Page 20 of Sunshine and the Vamp

“Others?”

“Vlad and the other guy, the one who looks like an angry elf.”

“Ah, Aleksey. They aren’t as volatile but still dangerous.”

“And you?” I ask pointedly. “Are you more or less dangerous than the others?”

Damyr leant closer to me, a blank expression on his face as he levelled his gaze with mine. A shiver zipped up my spine as a small smile curled his beautiful mouth.

“I play by my own rules, Benjamin, and the people who work for me, dance to my tune. So, you tell me, do you think I got to where I am by playing nice?”

“No,” I said a little breathlessly, suddenly feeling like I’d been caught in the sights of a predator. The conversation we’d been having had seemed almost normal that I’d forgotten about the cable ties, forgotten that I was here unwillingly. I was all too aware of it now though. Damyr Morozov looked at me like I was prey and something about the way his eyes darkened intently, had my blood pumping faster and my breath coming quickly. And it wasn’t all down to fear.

He dropped his hands to the top of my thighs and leant closer still. “Do you like that I don’t play nice, Benjamin?”

I couldn’t think past the feel of his breath whispering against my throat, or the way his hands dug into the muscles of my thighs. I could feel the sheer fucking power radiating from him as he completely obliterated my personal space, like he had every right to it. Like he fuckingownedit. This was a man who’d done things I probably couldn’t even comprehend. Fuck, had those hands killed someone? Were they going to kill me? Did I even care?

“Damyr,” I whispered, the syllables cracked and full of need.

He purred, a deep and throaty rumble that I felt all the way to my toes. “Say my name like that again, Benjamin. Like it’s a goddamn prayer.”

His hands rose higher, and my legs spread wider of their own accord. Higher, I needed him to touch me higher. “Dam—”

He pulled back. “What’s this?”

I blinked rapidly, the moment shattering around me as the fog of desire and bad decisions cleared. What the fuck was I doing? I’d been seconds away from letting the guy who’d kidnapped me touch my dick.

Damyr tucked his hands into the front pocket of my jeans and pulled out a small flash drive. It was black and had some kind of silver logo on it that caught in the light.

“That’s not mine,” I said immediately. I’d never seen that thing in my life. I wouldn’t even know when I would have gotten it. “The kiss.”

“What?” Damyr hissed, looking every bit the dangerous man he claimed to be.

“When Charlie kissed me, he must have slipped it into my pocket.”

“Well, isn’t that convenient. I thought you said you didn’t know him.”

“I don’t,” I protested. “I’ve never seen him before today. I swear it.”

Damyr held my gaze, his stare unrelenting and uncomfortable. It felt like he was searching the depths of my very soul for the truth.

“Fine,” he huffed. “Say that’s true—”

“It is true!”

“—why would Charlie give you this?” He held up the flash drive and I caught the monogrammed ‘M’ on the side.

“Damyr, I don’t even know what that is. Why would I know why he gave it to me?”

“Something isn’t making sense here,” he mused aloud, his gaze taking on a far-off look.

“Maybe you should plug it into a computer and look what’s on it?” I said in a smart-ass tone.

He threw me a withered look. “No shit.”

“Look,” I said through gritted teeth, my frustration starting to get the better of me. “What have I got to do to persuade you to let me go?”

“We’ve been over this, Benjamin. I’m not letting you go.”

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