Page 16 of Silent Night Sins
I didn’t.
But I’d be damned if I admitted the truth.
“You knew I’d come back for you, Nicky.” He pressed his body against mine, making the air huff from my lungs. “I found you, angel, and I’m not ready to let you go.”
It has to be him. My Cristiano.
This wasn’t the time for reunions, for catching up or talking about what happened in the years we spent apart. It was playtime. The thief didn’t come to steal gifts. He came to steal time—with me.
My pussy wept with joy.
Pulling my hair to expose my throat, he drug the mask against me. A predator, scenting its prey. “Tell me, angel, how do you want me to fuck you?”
A thrill raced through me. I got a say in it? Good grief, I wanted to be devoured by this monster, and I didn’t care how crazy that made me.
The fear had completely subsided. My body pulsed with a wicked, unrestrained rush of delight.
“You have to catch me first,” I growled, inching my other hand free.
The cocky laughter proved he underestimated me. “I already have. You shouldn’t have left the alarm system unlocked—again. Makes it too easy for me to come home for the holidays.”
That was because I didn’t like the stupid control panel.
“Oops,” I smirked.
And with that I smacked the side of my palm against his windpipe. At the same time, I tore the mask from his face. It wasn’t hard enough to hurt, but he reared back with a choking cough.
Dropping the mask, I bolted.
Flying down the hall, I jumped down the first few steps, catching myself on the banister. I wouldn’t call myself a particularly fit person, but I had enough drive to pull out a burst of athleticism.
Shooting across the foyer, I darted into the living room.
The monster was hot on my heels.
I rounded on him, debating where to go next.
The lights on the tree played over his inky, stealth clothing. The cheery twinkle couldn’t dispel the image of the nightmare come to play. From behind the mask, his dark chocolate eyes turned black as they watched me. The man, the thief, was replaced by a predator. I noticed fangs set in the nightmarish mask, and from this distance, they seemed to be real. Ready to shred me to bits.
Cristiano stalked forward. Reaching up, he rubbed his throat under the mask. A dark laugh rang through the room.
“There’s nowhere to run, angel.” Another step sent my heart hammering. “But I’ve come for my present, and what better place to take it than under the tree?”
I scampered around the ivory couch that was hellishly uncomfortable to sit on. Putting the furniture between us did little good. He lunged over the obstacle. It was nothing to the monster.
I let out a short scream that was both terror and delight. My masked man chased me around the couch, and I zigzagged to escape his reach. But he was fast. Wicked strong. I ducked behind a side table, but he shoved it over with a vicious force. From the way it cracked on the hardwood floor, it likely broke. I didn’t care. I ran with a gleeful smile on my lips!
But he was done chasing.
The monster wrapped a hand around my throat, tugging me back. The move might have actually hurt, but he tempered the violence by snagging an arm around my chest. He spun me around. My back slammed against the wall. His fingers adjusted to grip my throat with just enough pressure to let me know who was in charge.
Those pitch-black pools stared at me with pure hunger from behind the mask.
Cristiano might be pretending to be the villain of Christmas, but it was the man who was the real monster. No mask could come close. I wanted him to pull it off, to show me the beast behind the veil.
Butmaybe I wasn’t ready to see his inner demons unleashed. In this moment, the mask seemed more for my protection than it was to create the fantasy for my enjoyment.
I lifted my knee, intending to push him away and run again. With a swipe of his hand, he pushed it down.
