Page 84 of Tempt Me (Dark Odyssey 4)

“Yes, and it seemed to be your most passionate. I noticed the way you wrote about how younger women will always be attracted to older men. That explains why you like me.”

A hot blush creeps over my body. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who was so confident and outspoken.

“That doesn’t explain why I like you.” The words tumble out of my mouth before I realize what I said.

He’s listening though and didn’t miss a beat.

“Come here,” he says. A noticeable sexual tension thickens the air.

I stand and walk over to him. He reaches for me with strong arms, his muscles flexing against his shirt as he pulls me into his lap. I straddle him, and the negligee rides right up my hips. That was probably his intention. A cocky smile fills his deadly handsome face. Beautiful and dangerous, it’s a deadly combo.

I press my hands against his chest.

“You’re creative… How about you imagine this: pretend we just met here tonight and none of the last two weeks happened. Could you explain then why you like me?”

I consider it and feel the shift in the mood between us. “You wouldn’t meet me here.”

“Where would I meet you?”

I lift my shoulders into a shrug because I can’t imagine where I would meet him, and I’m sure I’d be too nervous to talk to him.

“Somewhere like the coffeehouse. You’d find me there.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yes.”

“Which one?”

“It’s called The Spot. It’s on Grand Avenue.”

“And… what would happen there?” He runs his hands over the bare skin of my ass and pulls me closer so I can feel the hardness of his cock pressing into me.

The molten-hot desire in his eyes encourages me to continue. To continue to explore this fantasy of an alternate version of us.

“We’d talk, but… I don’t know if I could make the first move. I’d probably just stare,” I confess. That’s the truth, even though it might sound lame.

He smiles. “So, I’d see this doll looking at me, obviously checking me out, and I’d have to make the first move.”

I nod and try to bite back a smile.

“Let’s say I did,” he says with emphasis. His fingers trail up to my waist and linger there, heating my skin where he touched. I watch in anticipation of what he’s going to say next. “I walk over to you… and we talk. Then would you tell me why you like me?”

The ball is back in my court. It’s just been passed to me, and the intense gaze he gives me pushes desire to the forefront of my mind. It compels me to answer with truth. I’ve never had a man look at me the way he is. The fact that it’s him means more.

“Yes,” I hear myself say, and I consider if I really have lost my mind.

He’s my enemy. A man who was hellbent on killing my father. A man who has me captive at his home without an end date for my release. A man who owns me and treats me like I belong to him. Like I’m a possession of his.

Something sparks inside my soul when I think that.A possession of his.

His…

Like I belonged to him.

We stare at each other, and everything stills. I’m walking a dangerous path here. It would be wise not to confuse this relationship of ours.

It would be wise not to cross the line, but something draws me to him. Something that recognizes truth. He’s not looking at me like this is part of our arrangement.

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