“It doesn’t matter though. Your father told you that I’m your only option. Which means you’re all mine now, little princess.”
His smirk drives me crazy. I’m so mad I can barely breathe. This bastard, this arrogant piece of garbage, he tried to sabotage me and now he’s throwing this whole situation back into my face. He loves every second of my torture.
I despise him. I hate him so much. I take a few steps forward, rock my arm back, and try to slap him across the face in a moment of pure, mindless fury.
He catches my wrist and squeezes tight. I gasp softly, so fucking mad I could bite out his tongue, but fear pulses down my core.
What the hell was I thinking, trying to hit him like that?
“I knew you had a temper, but I didn’t think you’d turn to violence so quickly,” he says, grinning like mad. He seems amused but there’s a danger lurking beneath his sparkling eyes.
“You’re such a dick. You know that, right? You purposefully tried to ruin my thing with Alfonse, and all this time you’ve known that Papa said you’re my only option. Why the hell have you been ignoring me for the last three days? Why are you making me suffer?”
“I haven’t been ignoring you.” His eyes stare into mine. “I’ve been watching you closely, Karah. I’ve been watching you go to work, talk to your brothers, hell, I think I even saw you laughing with Elise this morning. I’ve been watching and waiting.”
“Waiting for what? You sound crazy, you know.”
He tightens his grip on my wrist and reaches up to grab the knot of my towel.
“Hey, what are you—”
But I can’t stop him. He yanks it down and off, tossing it aside.
And there I am wearing my bright green bikini. I feel practically naked, still somewhat damp from my swim and shivering as gooseflesh stipples my arms and stomach and chest. His gaze rakes down my flesh and lingers on my breasts, my hips, my collarbone. It’s burning, passionate, intense, and I can barely stand still.
I wrench my hand away and stumble backwards.
“You can’t just rip my towel off,” I say, both embarrassed and excited by the way he looks at me with such unbridled want. “You can’t just ignore me for days then call me in here and—try to use me.”
His eyes leap to mine. “Use you? You think I’m the one using you?”
“What do you—”
He advances fast. I stumble back against the pool table and I have nowhere to go when he leans over me and grabs both my wrists, pinning them behind my back. I gasp in shock as his lips graze mine and he shows his teeth in a violent, terrifying snarl that’s half animalistic and half dripping with lust.
“You are the one using me, princess. Don’t fucking forget it. You need me to get what you want—you’re not doing this because you want me in particular. That’s the definition of using someone.”
My jaw tightens as I glare back defiance. “And yet you seem perfectly happy to play the game. I think you’re getting something out of it too.”
“And what’s that?”
“You’re getting me.”
His face twists for a moment. It’s pained and filled with anger and hate, but something else as well.
Resignation. He thinks I’m right. He is getting something—because he wants me.
He really, truly wants me. Not just as a toy, not just as a plaything.
He wants me, needs me, more than I ever realized.
“I’m willing to give you one more chance, princess,” he says so quietly I have to lean closer to hear. I sit straight and my breasts press out, nearly touching his chest. His grip on my wrists tightens and it hurts, but I don’t give him the satisfaction of moaning.
Even though wild desire tingles and rolls down my spine in cascades of need and want and hate.
“How generous.”
“But you will be punished first.”
I chew on my lip. “Punished how?”
“I’m going to bend you over my knee right here and spank you.”
I stare, wide-eyed, and a choked laugh escapes my lips. “You’re joking.”
“I’m not joking. I’m going to spank your ass pink and tease your dripping pussy until you scream an apology.”
“You want me to apologize? How about you apologize for breaking Alfonse’s nose?”
“That’s immaterial and you know it. Tell me you’ll take your punishment like a good girl.”
“Fuck off, Nico.” But I don’t struggle. I don’t try to get away.
“Say you want me to spank you, princess. Say you want me to punish you.”
“I don’t need to be punished.”
“But you do.” He releases my right wrist and grabs my hair instead. He pulls it back and I gasp as he bites my throat, kisses my chin, and nibbles my lower lip. I stifle a whimper. “You need a punishment, princess, and you’ll take it. Now tell me to spank you.”