Page 37 of Mind Maze

If I have hope in finding Calista, I need to stay focused.

I brush my teeth and quickly shave, hoping to spend enough time away from her that she’ll fall asleep so I don’t have to be tempted by her.

The room is dark when I reenter, which is fine by me. The less I see of her sexy curves and pouty mouth, the better. Quietly, I slip into bed beside her. I stare up at the ceiling in the dark, not at all tired.

“Are we going to discuss what happened this morning?” she asks, voice sharp like a blade. “Or will you ignore it forever?”

I sigh heavily. “What’s there to discuss?”

The bed shifts and I imagine she’s rolling to face me. Her scent envelops me, making my cock twitch to life again. Fuck.

“You were my first,” she whispers sadly. “It was everything I’d hoped for. Until you made me feel like a cheap whore after.”

Guilt sluices through me. She’d been abused as a child and then recently raped. I could have been gentle with her or made her feel wanted. Instead, I fucked and ran.

But I’m an asshole.

We’ve established this.

Why is she expecting anything otherwise?

“I don’t know where all this is heading,” she says softly, “but if you want my help, I expect you to treat me like a partner.”

I snort at her words. “Help? You’re not the new nanny, little girl.”

I know she hates when I call her that. Maybe it’ll remind her how she got here. That she’s not really my girlfriend, but instead a prisoner until I decide to release her.

Keep lying to yourself, Cai…

“I don’t understand how you can be so passionate and adoring one minute, and then a complete dick the next.” She huffs and shifts beside me. “I want to leave.”

My adrenaline spikes. “You’re not going anywhere.”

“I can leave if I want.”

A dark laugh barks out of me. “No, love, you can’t.”

Whap!

I grunt in pain. It takes a second to realize she hit me in the stomach. She starts to roll away like she might actually think she can leave. I’m too quick, grabbing in the dark for anything I can. My fingers find the material of what feels like her shorts. I yank her back toward me and then pounce, pinning her facedown beneath me.

“Let go,” she hisses. “Now.”

So brave this one.

I let her think I might let her go by lifting up enough that I can flip her onto her back. Her breath comes out in ragged pants. She smacks at me until I manage to grab hold of her arms, pinning those as well.

“Stop,” I warn.

Blood rushes to my cock. It hardens between us. She squirms in response.

“You disgust me,” she lies. “Get off me.”

I can’t help but ease the ache in my dick by bucking my hips against her. She sucks in a sharp breath. More wriggling ensues until her legs have found their way around my waist. We’re both quiet, staring at each other, though we can’t see a thing. Her hot breath tickles my face. My hips move again of their own accord. Pleasure zings up my spine. Romy shudders in response, failing to suppress a whine of pleasure.

“Caius,” she murmurs. “You confuse me with your mood swings.”

I confuse myself, dammit.

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