Page 60 of Blood and Lies (A Twisted Duet 1)

He didn’t say a word as he opened the door and pulled me inside. With my back toward him, I heard the door shut and the click of the lock. My heart was racing, my palms sweating, my goddamn thighs clenching as the ache intensified.

“Why did you bring here?”

I felt his hard, warm body push against my back as he placed his hands on my shoulders.

“I couldn’t sleep, Tatum. Wicked, enticing, dirty images of you were keeping me awake, and all I thought about was that I wouldn’t be able to rest until I’ve brought those images to life.”

I swallowed hard, unable to breathe evenly. “What are you going to do to me?”

His lips touched my ear. “Everything you’ve ever fantasized about.”

My legs started to shake, my spine tingling with expectation, my body buzzing with so much eagerness. Yet I couldn’t tame the fear that lingered—once again the fear of the unknown. I probably should have gone on my knees, pleading and begging for him not to hurt me like any normal person would do, but I didn’t. I just stood there, waiting, breathing, praying I’d survive whatever he had planned.

“Do you trust me, Tatum?”

“No.”

I felt his lips turn into a smile against my ear. “Good. You shouldn’t.”

He stepped away, my traitorous body immediately pining for his warmth. My gaze followed him as he walked toward an oak cabinet.

Only then did I notice he was wearing a pair of jeans and a white shirt, a drastic change from the sleek, perfectly fitting suits he always wore. Placing a key into the lock, I wondered what he had hidden in that cabinet that required it to be behind lock and key.

When the lock clicked open, I flinched, the sound echoing through the room. My stomach was nothing but equal knots of nerves and excitement as I watched him reach inside.

When I saw what he pulled out of it, I sucked in a breath, my stomach and heart both fighting for a way up my throat.

He noticed my reaction.

“It’s only chains, Tatum.”

“Chains can hurt me.”

“They can also give you what you need.”

He started toward me.

“What is it you think I need?”

“Oh, I don’t think, Tatum. I know.” He stopped mere inches from me, the silver chains in his hand glinting under the soft light of his room. “What you need…is me.”

The chains dropped to the ground, clattering together, the sound sending a jolt of electricity throughout my body.

A roguish grin crept up on his face, the scar around his eyes twisting with the movement. “You see, Tatum, the mere idea of being bound and left completely at my mercy has your body coiled tight.” He lifted a hand then slowly dragged a finger down my chest, between my breasts, over the silk nightgown, all the way down until he reached between my legs. “Now imagine what would happen to your body when I turn your fantasy into reality.”

I sucked in a breath when he swirled his finger between my legs, still touching me through the silk fabric. No matter how hard I tried, it was impossible for me to fight the hold he had over my body. But I still tried, even though I knew by the desire throbbing between my legs that it was a lost cause.

“Stop fighting it, Tatum. You’ll lose, just like you did when you were on your knees crawling in front of me, wanting nothing more than to please me. Embrace it like you did last time. Let me push your body. Let me show you what you’re capable of.”

Fear slowly turned to desire, apprehension to lust. The temptation clung to his every word like a virus, its sole purpose to infect me.

“Let’s play, Tatum.” He leaned forward, his lips touching my shoulder. “Just. Say. Yes.”

Lord, help me.I couldn’t stop myself from saying,“Yes.”

Again, I felt his smile against my skin, his lips working their way up my neck. He was right. I loved pleasing him like this. It was so fucking insane yet so utterly necessary.

“Do you know what a safe-word is for, Tatum?”

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