Page 182 of Sinful Pleasure

“Missed me, princess?’’

CHAPTER53

ALLYN

Fear.

It surged through me like a jolt of electricity the moment I felt the cold gun pressed hard against my temple.

Real, visceral fear.

Here, hidden in the shadowed garden, alone with him, I could feel my life slipping away with every shallow breath.

He moved me effortlessly, pinning me against a nearby tree, his massive frame concealing me within the darkness of the night.

We were so close I could feel his breath against my skin, his hand clamped over my mouth while the other gripped the gun, holding me captive.

The barrel slid down agonizingly slowly, brushing over my pulse, pressing into the tender spot at my neck. His dark eyes watched me, sharp and satisfied. Cold, deadly, and utterly blank.

His gaze bore into me from behind a black mask that covered half his face. The scars near his mouth peeked out from beneath it—familiar, almost healed, but still a vivid reminder ofmy father’s cruelty.

“Now, I’m going to take my hand off your mouth,” he said, his voice low, rich, and menacing, pouring over my skin like liquid fire. “And you’re going to be a good girl and be quiet, if you want to live.”

I nodded, my heart hammering in my chest.

“Put your hands behind your back, and don’t move them.”

I obeyed, trembling under his watchful gaze.

Slowly, he lowered his hand, letting me draw a shaky, rasping breath, though the gun remained in place—a silent promise of the danger I was in.

I was alone, utterly at his mercy.

His eyes roamed my face, pausing on my lips with unnerving intent. My chest heaved with every quick, shallow breath, my heart racing faster than ever.The mask made him look even darker, more terrifying—if that was even possible. The gun moved lower, the cold metal grazing my exposed cleavage, sending a shiver down my spine.

I swallowed hard, my voice shaking but steady enough to speak.

“Why are you here, Maddox?”

I kept my eyes locked on his, daring not to move. Any mistake could cost me my life. Yet I forced myself to hold on to a fragile thread of composure, though fear coiled tightly in my chest.

“I came to congratulate you on your engagement,” he tilts his head to the side, eerily reminiscent of the psychopaths in horror films— right before they strike. “Isn’t that what friends do?”

“We’re not friends,” I snap, my eyes fixed on the cold steel pressing into my skin.

His laugh is sharp and wicked, cutting through the silence like thunder. “Don’t do that, Allyn. You’ll hurt my feelings,” he mocks, his free handbrushing against my cheek.

A jarring contrast to Theo Stone’s earlier touch—gentle, genuine, and soft against my skin.

Maddox King touches me like he wants to destroy me. His fingers dug into my flesh, leaving phantom pain in their wake. Yet, despite his roughness, my body betrayed me, aching for the familiar chaos of his touch.

“But I fear you’ve already done that,” he growls, his voice low. “More than once.”

His thumb grazed my lower lip, deliberate and mocking, while the gun’s barrel pressed harder against the rapid beat of my pulse.

“Just do it.” I whispered, my voice trembling. “Kill me.”

“No,” he murmured, leaning in so close that I could feel the heat of his breath. His gaze locks onto mine, his pitch-black eyes consuming me.

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