Page 3 of A Villain's Kiss

He walked away.

And yet, how am I here with him?

I try pushing again and again, but he hardly moves with my thrusting hands.

“Last chance,” the other voice adds.

The man who’s hovering over the top of me starts to laugh. “You have no idea who I am.”

“I don’t care,” the stranger replies.

My eyes flutter as I suck in a deep breath, and just as I’m about to scream, my attacker is off me, and the cold instantly assaults my body. Usually I dislike the cold, but right now, I welcome it with great pleasure and hope the warmth doesn’t return.

Somehow, I move my legs and manage to roll over. It’s then I realize I’m on the ground and still fully clothed, thankfully. The cement bites into my hands as I try to push myself up with every ounce of energy I can muster. However, I don’t get far when I hear a loud grunt followed by someone forcing me over.

That’s when I fall, and my head hits the ground and bounces. If I didn’t already have fuzzy vision, I do now.

Calloused hands touch me, but they’re not the same ones from before.

How do I know that? I have no idea.

With what little strength I have remaining, I try to move, but my body is spent.

Why?

Shit.

I was drugged, wasn’t I?

“Name?” the stranger asks.

I’m lifted into strong arms before I can respond, my body bouncing and my head lolling as he walks. He smells of the ocean breeze and something far more sinister. Darker.

When he asks my name again, I have nothing to give him. My mind won’t cooperate enough to let words escape my lips. I’m telling myself it’s simple, just say your name, but it’s useless because nothing works.

“Woman, I’m taking you to the hospital,” he barks.

Those words have me squirming in his arms. No, no… That’s the last place I want to go.

“Fuck, woman, stay still!”

Somehow, I manage to croak, “No.”

“Okay, no hospital. But you need care. You’re bleeding.”

The heat radiating from his body is too much, and for some reason, I want the cold to return. He starts moving again, this time a little faster.

The heat vanishes as I’m placed on leather, then a car door is closed.

“Sleep,” he orders.

I’m not sure why, but in some strange way, right now, I feel safe. Which is ludicrous, considering I have no idea where I am, who I’m with, or what the hell is going on.

Perhaps I’m crazy? I’m not sure.

But I listen to his words and drift off into the blackness.

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