Page 45 of Brutal Obsession

Wait, what?

What’s the hell’s wrong with me?

You would think, after the horrible upbringing I had, I’d steer clear of violent, dangerous, domineering men. Yet here I am, yearning for a kiss from the poster child of violent, dangerous, and domineering.

I’m going to need so much therapy before this is over.

“Good morning,” Cian grumbles again, this time in a human language that sounds remarkably like English.

Before I can respond, he stretches his giant body against me like a cat, flattening us to the mattress, him on top of me.

And oh man,his weight.

It’s like I’m being crushed beneath the world’s sexiest cruise ship anchor.

I croak out a froggy greeting. “Hi.”

Without warning, Cian’s big, hot mouth seals to a spot on my neck. Once I recover from the initial surprise, I assume this is some manner of a morning kiss. But when Cian sucks on my sensitive skin, his tongue darting out to taste me, I begin to assume differently.

Is he marking me? On purpose?

And if so, why is the idea of him deliberately giving me a hickey so damn hot?

Cian sinks his teeth into my flesh, and the sensation arouses me so much that I make that weird sound between a gasp and a moan.

“You like that?” He whispers the words into my flesh, sexy as sin, light as a breath. “You like it when I bite you?”

“No.” I rush the syllable out too fast for it to sound true.

Cian chuckles in reply. “Liar.”

That single word cuts through the lust-fueled maze I’ve gotten lost in once again.

Don’t forget that Cian’s the liar here.

He’ll say anything and do whatever he has to in order to bring me home.

But what he doesn’t know is that I will too.

That’s my secret weapon.

The idea hits me like lightning. My next escape plan.

I know exactly how to get away from Cian Mahoney. For good this time.

“Fine, then.”

“Hmm?” The confusion in Cian’s voice is genuine.

“I admit it.” I lift my head into the curve of his neck and exhale, making him shiver. “I like it when you bite me.”

My stomach roils when I recognize that my father was the one who taught me this voice, the one I’m using to bamboozle Cian with right now.

Speak slowly, he used to tell me.Challenge them with the tone of your voice. Tease them. Pretend to be nervous and make them think you’ve never done this before. Every man wants to be the first to plow the field.

My skin crawls as all of Thomas Brennan’s poisonous morsels of wisdom flood my mind. Straight from the bestselling playbookHow to Be a Cockteasing Victim 101.

I’ve played this girl a thousand times. I know her lines, her improvisations, every carefully crafted facial expression.Each gentle, intentional gesture. Yet, I’ve never performed the character in this particular way. It’s never happened, not even once, that someone assigned to me to “distract” was a man I might actually choose to spend time with if given the option.

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