He sank a knee back into the mattress, dipping it slightly as he added weight to it. A hand came up to rest on the edge of the chair, gripping there. She stayed still as he leaned in close, feeling his breath tickle against her face while he regarded her again.
His eyes darted back and forth between her own, making her heart pound harder than it had when he’d stepped through her doorway again.
What was wrong with her?
His smirk deepened.
“All I’ll say is this: you’re not going to like what happens to you if you don’t cooperate.”
Augusta pressed her thighs together at the deep huskiness in his voice. A twinge of excitement sent a pulse to her core.
Fuck, there is seriously something wrong with me …
“Do you understand me?”
She breathed out slowly, making sure that her voice was steady before saying “Yes.”
“Good girl.” The praise practically made her pinch her knees together. “Now, why don’t you show me what I want to see?”
If only I could interpret those words in a completely different way than what he means.
Pressing her lips together, Augusta nodded.
“You’re going to have to get off me first.”
There was a slight pause in both of their breathing, one that Augusta couldswearshe saw a flicker ofsomethingbreak through Ray’s cool exterior.
Maybe she was getting to him after all.
Chapter9
Augusta
When Ray didn’t move, Augusta couldn’t help the small thread of panic that ripped through her.
She couldn’t decide if the steadily growing tension between them was something she wanted or if it was simply due to the fact that Ray was a man who was not only sexy but had that bad-boy kind of energy that her brain tended to latch onto.
But whatever it was, it needed to stop before they both did something stupid.
She ran her tongue along the back of her teeth.
“Ray.”
That seemed to break him out of whatever spell he’d been under. He shook his head and immediately backed off, retreating until he was away from the chair entirely.
She hated that she suddenly felt cold like she’d dipped her entire body into an ice bath.
Sliding off the chair, she straightened her clothes and crossed her arms over her chest. Then, she stood next to the dresser, acting as if she was looking for the photo. Shit, what was she going to tell him? If he knew the photo was destroyed, would she lose her only bargaining chip?
“I don’t have it on me, exactly,” Augusta said as she turned around. “But I do have the film back at my place.”
Ray nodded. “Let’s go.”
Together, with his arm wrapped around her in a way that probably looked romantic externally … and made her feel a little hot … they went to the hotel lobby. Ray hailed a cab, never letting her out of his arms. It seemed he still didn’t trust her.
They were quiet the whole way back, and Augusta found herself leaning closer to her captor. She tried to rationalize it, thinking she had no choice since he was keeping her pinned to his side. But that didn’t explain why she kept inhaling his scent or shifting, so their bodies fit together more comfortably.
When they finally arrived at her dorm room, Augusta made her way upstairs and went to the small closet she’d turned into a darkroom. Since it was the middle of the night, there wasn’t anyone in the dorm’s halls, no one she could try to communicate with.