He steps inside, but I gawk. Not at his tight bare ass I want to lick, but the room. The room stretches two levels and has floor to ceiling windows that seem to float out over the ocean. Large bookcases line both walls, the kind where you need a ladder to reach the top shelves. The room is dark, and Enzo doesn’t turn the light on. The only light illuminating the room is the moonlight, which is more than enough for both of us to see. I’ve learned that Enzo prefers the night almost as much as I do. Probably because it’s easier to attack people in the dark than the light.
“You like books?” I ask, stepping inside.
“No, I hate them,” he says stone-faced.
“That would be a lie. I win round one,” I say smiling.
He grins as he pulls two chairs up, right next to the window overlooking the sea.
“We should sit back here. That way you’re supposed hatred for the books will keep you distracted,” I say barely stepping into the room.
He shakes his head. “The ocean can’t hurt you.”
I cringe, hating that I told him my secret about hating the ocean.
That’s the problem with the game. No matter if you win or lose, you always reveal more about yourself.
He takes a seat and waits.
I edge closer, like I’m waiting for a lion to jump out and eat me. I stare at the surf knocking about in an endless calm of rolling waves. We are high above the water. There are panes of glass and several yards between me and the sea.
The water won’t hurt me.
I sink into the other chair. I swallow hard, pushing the ache in my throat down.
“This isn’t fair you know. You have the advantage.”
He raises an eyebrow. “No, it’s a fair game.”
“How?”
“You are afraid of the ocean. And I’m afraid of you.”
I huff. “Afraid of me?”
“Of what I would do if I lost my self-control.”
“You mean you would torture me?”
He’s silent—which means yes.
I look away from him and back to the ocean.
“How you can be more frightened of the ocean than of me, I don’t understand.”
I glare back. “Because all you’ve ever done is threaten. You threatened to kill me, you sold me, you held me captive, yet you’ve never once physically hurt me yourself. And although I don’t know why, I do know for some reason, you can’t hurt me.”
He growls and jumps out of his chair, stopping only millimeters from burning my skin.
“Be lucky all you’ve ever experienced is a threat from me. Trust me; you may be the only human on the planet I’ve threatened without following through. You think you’ve experienced pain, but I’m the king of pain.”
“You won’t hurt me,” I spit back.
His eyes trail all over my body. “Not today; I can’t promise I won’t tomorrow.”
He sinks back in his chair.
I tremble a little from the booming voice that just fell silent.