“What is it?”
“Luci’s real name. It’s Lucien, isn’t it?”
Dante’s eyes blank as if he’s been thrown back inside his own head at this, but he recovers just as quickly. Turning his head slightly, his eyes narrow as he takes me in.
“Get in bed,” he commands, ignoring my own question as he steps back from me and begins unbuttoning his own shirt.
“What?”
“You heard me. Now, obey.”
My heart races in my chest, as I clutch the shirt closed and turn to walk toward the bed. As I reach it, I stop to readjust the shirt so that it’s not just hanging over me when I realize the towel is still wrapped around my wet hair.
Turning, I pull the towel off my head as walk over to the bathroom to hang it up when two large hands suddenly come down on my shoulders.
“I thought I told you to get in bed,” Dante growls low in my ear.
“I will.”
“I willisn’t good enough.” He leans closer, his hands sliding down my arms. “Let me show you howdisobedienceis dealt with.”
Dante grabs my wrists, pulling them behind me as he wraps the fingers of one hand around them to keep me in place. His other hand slips forward around my waist and up the center of my torso to the base of my neck. The cold metal of his rings sends chills racing across my skin.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper as his hand moves up my neck until pressed firmly against the line of my jaw.
“Sorry isn’t going to cut it, love,” Dante says, tilting my head back against him as he leans down to press his lips to the space where my neck and shoulder meet. “If I were Valentine, your neck would already be snapped by now.”
I swallow hard at this, my heart nearly beating out of my chest at the thought.
“What do you want?”
“I want you toprovehow sorry you are ... tell me how you’re going to be an obedient little temptress from now.”
Temptress?
It suddenly dawns on me that this must be his way of training me.
Pretend, Evelyn. That’s all this is. Pretend.
Even as I struggle to keep my breathing in check and my heart from beating out of my chest, I tilt my head toward his.
“Of course,” I whisper back, my nose pressing to the side of his neck. Pleasant notes of aftershave and musk wash over me as I nibble playfully at his ear, my fingers stretching out behind me to feel for him.
My hand closes around his length, and it’s only as I do this that I realize he’s naked. He must have been planning to shower while I waited in bed, but, of course, my spontaneous detour went and mucked up the order of things.
“Evi,” he growls in a low warning, his fingers tightening around my throat as he tries to pull away from my grip which only causes me to hold him tighter.
“You asked me to prove myself, so let me,” I say, growing bolder as I feel him grow harder in my hand.
“I expected you to beg for forgiveness.”
“I don’t like to beg,” I spit back, surprising even myself with my boldness, as I shift slightly backward to allow myself to rub against him.
He exhales sharply through his teeth, his fingernails digging into my neck as he suddenly releases his hold on my wrists and reaches around to cup my breast. His lips press to my shoulder again before he works his way up, tilting my head away with his other hand to open more of my neck to him. I work him with both hands while pressing my body against his.
He lets out a low growl as his hand slides down the center of my body and slips beneath the underwear. Instantly, all pretending flies out the window as his fingers dive lower.
“I told you,” he says, his voice rumbling through me, “to beg.”