It was a dangerous game to make him lust for me. Lust was just another word for evil. But there I was, doing my best to entice him even though I didn’t want him to touch me.
Liar.
You do want him to touch you.
Fine.
I wanted him to kiss me again. The kissing was nice. The rest I wasn’t ready for. So you keep saying…
But a kiss…I could kiss him all day if it meant he’d let me off whatever task he was about to set up.
“Stand here.” Elder pointed at the deck in front of him. As I moved into position, he glanced over my shoulder. “Thanks, Selix. Just put it over there.”
Selix threw me a half a smile before doing what Elder requested. Placing a black velvet bag on a table bolted to the deck, he left as quietly as he’d arrived.
Strolling toward the table, Elder said, “Lesson one on how to pilfer pockets.”
Oh, God. He’s serious about that?
I shuffled on the spot.
Reaching into the bag, he drew out a wallet. Unfolding it, he pulled out a hundred dollar note and waved it at me. “This is yours if you can take it from me without me noticing.” His teeth flashed. “But fair warning, once a thief always a thief. There’s a reason why we don’t get robbed ourselves. We know the tricks. We feel the con. You’ll have to be sly if you hope to win.”
Sly I could do. Sly was just another word for self-preservation: watching and waiting for weakness. I’d become an expert at that.
Light touch, fast movement—those I might need help with.
“Come closer.” Elder beckoned me with the wallet as he tucked the hundred dollar note inside. “It’s in my right back pocket.” Slipping it into the beige shorts he wore, he spun to show me the slight bulge.
My eyes should’ve noted how high the wallet was, how tight the material, and figure out a way to get my fingers between him and the shorts to steal it. However, all I could look at was the tightness of his ass and the way his left cheek clenched as he bent to look over his shoulder. “Got it?”
My mouth turned dry. But I nodded.
He grinned, brighter and more care-free than I’d seen. “Fuck, I don’t know what I’ll do when you finally talk to me, Pim.”
My body stiffened.
“Even a simple nod from you feels like the biggest bloody reward. I’ve never focused on a person’s voice or lack thereof so much before. It’s driving me insane, but I also get why you haven’t given it to me yet.”
He spun to face me, his hands loose by his sides as if poised to steal. “You’re making me work for it. Just like I’ll make you work for what I want. It’s fair, I suppose.” He lowered his face, watching me from beneath his brow. “Another warning, though. You’ll break first. And when you do, I’ll savour your voice. I’ll command you to speak over and over. I’ll finally learn what I’ve been waiting for.”
That’s what you think.
I smiled, letting mirth mix with a challenge.
We’ll see who will win.
He chuckled. “A bet then?”
I nodded again.
A bet to see who would break first. It didn’t escape my notice that he’d already broken me to the point where talking nonverbally was now permitted. I willingly wanted to answer because he spoke to me as a normal man spoke to a normal woman.
Elder stroked his chin. “What do you want to bet on?”
I shrugged, giving in to his questions, allowing myself to do more than just nod.
He noticed, of course, his grin growing bigger. “How about one night?”
I jolted.
What?
“One night. The night I arranged before I decided to steal all the nights. One night where you agree to let me do what I want. Where the ultimate thing I want from you is your trust.”
Trust?
Well, that was terrible for him to bet on because he’d never earn that. No matter if he gave me a thousand nights. Trust wasn’t something I could give.
And he must know that, but he’d asked for it anyway.
Why?
Why ask for the impossible?
I raised my eyebrow, pointing at my chest, breaking all my rules and communicating completely. And what do I get?
His eyes tracked my hand, the same look of desire coating his features. Not from my body hidden in a sack-shaped dress but from the fact I’d willingly engaged in conversation.
“You?” His voice cracked. “You get to choose.”
My eyes widened, wafting my hand like a bird in flight. I can choose freedom?
He nodded. “If want to put your freedom at stake, I’ll honour that. One night with me, trusting everything I do and giving me your pleasure if you manage to pickpocket a civilian—”
I jolted as my future plans unravelled. I could go home to London. I could find my mother, my friends, my life.