Page 16 of Into the Woods

I lift my gaze to meet hers, tears bright in her eyes threaten to spill over and tumble down her cheeks. The path my thumb traces back and forth has her mouth falling open and a breathy gasp spilling from those perfectly plump lips. “You don’t like that? Your body’s saying different,” I taunt, stuck between the heat expanding through my body and the need to keep my heart cold, distant.

“If…if this is all I have that’s worth anything, you can’t…” She presses closer to me as she verbally pushes me away. “Don’t take that from me. Please.”

She’s right. She’s so fucking spot on, and I have to fight to dial myself back. Get my dick under control.

I cup and mold her breast in my palm, pinching her nipple one more time before releasing her and putting some distance between us. Winnie smooths her dress back in place as I turn and stalk back to the crystal decanter, splashing another healthy measure of whiskey into my glass. Casual. Aloof. Unaffected, like groping a veritable stranger is my God-given right. Hell, it’s not unheard of in my world.

I slip my mask back into place and take a sip, rolling the amber spirit around on my tongue before swallowing.

Like it or not, I have to stay focused on getting what I need, not what I want. I fucking hate it when those two things don’t line up or come neatly packaged together. Some shit about having my cake and eating it too. I never really understood that saying, but now…makes perfect sense. Because I want to devour Winnie, lick her, eat her, taste the sweet perfection of her.

The scent of her arousal is subtle on my hand. Sweet. Musky. I drop my middle finger into my glass and swirl the whiskey around until it coats my finger, mixing with her essence.

The heady combination of Winnie and whiskey is intoxicating. Addicting. It’s distracting in the best possible way.

I coat my lips with her and smirk at the reflection in the window.

Winnie’s fingers rest lightly against her lips like she’s intrigued.

“Want a taste?” I ask.

Her head slowly swings left to right, but the look in her eyes is in direct opposition to that negative.

I suck my finger clean, making sure to lick the rest of her off my lips.Fucking delicious.

I expect her to blush more, to hide her eyes from me. To retreat and curl in on herself with embarrassment. So, when she closes the distance between us, I’m more than a little surprised.

She wraps her hand around the crystal glass and takes it from me, tipping it back and draining it. The bob of her delicate throat as she swallows just about has me coming undone. She presses the back of her hand to her mouth—holding the liquor in or trying to smother the burn, I don’t know.

I smirk. “You going to make it?”

Her hand is a blur launching the glass to the hearth—shattering on impact as Winnie lifts her chin defiantly. Daring me to…what? What does she think I’m going to do? Slap her? Yell? Punish her?

I’m down with spanking her pert little ass until the skin is pink and hot, but that would just lead to me fucking her. Fantastic short-term, but not going to get me what I need. Instead, I clue her in on my plan.

“There’s an auction.”

Chapter 8

Desperation

Winnie

My head is spinning.Spinning.

This whole day, the entire week has been ridiculous. Butthatconversation—encounter?—with Christophe is next-level fucked up.

I need to get away. Put some space between us so I can think, because there is no way I’m going to let him auction off my virginity to make amends for my parents’ stupidity.

They were addicts.

They were dealers.

They were idiots.

I knew growing up that they weren’t normal, that they were terrible parents, but I had no idea they were…this.

That they’d gotten involved at this level.

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