Page 83 of Carnival
“Steve? You named one of the deadliest spiders Steve?”
He starts scooping them up, one by one, until he reaches Steve. He’s gentle with that thing, allowing it to rest on his palm, and surprisingly, the moment is almost tender. Almost.
“He’s a male black widow, and since he is too small, he can’t bite through human flesh. You’ll be fine.’’
The moment all spiders are off me, I visibly relax, my shoulders slumping. I take a few deep breaths, trying to ignore the feeling of dread and disgust that I felt a moment ago, and turn to look at James.
“Why and how did you get a black widow? And what are the rest of these… pests?”
“Ah, the other four are tarantulas. Two male, two female. They don’t usually bite.’’
“They don’t usually bite,’’ I repeat, with disbelief. “Why in God’s name would you keep spiders as pets?”
He shrugs and puts them in the far corner of the room, in their terrarium. My senses aren’t as sharp as I thought they’d be, because I’ve been staying with James, in his apartment, for the past week, and not once did I even see the fucking terrarium, let alone the little shitheads.
“Because they’re adorable.’’
“You’re such a psychopath.’’
“Yes, that’s the diagnosis.’’
“No, I meant it as an insult.’’
James falters at my words, brows narrowed. He slowly approaches the bed, like a predator staking out its prey, before sitting behind me and pulling me to sit between his legs, my back leaning against his chest.
His arms sneak around my waist, his face buried in the crook of my neck. He starts peppering the sensitive skin with soft, open-mouthed kisses, all while pulling me closer to him. If he pulls me even more, we’ll mold into one person, because there’s not an inch separating us at this point.
His fingers splay all over my stomach, stroking the skin. My eyes flutter closed, and I allow myself to just feel his touch, his kisses, and completely surrender to James. All of a sudden, his hands vanish from me, but it’s only momentarily.
He leans over, tugs the drawer of the bedside table open, and whisks out a satin fabric. I don’t get to question what it is, or what his intentions with it are, since he wraps it around my head, covering my eyes.
“James, what are you doing?”
“Just giving you a small punishment. Let’s see if you’ll be a brat again.’’
Ah, so this is about the little insult I threw his way. I want to laugh at the pettiness, but when his hands return to roam, squeeze, and grope my body, I decide to keep my mouth shut and let his touch consume me.
With one hand, he parts my legs and tosses the blanket down. However, he doesn’t remove my clothes and instead just pushes his hand inside my sleeping shorts, stroking my clit over the fabric of the underwear.
If this is a punishment, I don’t want to know what rewards would feel like.
The blindfold on my eyes forces me to focus on feeling it all. The way his fingers circle my clit, barely grazing it here and there, doing his best to get me aching, needy, and wet before he touches me properly.
But I don’t mind it. In fact, I’m loving how this is all playing out.
“You’re going to be a good girl for me and sit still, alright?”
I nod wordlessly, almost whimpering at the loss of the touch. James sits up from behind me, getting out of bed, and I can hear him rummage through his wardrobe. It takes him a while to grab whatever he went to grab, and once I hear the footsteps approach, I freeze slightly.
“Lie down,’’ he instructs, and I obey, my head hitting the soft pillow.
James grabs my wrists, pins them above my head, and in a quick, swift motion, my wrists are tied together against the bedpost. The material is the same as the blindfold on my eyes, and although I try to pull my hands free, it’s useless. The bastard tied a tight knot, and without the ability to see it, I can’t find a way out.
Before my mind can truly process what’s happening, my legs are tied individually, spread wide open. He outright chuckles at my attempts to free myself, and my heart starts hammering against my ribcage.
“You look adorable when you fight back, hellion,’’ he murmurs. The bed dips with his weight as he sits next to me, his fingers gently stroking my cheek.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
