Page 33 of Kissing Danger

So much more terrifying than rock climbing.

Still lying in bed, I tried to adopt a relaxed pose. “I suppose I have to trust you. After all, you saw me kill someone.”

Hearing the words leaving my mouth, I realized my true vulnerability. If Nathan wanted to ruin me, he could do so with very little effort. While I didn’t understand much about the Mafia, especially not a foreign one, I knew that Nathan had beeninvolved with things like this for a long time. He could handle it easily, and probably knew exactly how to get out of trouble. If he threw me under the bus, I would have no way to save myself.

Nathan approached the bed, moving slowly as he sat beside me. The handcuffs remained in sight at all times.

“Just because you have to trust someone, doesn’t mean you do. And trust motivated by fear isn’t real trust. So, think about it clearly. Do you trust me?”

Did I?

He obviously had something planned.

Could I trust him not to hurt me, even if I didn’t know what he intended?

Well, if he wanted to hurt me, he would have done so by now. There was no reason to ask my permission.

Swallowing heavily, I nodded.

Nathan was obviously pleased, but he still moved as if he expected me to pull away at any moment.

“All right. Then, relax, and I promise you’ll enjoy this.”

It shouldn’t have surprised me when he used the handcuffs to attach my wrists to the headboard.

What else were handcuffs for, after all?

Yet, I couldn’t help tugging at them and testing their strength. The metal bit into my wrists a little, but not too much, since most of my weight was supported on pillows at the head of the bed.

To distract me, Nathan pressed kisses up and down my throat. He worried the sensitive skin between his teeth, no doubt leaving an impressive bruise that was going to last for days after this. It was pleasant, and instantly got my blood pumping again.

Until he started undoing my pants.

When his hand slipped inside the fabric to fondle my ass, I instinctively kicked out at him.

He must have expected this reaction because he easily caught my ankle.

“Shhh,” he breathed directly into my ear. “It’ll be okay. I’m not going to do anything you won’t like.”

Slowly, inch by inch, he slid my pants down my legs until I was completely bare. I squirmed on the bed. His gaze on my flesh felt like the pricking of pins and needles. Oddly pleasant in the same way that poking a bruise could be addictive. It wasn’t a nice feeling exactly, but I also didn’t want to stop.

Nathan ran a hand down my torso, all the way from collarbone to hip. Then, he seemed to shake himself to regain control and turned his attention to removing his own pants.

This was my first time seeing him fully undressed. Until now, I’d never even seen him with his shirt off, and suddenly, I was getting an eyeful of everything at once.

His tattoos were the first thing that grabbed my attention. The snake that I’d noticed earlier wrapped around his neck wasn’t alone. Several other animals adorned his skin. There was a general wolf theme, which was not surprising considering his moniker and the symbol of his home country. However, there was also a jaguar slinking around the curve of his hip, and a largebird-of-prey soaring over one pectoral. I even saw a few rabbits hiding here and there among the designs.

Along with the animals, there were also plenty of shapes and other symbols. Geometric stars scattered just below his collarbone, so specifically placed they must have depicted a constellation. Dark lines formed twisted knots around his biceps, and his forearms were covered in an odd mix of flowers and weapons.

I would have to ask him about the tattoos someday, for I was certain they all bore a special meaning. For now, I was more interested in the body that lay beneath the tattoos.

He was as well built, as I expected, though surprisingly a little thicker than his clothes made him seem. His suits were so well tailored and cut to his figure, they gave a general impression of sharpness and angles. Free of his clothes, his shoulders and chest looked broader, and his waist and thighs had more meat to them.

My hungry predator was actually quite well fed.

The thought made me laugh.

“That’s not the response any man wants to get after undressing.” Nathan kneeled over me, caging me in with all four of his limbs. “Care to share what’s so funny?”

---