Page 59 of Bite of Sin

“I might be horrible in your eyes. But forcing myself on someone? Whether human or vampire—it doesn’t appeal to me. Sex is supposed to be fun. If both parties aren’t screaming only in pleasure, then what’s the appeal?”

She studied me, her brows furrowed. “I don’t believe you.”

I arched an eyebrow. “Why? I haven’t touched you. Actually, you’re the one who kissed me.”

“And you’ve had no issue saying you want to do it again,” she snapped.

“Oh, I don’t have any issue with it,” I murmured. “I have no problem admitting that you tasted like delicious trouble. And now I want to rip those clothes off and taste every fucking inch of you.”

Her eyes widened, her throat moving as she swallowed thickly. I watched in amusement while it took her a few seconds to get her next words out. Talking about sex with her seemed to jumble her thoughts a bit, making it easier to see her true emotions.

“That won’t be happening,” she finally said, her voice a notch higher than normal. “Because I say no. Unless you’re lying about your only redeeming quality.”

I chuckled. “Believe me, Kali. I have no redeeming qualities.”

I began walking again, hearing her footsteps as she moved to catch up with me.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

I didn’t answer, knowing her curiosity was enough for her to keep following. We walked toward the back of the city, looking beside me to see Kali scanning the area.

“Never been this way?” I questioned.

“I came in through the other side,” she muttered. “Didn’t have much time to explore before some asshole dragged me to his club.”

I scoffed. “Have you talked to any other vampires about the center?”

“No.”

“Even if you hate being here, it’s much better than there.”

“If you’re waiting for me to say thank you, you’ll be waiting a long time.”

“The center shows vampires how to hone their abilities,” I told her, guiding her down another street. “They’re also shown the fun we can have. But we teach them to follow. And what happens when they don’t listen.”

Kali paused, glancing at me out of the corner of her eye. “I’m guessing those methods are painful.”

“Good guess,” I mused. “If you spoke to anyone there like you did to me…”

I trailed off when she shot me a scathing glare. We walked in silence for a few minutes before she spoke up again.

“You made that sound like a threat,” she said, staring straight ahead. “But I don’t think it is. You like that I challenge you.”

“You infuriate me,” I ground out.

“And youlikeit. If you didn’t, I wouldn’t be here. You could have anyone. But you’re obsessed with me.”

I snapped my head to the side to look at her. “I am not obsessed.”

“Sure you’re not.”

I swiped a hand down my face, not responding as we walked down the last street. She kept pace with me, making sure to keep a couple of feet between us. I grabbed her arm, stopping her before she passed the door.

“We’re here,” I muttered, pulling a key from my pocket.

She stared at the metal door, her eyes dropping to the large padlock as I stuck the key inside it. It clicked, and I pulled it off before grabbing the handle and pulling it open. Kali froze as she took in the stairs leading into darkness.

“You want me to go down there? With you?” she accused, her voice giving away her nerves. “You’re crazy.”