Page 32 of SINS & Riley
Then, out of nowhere, a blindfold clamps over my eyes. The yank snaps through me like reins on a wild stallion.
My body explodes. I buck against the chair, wood shrieking, heels skittering, every muscle firing for an exit.
Until two steady hands slide down my shoulders and, impossibly, my body obeys. Calm sweeps through me as my body stills.
Then his voice. That low, indulgent Russian voice. “I love your defiance, Zapretnaya. Every ounce of it makes me crave your taste.”
11
RILEY
Zver.
His words slide over me, ignite every vein, and strike a blowtorch between my thighs.
He moves through the room like smoke, curling into every corner until I’m drowning in him.
I go rigid, trying to control my pulse. Fight. Don’t let him own you.
But my body remembers.
Last time we were alone he kissed me…
Down there.
Repeatedly.
The memory sparks low and hot, pooling where I can’t ignore it. And somehow, clenching only makes it worse.
When his hands lift from my shoulders, the breath I didn’t know I was holding finally slips free.
Am I petrified?
Absolutely. To the point I’m shivering and my teeth are on the verge of chattering.
Am I also Scottish?
Without a fucking doubt.
Show no fear, Da always said.
Easier said than done.
I tap into my fury, coiling it tight, and hit him with the only weapon he hasn’t bound.
My mouth.
“Get this goddamn blindfold off me. Now!”
“The sharper your claws, the sweeter they’ll feel sinking into my skin.” His voice comes from in front of me this time, low and unrushed.
It knocks the breath from my throat. I go still, only for a heartbeat, before the silence grows too tight again.
“You know I hate the dark.”
That’s when it comes—a low chuckle, dark and amused.
“No, Zapretnaya. You and I both know you haven’t hated the dark for quite some time. Not since our first encounter. In fact…”
