Page 23 of Reckless Games

Kissing her would be heaven. Or hell. Whichever one is more difficult to escape.

The doors swing open, revealing a large room. When we were kids, my brother Crew used to call it the blue room because everything inside is a shade of blue or gray. I stopped trying to name the rooms because there were too many and none of them actually meant anything.

Lake’s breath hitches as she steps through the doorway.

In the candlelight, there’s a golden glow encompassing her. Warmth in the tint of her eyes. And when she gazes up to the ceiling, her whole face brightens.

“It’s beautiful.”

The ceiling is lined with Christmas lights. Their shine reflects in her stare, making it a golden universe I could lose myself in.

Lake nudges me in the arm, snapping me out of my trance on her. “So festive once again. Not what I’d expect from you.”

“All the credit goes to my staff, and I pay them well.”

I might be in charge of these events, but I don’t bother with the trivial details like the menu or the decorations. My only concern is the events. Specifically structured to make people feel safe enough to explore what I need them to.

“I’m sure you do.” She rolls her eyes, wrapping her arms around one of mine. And once more, I make the mistake of not pulling away. Like in the forest, when I let her put her hands on me as if they’d found their place.

She melts to me. Fitting right at my side. Beaming and taking in every small decoration like it’s the most beautiful thing she’s seen. Not realizing that everything in this room pales in comparison to her.

Lake sinks against me, and I wish more than anything I could keep her.

But as she rubs my arm and I tense at her touch, I can’t help that my eyes scan the room for threats. For eyes on us. I’m not the only rich and powerful man here, and any of them could see her as an opening to use against me.

There’s a reason I usually stay cloaked in the darkness at these parties. I stay on the sidelines and keep to myself. I don’t put myself in vulnerable situations.

And that’s what Lake is quickly becoming. A vulnerability.

Even if I don’t spot anyone watching, I pull us off to the side of the group, to where the room is darker, and guide her to a couch in a corner where we’re mostly cloaked and secluded.

“What is this? Another game?”

It’s all a game, but she’s too innocent to realize that.

“It’s a chance to let go and explore.” I turn her so she’s sitting on the couch facing me. Her back is against one of the armrests, as I pull her legs into my lap. “May I?”

I pause my hands at the waistband of her baggy snow pants, and she swallows hard, glancing around the room.

“No one can see you here.”

While she doesn’t pay attention, I made sure to sit her where everyone is at her back. No one can see her in this particular spot besides me.

Lake nods, and I unbutton her snow pants, before dragging them down. Leaving her underwear in place, knowing my little present is slowly torturing her with each rub of her thighs.

Setting her snow pants aside, I reach for the silver tray on the coffee table and peel off the lid. In the background, a few couples sound like they’re already taking their fun a little farther, but that’s not my intention right now.

I’ll take Lake later when she’s needy and begging for me to finally grant her a release. But not right now. If she wants to test her limits, I’m going to push until I find every one of hers.

Some people bend with pain, others with overstimulation. Lake comes apart with a balance between the two. Tonight, I’m going to tease her with both until there’s not one thought left in her pretty head.

Lake’s eyes widen as I peel the lid off the tray on the table beside us, picking up the candle and a pack of matches.

“You’re cold.” My gaze drops to her bare, goosebump-prickled legs. “I think it’s time we warm you up.”

She grips the sides of the cushion and bites her puffy lip.

“What’s your safe word, baby girl?”

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