Page 40 of Indecent Secrets

He pulled out of me and grabbed some tissues from the glove compartment of the car, cleaning himself up and then tossing some to me so I could take care of myself.

“How about this,” he suggested. “You want the truth? Then we’ll put that clever brain of yours to work and you can earn it. If you figure it out, you get a reward. You get it wrong, you get a punishment.”

“Is the punishment my life?” I asked boldly.

Bryce chuckled and helped me out of the car. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? You like how dangerous I am.”

I shoved the hem of my skirt back down to my knees, sans underwear since he’d ruined them. “And are you dangerous?”

“Oh, very. You have no idea.” His hands slid over my curves to my ass, pulling me to him. His fingers curled under my chin, tilting it up until I was looking into his dark blue eyes. “But I don’t think it would be best if you disappeared. I’m much more interested in playing with you, anyway. And playing with that pretty mind of yours specifically.”

I should’ve known the man liked mind games. He’d played one with me that very first night. “What do I get if I guess correctly?”

“You’ll see.”

“And what do I get if I guess wrong?”

“You’ll see.”

I tugged at his shirt and he closed the car door, pressing me back up against it. He wasn’t hard again, not yet, but the hot length of his body was more than enough of a promise for me.

“How long as it been since someone satisfied you?” Bryce mused. “You’re putty in my hands the moment I take control. Has it really been that bad for you?”

I swallowed, suddenly embarrassed by how much control he had over me. How weak he made me feel, in the very best way. “It’s not—it’s not the sex. I mean it is, but.”

I found myself looking away, and in response, I felt Bryce softening, his hold on me gentling.

“You see me,” I admitted. “You see how clever I am. I even like that you saw me as a threat. Nobody else does.”

“Oh, you’re a threat, all right. But luckily I’m good at dealing with those. I wish all of them were as pleasant to handle as you are.”

Bryce sounded incredibly fond, affectionate, even, and I felt my face heating up. I didn’t want his compliments to do things to me.

Sex and games were one thing. Hell, being kinky and turned on by danger was one thing. But to actually feel soft and valued around this man? No, that was dangerous. After all, my goal was still up in smoke.

Bryce coaxed me back to looking at him. He was still smirking, but there was something soft in his eyes now. “That sounds like a loss on their part,” he said. “You’re the only one who can keep up with me. And trust me.” His voice dipped down low and chilling. “I will be finding out how you knew I wasn’t Jack. And I expect honesty.”

“What if I don’t give you honesty?” I whispered.

Bryce’s tone dropped lower and became even more dangerous than before, which I hadn’t thought was possible. “You don’t want to lie to me.”

“Not even if I want to be punished?” I was pushing his buttons, and I knew it, but I couldn’t help it. He liked it when I challenged him, and he was the first guy who liked it when I didn’t back down and act flattering and demure.

Bryce’s hand came up to my throat and I grabbed his wrists instinctively as he squeezed lightly. “Not. Today. You don’t.”

I inhaled sharply as he relaxed his grip. He was making it very clear—this wasn’t a game. He wanted answers and if I didn’t give them to him it wouldn’t be some fun BDSM punishment. He would actually be genuinely angry.

Honestly… I appreciated him making it clear (in the sexiest goddamn way possible, by the way) that this was a hard limit for him. This wasn’t about fun or about sex. I was going to cross a line, a real line, with him if I didn’t give him the information he wanted.

“Okay,” I found myself whispering in a submissive tone I’d never used before. At least not when I really meant it. “I’ll be good.”

“You’ll be a good…” Bryce prompted me.

“A good pet,” I whispered.

He groaned and his hand tightened around my throat again, like he was trying to hold himself back from fucking me right up against the side of the car. Then his hand slid away from my neck, and braced against the side of the vehicle instead. I found I missed the pressure of it.

Bryce stepped back and I shivered with a chill, only now registering how cold it was in the parking garage now that I didn’t have the heat of his body against mine. Without a word, he turned and walked away, towards the elevator.

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