Page 17 of Queen of Blades

She twisted her arm and pulled toward the weakest point of his hold and got free. Again, she swiped, this time nicking his side as he jumped back and out of the way.

“Calm down,” Paul insisted as he hissed, looking down at his fresh cut.

Harper charged. But instead of jabbing the blade between his ribs, he somehow sidestepped her and tripped her at the same time. While losing her balance, he did some sort of ninja move, twisted her arm, and wrenched the knife from her hand. She stumbled until she skidded on the carpet, burning her knees, and slammed against the bed.

Her chest heaved as she spun around and clambered to get her feet beneath her to stand.

Shaking his head, he held her purple knife. His fiery gaze locked on her, and it was then she realized his cock was at full attention again.

“What thehell?”

“Keep fighting,” Paul rumbled. “It’s hot as fuck.”

“What is wrong with you?” she demanded, scanning the room for anything she could use as a weapon.

“You just tried to stab me,” Paul scoffed. “It tends to piss me off when someone jabs a knife into my body.”

9

Paul

TheburninPaul’sside could’ve been a thousand times worse if his reflexes weren’t as sharp. Harper had sliced into him, but it wasn’t too deep. He doubted it would even require stitches, but it got his blood pumping—and his dick hard. She was feisty, and he loved that she wouldn’t take this lying down.

She was just as much of a spitfire as he had anticipated.

Good.

Sheshouldput up a fight.

When he got within striking distance, she reached for his shoulders and lifted her knee. Twisting at the pelvis, he avoided a blow to the nuts but used the opportunity to grab her and throw her onto the bed.

Taking advantage of her disorientation, he climbed on top of her and pinned her with his weight, just as he did before. His balls were heavy, and his cock ached. His desire for her raced through his veins.

She struggled, bucking her hips and squirming. Her body was hot, her nipples were hard, and her cheeks were flushed. He’d put money on her pussy being slick as hell. It only made his need to be inside her grow more intense.

“Get off me,” she demanded through clenched teeth.

Like hell he would. Instead, he rolled his hips so his erection ground against her bare belly. He appreciated the fact that they hadn’t taken the time to get dressed after their last romp. It meant he could feel the softness of her skin and see the betrayal of her body against her words.

She said no with her lips, but everything else about her screamed yes. Such a beautiful creature. It was a damn fucking shame someone wanted to end her.

She narrowed her eyes as she stared into his. “How are you going—”

He swallowed her words by covering her mouth with his. Forcing her lips apart, he thrust his tongue into her warmth and groaned. Allowing his full weight onto her, he could feel her rapidly beating heart against his own.

Fuck.

Her teeth pressed into his tongue but didn’t quite bite. A warning, perhaps. Maybe even teasing.

Interesting.

The fight against his hold lessened. She wasn’t bucking as hard anymore. If anything, he’d swear she’d relented but didn’t quite submit to him yet.

Above her head, he brought her wrists together so he could hold them with one hand. With the other, he ran his fingers through her hair, down over her cheek, along her jaw, and eventually around her throat.

His palm rested against her windpipe, his thumb pressed against the rapid pulse of her jugular. He squeezed teasingly, though not enough to restrict anything. He only wanted to give her the sensation of pressure—to let her knowhewas in control.

Pulling back, he studied her flushed expression. “It’s fucking criminal that they want you dead,” he said between kisses along her collarbone.

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