Page 45 of Beautiful Enemy

“I only brought you here so you wouldn’t die. You’re not useful to me dead.”

I flinch. He’s evil, remember. One act of kindness by bringing me out of the basement does not make him a good man.

“But,” he says, trailing his fingers down to my throat. They settle on my pulse point. “I don’t want you to only feel fear around me. Can you guess what else I want you to feel?”

I swallow hard. His fingers move with the action. “I don’t know.”

“So innocent. You’re like a doe. Skittish and afraid and beautiful. You know what I want, Nadia?” He brings his lips to my ear. “I want you to want me so much that you’re willing to leave your family behind to stay with me.”

“How can you ask that of me? I could never want that.”

He pulls back – his smile is like danger personified. “I want to do an experiment. See if I’m wasting my time or not. I want you to lie down and I want you to bring your hand down to your pussy and I want you to touch yourself and make yourself come.”

His words are almost like a foreign language. “I don’t…”

“You can’t be that innocent. Have you never touched yourself before?” He studies my face for a moment. “Unless… you haven’t. Why haven’t you?”

“My father thought it was vulgar. He told me to never even attempt something like that.”

“What did he say would happen to you if you did?”

The way he’s looking down at me makes me blush. It’s so close. So intimate.Dante is my enemy, I remind myself. I shouldn’t be feeling flushed in his presence.

“He said I would go to hell.”

“Ah, the classic threat. Not too original, your father. I can assure you, Nadia, that you won’t go to hell for touching yourself.” His lips faintly brush mine. My body trembles. “You’re already there.”

I gasp and lean back from him. “Don’t say that. If anyone is going to hell, it’s you.”

“I already know that. I have a one way ticket down there. Do you want to join me there?”

“No,” I say hotly.

“It could be a lot of fun if you just let yourself give in to it.” He grabs the blanket that I still have clutched to my chin. “Experience a little bit of pleasure. I dare you.”

“My body is for my husband. You’re not my husband.”

“Well, that could be rearranged.”

I go still. “Are you… you don’t want to marry me. You hate me.”

“I do and everything you stand for. You think of Erik as a good man when he’s done just as bad, if not worse things than me. Marrying you would be the ultimate revenge against Erik and Anya. They would be devastated that I’ve claimed you completely.”

“You can’t marry me. I belong to Viktor.”

“But Viktor isn’t here, is he? I am,” he growls the last word right before he shoves the blanket down my body. I shiver in the cool air. “We can’t have you getting cold again. Warm yourself up. Touch yourself, Nadia.”

“No.”

“What are you afraid is going to happen?”

“I just don’t want to.”

He leans over me until my back is pressed to the mattress. “I think you’re afraid. Afraid of the pleasure you could experience. Afraid of showing it to me. Afraid of giving in to me. But I want those things. I want you to give yourself to me. I want it to hurt your family. It will be the sweetest revenge I can think of.”

“But you hate me,” I whisper, staring up at him. My breasts are on full display. I feel so small underneath him like this. So vulnerable.

“Two things can exist at the same time. I both hate you and want to claim you. But I want you to give yourself over to me. It’s no fun taking you against your will. You’ll hate me more. I want you to be so consumed by me that all you can think about is me.”

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