Page 13 of Tempted By Sin

Now that he’s here, my chance of freedom is so close I can taste it. My nerves kick into overdrive. I watch him intently as he sets the tray on the end of the mattress, stopping briefly to ensure the water bottle doesn’t topple over, before he straightens and turns his back to me.

Without hesitation, I grab the pole tightly in my hand and jump from the mattress, ready to clock him over the head with it. As the pole is about to slam into the back of his head, I’m met with a strong arm pressed against my throat, forcing all the air from my lungs.

A gasp burstsfrom my mouth when my back hits something hard—the wall. My chest heaves, begging for air as I struggle against his grip on my throat. The pole slips from my grasp, allowing me to claw at the tattooed arm holding me firmly in place.

“Let go of me, asshole.” My voice is strained, but he hears me, nonetheless.

He’s in my face now, the mask just as terrifying this close as it is when he sits across the room watching me eat. His chest heaves too, likely with frustration at my attempt to subdue him. A woodsy scent emanates from him, consuming my senses. “What was your plan, little bird? Hm? If you were successful in hitting me with that pathetic excuse for a weapon, what would you have done?”

“I would have got the fuck out of here,” I say through wheezes as he slowly cuts off my airway. The thought crosses my mind to lift my leg and kick him straight in the balls, but my head grows fuzzy from the lack of air, making it difficult to think. “You can’t keep me here.”

The man snorts, a deep sound. It goes straight to my core. “Oh, I plan to keep you here. For as long as I need to. You’re not going anywhere.”

Despite my inability to breathe, I can’t help but wonder what it would feel like for him to touch me elsewhere, leaving goosebumps in his wake. Would he be gentle or ruthless? Would his touch be filled with the same intensity as his eyes whenever they’re cast upon me? Would he withhold air from my lungs long enough for me to beg for him to let me breathe, on the brink of passing out, only for him to grant me that permission?

It’s embarrassing how turned on I feel right now, especially when the man I was just fantasizing about literally has me on the verge of death.

If I’m going to die, I at least want to see his face. I want to see the man who has held me captive for what feels like at least a week. Even if I were to die right now, my body never to be found, I would be content knowing I saw his face in my final moments. One last ‘fuck you’ to him.

With what little strength I have left, I reach up and grip the edge of the mask beneath his chin. In one swift movement, I flick it off his head, listening as the plastic connects harshly with the wooden floor.

Wide eyes stare back at me. They’re as blue as the deepest part of the ocean where no man has explored. It’s what I would imagine I would see if I were to ever drown out in that vast space, begging for help. Even now as I struggle to breathe, the light slipping from my body, I’m lost in the depths of them.

My eyes nearly bulge out of my head when he lets up on my throat. The top of my head feels ready to explode as I cough and splutter, desperate to fill my lungs with air. But he doesn’t step away, his grip on my throat still there but not so hard he’s cutting off my airway.

Through blurred vision, I take in the features of the man who kidnapped me, and to my utter surprise, he’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. He’s magnificent, really. Devilishly handsome beyond comprehension with strong facial features, a light dusting of five o’clock shadow, and a jawline that could cut me to the bone. Seeing every part of him all together isn’t helping the moisture pooling between my thighs.

Goddamn, what the hell is wrong with me?

He chuckles, the sound vibrating through me to my core. Shaking his head, his soft curls bouncing around his face, he growls, “You shouldn’t have done that.”

I meet his intense gaze. He has nowhere to hide now that the mask is gone. I can see who he really is, and that could either work in my favor or get me killed.

A slow grin turns up the corners of his mouth as the grip on my throat tightens. Lust and fear tingle across my skin, and I squirm under his grip. If he knows what I’m thinking right now—

A lump lodges itself in my throat when he leans forward, his warm breath fanning against my ear as he whispers, “You’re so wet for me, little bird. I can fucking smell it. Tell me, do you like being held captive, hm?”

CHAPTERNINE

Paetyn

My eyes snap open,and my heart thunders in my chest. I open my mouth to speak, but only a puff of air escapes, followed by the realization that I’m fucked.

I want to tell him he’s insane, but the dampness between my thighs gives me away, calling me a liar. I would rather lose every ounce of air from my lungs before admitting he’s right. Hell, I don’t even know why my body is reacting to my kidnapper this way, but I’m helpless to stop it. At this point, it has a mind of its own, and apparently, that entails being turned on by being held captive.

Liam’s face appears in my mind, reminding me how wrong this is and why I shouldn’t be thinking about a stranger the way I am, but when he tightens his grip around my throat, the image disappears, replaced with burning desire deep in my core.

Goddamnit.

“I asked you a question,” he utters, his voice dangerously low. He drags his nose across my cheek, his warm breathing smothering my skin as he goes, before he pulls back to meet my gaze. The blue in his irises has darkened, reminding me of the Mariana Trench. With the intensity in which he is looking at me, it feels as though he’s holding me over the edge, ready to drown me with one shove.

“I don’t want you,” I manage to whisper, the words getting lost in the small space between us.

He grins, unfazed by my rejection. “I think you’re lying to me.”

I gasp when he presses his chest to mine, an obvious bulge present against my sensitive core. My eyes snap shut. I’m unable to look this man in the eye any longer. Shame washes over me like a tidal wave. I shouldn’t want this man, but my body is betraying me every step of the way, begging for this stranger to touch me, to put me out of my misery.

The more I try to tell myself I’m only reacting this way because I miss my fiancé’s touch, the more I’m starting to realize that maybe my body is reacting this way because the thought of being held captive and taken by a stranger, ignites a foreign emotion in me I didn’t know existed. I didn’t think I had a kink besides the usual step up from vanilla sex because Liam isn’t into that kind of stuff, but it seems this man has unlocked a hidden desire I didn’t know I possessed.

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