Page 29 of Revenge

“Ha! What the hell do you call this?” I jump to my feet and sling my hands out, gesturing to my surroundings. “A fucking vacation?” My feet carry me closer until we’re standing toe to toe.

“Last warning, Charlee.” His voice comes out low and lethal.

“If you’re going to kill me, just do it already. I’m tired of being toyed with.” I poke a finger against his rock-hard chest.

He moves so fast that I barely have time to blink. A hand comes up, knocking mine out of the way and gripping onto my wrist as his other hand latches around my throat. His fingers squeeze hard enough to cut off some of my oxygen, but I meet his stare head on. His nostrils flare as his jaw locks.

Emotions flitter across his face, but the only one that stands out front and center is rage. The longer he glares at me, the more unsure I am of whether it’s directed at me.

He leans in until we’re nose to nose, but doesn’t lighten his grip. “You in a hurry to die, Princess?”

The pressure increases until I can feel it build up behind my eyes, but I never look away from his glare. It’s another battle of wills. It may get me killed, but I don’t surrender. If I die, then I die. I’m at peace with that.

“If it means getting out of here and away from you, then I’ll take my chances.”

He squeezes even tighter until the room begins to fade into a sea of white noise, and I welcome it. Welcome the numbness that overtakes me and for him to finally kill me, but he never does what I expect.

His lips seize mine in a punishing kiss. Soft, gentle caresses whisper against my mouth, a contrast to the firm grip clutching my throat. All my earlier emotions fade away into the nothingness at the back of my mind. He’s eased up enough to allow me to breathe, but that’s it. I’m still a prisoner, at his mercy, and yet I don’t want to move from this spot. I want more of him. Heat floods my body as his lips work me over and over. He pulls back and I chase—chase more of the high he’s giving me. His kisses are a drug, one I can’t get enough of.

When his tongue slips inside my mouth, everything inside me explodes. A moan escapes me as I pull him closer. The hardness of his erection digs into my stomach and I’m thankful we’re still fully clothed or I’d be making a mistake there would be no coming back from.

I want to feel the heat of his body covering mine.

“Seems like you want to live to me, Charlee.” His hard voice is like a bucket of ice on my flaming body.

Shame fills me as warmth blooms across my cheeks. The bastard was playing with me and like an idiot, I fell for it, yet again. “I hate you!”

“Good. I relish in your hate, Princess. You’ll do good to remember that.” He slams the door shut behind him, leaving me with an unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach. I may have just screwed up royally and made everything worse.

Chapter Eighteen

Asher

That woman gets my blood boiling like no one else. I storm out of the room and run right into Axel.

“Whoa. Where’s the fire?” Axel skids to a halt, nearly slamming into me.

“That’s the last time I take your advice.”

“You gave her that?” His eyes dip down to the pencils and paper in my hand.

“Yeah.”

“Ash, I know it’s been a while, but maybe instead of giving her something that reminds her of your stalking skills, maybe you could get something that’s personal for just her.”

“Like what?” I light up a cigarette and wait for him to stop laughing at my expense.

“I don’t know. Lingerie? They have edible panties and shit.” He cocks his eyebrows at me and I want to punch the look off his face. “Taste good, too.”

“What the fuck?” My head shakes so hard I’m surprised I don’t snap my neck. “No way.” I spin on my heels and head toward my room. I’m done listening to him. I don’t know why I thought he’d be any fucking help. I have a better idea in mind anyways. My feet carry me to the dresser in the corner of my room and rummage through my top drawer until I find what I’m looking for. I shove it in my back pocket as I’m heading in the direction of the stairs when Axel stops me.

“Going out?”

“Yup.”

“If you are, we’re running low on food.”

“You eat too fucking much.” I storm down the stairs with him on my heels. Another thing added to my list of shit I didn’t want to do today. I’ve been so preoccupied combing through the files and gathering more intel from Carl that I haven’t left my room the entire day. I’m so close to getting my revenge that I can practically taste Diego’s blood on my tongue. It wasn’t until a nagging voice inside my head demanded that I go check on the little hell spawn and face her wrath that I even came back to the land of the living.

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