn’t register the action as my body jolted forward and tipped the table with Dingo attached, watching it roll onto its top, effectively crushing him under it. I whirled on Jackal next, the blade in my hand making twenty or so tiny little cuts in his skin, the blood leeching out of his traitorous body, staining his skin and the tattered remains of his shirt. When I spun on Coyote next, Jackal spoke up, obviously to deflect attention back to himself.

“Which one of them was your piece of shit daddy?”

He cocked his head to the side, contemplating something ashis grin spread across that too-pretty face of his. Those dangerous, sharpened teeth made me wet, and I didn’t even bother denying it to myself this time.

“He wasn’t a piece of shit,” I whispered, hating how turned on I was by this whole thing. What did it say about me that I’d become a sadist, enjoying this to the point of sexual gratification? Was this what my future was to be? Would this be the only thing that stirred emotions, feelings, arousal in me?

Would I become one of them?

Fate chose that moment to let Jackal’s chain snap in half, the pulley above us giving way under his heavy load, and I rushed forward to keep him from breaking his neck, my body somewhat cushioning his fall.

Groaning at the impact, I leaned up on my elbows to find the fucker’s face in my lap, his nose buried against my crotch as that wince of pain turned into a knowing smile. He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes as if to relish the scent, and nuzzled my pussy. Heat drenched my face and my cunt in equal measure, and I couldn’t scramble away from him fast enough to hide my body’s betrayal.

He looked up at me from the floor as I stood, not even caring that he could see up my skirt from his vantage point on the floor now. “You’re disgusting.”

“And you’re horny,” he retorted, his teeth shining as he dragged that tongue across the top row. “For your father’s killers. How aboutthatfor irony?”

“I-I’m not,” I insisted, trying desperately to deny what I knew deep inside was true. I couldn’t deny they were attractive. Couldn’t deny that this arousal was from hurting them—hurtinghim.

But I couldn’t do anything about it now. My secret was out.

I wanted to wound him like he’d just wounded my pride. I wanted him to regret his decision to take liberties he wasn’t owed.

So I turned my attention to Coyote as I stood, straightening my skirt like the boss bitch I pretended to be.

“Maybe I’ll make your buddy here take care of that little hiccup for me. What do you think, Coyote? Would you like to be my bitch? One last pussy to lick before you die?”

His eyes refused to meet mine, but I saw the way the tops of his ears turned a vibrant red at my question. Almost like he was a virgin or something. That’d be impossible, though. As much as I hated them, I wasn’t blind. These men probably had women falling all over themselves to get in their beds.

Jackal snarled behind me as my hands ran across Coyote’s shoulders from behind him, teasing the edges of his jacket open, baring his naked chest beneath to the cool night air. Emboldened, I raked my nails over his unblemished skin, flicking a nipple on the way down.

The shudder that ran through his body and the broken, feral groan that slipped from his lips had me practically panting with need.

“Leave him alone!” Jackal practically screamed from the floor, twisting and turning, writhing around on the ground in an attempt to reach us. “It’s me you want, isn’t it?”

His eyes were blown wide, but he wasn’t afraid. He seemed almost resigned to the idea that he was the primary target. But I hadn’t told him that. Had he guessed? Or was he just aware that he was the most loathsome of his bunch?

“And what makes you think it’s you I really wanted? After all, you’re all three tied up here, and I’ve made it perfectly clear I plan to torture you all.”

“I’m not stupid,” he snapped back, his teeth clicking together like a dog who’s ready to lash out. “You’re only hurting them to get under my skin. Otherwise, you wouldn’t look at me for a reaction every time you hurt one of them.”

He had me there. Clearly, I’d slipped up a little bit andshowed my hand. “Fair enough points,” I conceded, hating that he could read me so easily. “What do you propose?”

“Let them live, and you can do whatever you want with me.”

At first, I was speechless, staring at him like horns had miraculously started growing from his face.

And then, I tipped my head back androaredwith laughter.

The sound echoed off the empty warehouse walls, distorting and twisting it into a mockery of my voice, making me sound foreign to my own ears. Still, I wiped a tear from the corner of my eye when I got myself under control and smiled at him, much like one would a stray dog who still retained a bit of his youthful appearance.

“Oh, that’s rich. A man that’s tied up in chains, demanding I spare his friends, who are also restrained, all because he thinks he’s somehow going to escape still.”

His eyes hardened. “Better than watching you force yourself on my men.”

Force?Did he not understand what it really meant to beunwilling?

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