Page 29 of Power of Shadow

I giggle like a teenager. “I don’t kiss and tell either.”

“Impressive, I admit.”

“Are you kidding? You’re that easy?”

He spreads his arms as if to say, What you see is what you get. But the Jackal is a cunning skunk. With his arms spread, in a second he grabs the vase from the dresser and throws it at me.

“Don’t be angry, honey. You can always leave, and I won’t tell anyone,” I tease again, ducking. I have a smile from ear to ear on my face, even though he can’t see it. This is great fun. At least until he lunges at me.

Once again, my back hits the floor. The extra weight of his body causes my breath to catch in my lungs for a moment.

We’re both panting like tired dogs. I look into the abyss of his silvery eyes until a certain thought strikes me.

His weight... The weight of his body crushing me isn’t unpleasant. Quite the opposite. Pleasure stirs somewhere deep inside.

I move my hips slightly, hoping to throw him off me, and I don’t even think—

“Careful. I might start thinking you’re attracted to me ,” he whispers directly into my ear.

When our eyes meet again, his are slightly narrowed and there’s a fire in them.

A deep breath.

This is impossible. Get a grip, woman. He’s your archenemy!

“Sleep well.” His low voice reaches me before a huge hand clad in a leather glove falls on my neck and begins to choke me. Before panic fully takes over my mind, I reach for a small pocket on the side of my pants.

My fingers touch a little throwing blade, and I pull it out.

The air is running out, and the world in front of my eyes starts to blur.

Fuck!

I have to do something right now.

Grabbing the blade, I stab him in the side. The knife hits him between the ribs, but it’s too short to kill him, only to wound him. A roar fills the room.

Taken by surprise, the Jackal lets go of my neck, and I take a few greedy breaths. He grabs his side, unable to believe what has happened. This allows me to free my leg from under his body. As soon as he removes the knife from his side, I brace myself against the ground and roll him off me.

Still struggling to breathe, I jump on top of him. Almost by accident, I hit the side of his body with my knee, for which I’m rewarded with a groan.

And then his hands grab my hips, and I’m overcome with confusion.

“What are you doing, you piece of shit?” I ask, breathing heavily.

His body is vibrating beneath me. “This is the most amazing foreplay of my life. Don’t ruin it.”

“This isn’t foreplay, and I’m not interested.” I’m about to smash his face with the object lying on the floor, but he lifts my hips and flips me over him with a deft movement.

“Fuck! Again? My ass will never recover from this,” I moan.

It’s true. Once again, I’m lying flat on my back.

“I’m at your service. I can always massage it, my poor baby.”

And then something very important occurs to me. I turn my head and don’t find what I’m looking for.

“Damn you,” I curse. “Because of you, my target got away.”