Page 15 of Silent Night Sins
Shit.
Digging between the headboard and mattress would take my attention away from the lurking energy I felt. It crawled over my skin. The blood in my veins was laced with sharp pulsing adrenaline. Air filled my lungs in quick, shallow bursts.
A shadow whispered through the dark. It crossed the room from where it must have been keeping watch. Every muscle in my body tensed, ready to spring.
The nightmare was a living, breathing whisp of flesh and bone. It quickened its pace, leapt the last few feet, and crouched on the foot of my bed.
I let out an unholy scream…and froze, consumed by fear.
Another plastic taper blinked on. In the cozy glow of the orange light, a true monster stared back at me. I couldn’t summon enough breath to scream again.
The grotesque face studied me, head tipping slowly from side to side in an animalistic move. My brain scrambled to process the vision, and common sense rose to dominate the primal drive. This wasn’t a real devil crawling out from the caves of the North Pole. This was a Krampus mask.
It’s him!Cristiano, the thief.
He was back.
But…was it my Tino? Wouldn’t that be a dark fairytale come true! The boy I crushed on hard as a teen, grown up into the delicious specimen lurking in the dark in front of me.
And just like that, the last pulse of fear gave way to a heavy burst of lust.
I needed to be locked up in an institution. Sane women didn’t have this overwhelming surge of arousal toward men who broke into their homes—especially when they came dressed as Santa’s evil counterpart.
To me, this was kryptonite.
I wasn’t going to play fair. The villain wouldn’t find a victim. I continued to feel behind me for the knife, not taking my eyes off the vile mask. The horns curved back over his head. The elongated chin bobbed. Behind the vile, twisted smile carved in the plastic, I sensed the man grinning at me.
“Looking for something, angel?”
I narrowed my eyes. The bastard lifted his other hand, holding my kitchen knife up to the glow of the candle.
“Bastard!” I spat.
Cristiano chuckled darkly. The sound sent a delicious skitter over my skin. It was the sound of velvet and sin.
“Can’t have you cutting yourself in your sleep,” he murmured. “If you want me to leave you a gun, I’d be more than happy to arm you.”
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll use it on you?” I pulled my legs out of the covers, positioning my body to leap out of his clutches.
“That’s part of the fun. Not knowing.” He tossed the knife on the bed between us. “Santa’s not the only one who makes lists. And you’ve been very bad.”
I scoffed. “Says the man who’s broken intwice.”
“Mhmm.” He was definitely grinning behind the mask. “You didn’t call the cops. You didn’t change the locks.”
“There’s always tomorrow.” With that, I sprang from the bed.
My thief was faster. He bounded after me, tackling me in the middle of the room. He caught me, twisting to take the brunt of the fall as the floor rose up to meet me. A vicious thrill shot straight to my core, and I struggled to push away.
Too easily, he rolled over me. The side of the plastic mask rubbed against my cheek. “I’ve dreamed of your desperate little moans. Those sexy sounds you make right before you come.”
I blushed.
Not that he could see the rush of heat on my face, but it was there. Physical evidence despite the dark. My face was on fire.
I tugged an arm free and tried like hell to escape his strong hold. “Let me go, you freak!”
Hot laughter escaped the mouth of the monster, brushing over my neck. “You don’t mean that.”
