Chapter Thirteen
What does thatmake you for kissing me back?
The question landed with unnerving accuracy. Had Violet not thought the same thing? About him? About lingering? Had he sensed the argument she waged with herself? Not unlikely. Which begged the question, was everything with this man a test? Very possibly. But it was also a test he seemed to be failing himself. He certainly loathed that she’d witnessed him at his weakest. Heh. His pride might even be more bruised than his body!
But blazes.
Everywhere his body touched hers burned, muddling her head. Not enough for her to lose her senses, but enough for her to rise to his challenge.
He didn’t knead or grind into her again. Even his hand on her neck had gone still. He simply waited. A tiger crouched. The most dangerous moment, and yet she sensed no threat. And she ought to feel threatened. Every sensible instinct she possessed said so. And yet what she felt was the opposite—a pull so contrary to reason that she couldn’t even be properly appalled by herself.
Well, she was somewhat appalled. It simply didn’t help. What did that make her for kissing him back? For wanting to kiss him again, appalled or not?
Daring.
A woman who could match his audacity.
“I dare many things, Drake.”
His mouth curved, grim and dangerous. “Oh? And what are all the things you dare to do?”
She shifted over his body, easing her lower body more directly over his and pressing into him.
He groaned, whether from pain or desire, she couldn’t tell, but the sound sent a wicked spark of satisfaction unfurling through her all the same.
Was this power?
Even the scent of blood that clung to him, instead of repulsing her, it urged her closer, pressing deeper into him. Almost like danger had left a calling card, and she was eager to accept the caller. She leaned over to whisper in his ear. “I dare presume you are at my mercy.”
He cursed, his fingers tightening briefly at her nape. “The devil, woman.”
“What?” Her lips brushed the line of his jaw. “Is this not what you wanted?”
“Would you believe me,” he said roughly, “if I said I don’t know?”
Violet’s lips parted. Of all the things she had expected from this man—commands, taunts, arrogance—she had not expected this speck of honesty offered without a single deflection. It disarmed her more thoroughly than anything else he’d done since they met.
“Believe,” she said softly. One thing they did appear to feel the same about. Perhaps several, given their position. This man beneath her... She was under no illusions as to the risk he posed. She simply found herself unwilling to withdraw.
His eyes flashed, and he flipped her suddenly, crowding her against the cot and pressing his hardness into the juncture ofher thighs. “Then believe when I say you should have locked me inside this dungeon when you had a chance.”
“Why?” Violet asked breathlessly. “What will you do? Ravish me?”
“Is that what you want?” His nose found her hair, and he inhaled deeply, causing shivers to erupt all over her skin.
“Are you even up to the task?” she countered, unsure where this boldness came from. All she knew was she didn’t want him to win.
His tongue traced the column of her throat from the collarbone to the tip of her chin. “I have you pinned to me and you’re not afraid.”
She probably shouldn’t taunt that she suspected him to be a non-threatening beast when it came to her. Not only would it serve as an irrevocable taunt, but it would also be an error to underestimate his heart. He’d already shown he could take what he wanted without cruelty. But also with extreme cruelty, she imagined. If for one second, this man thought she meant him or his family harm, he would not hesitate to ruin this new life of hers.
Violet was determined for that not to happen. She was also determined not to cower or back down from him. She refused to be afraid. If she was not afraid, no man could rule her. “Should I be? You did give me ample warning.”
“You didn’t heed it.” His eyes darkened. “Tell me why.”
She arched into him as a challenge. “Tell me why you warned me away.”
“Because you tempt the worst instincts I keep leashed when you look at me that way.”
