Page 78 of Locked in Wonderland

The small smile tugging at Nico’s mouth suggested no admission was necessary. He already knew exactly what I was thinking.

I jerked my gaze away and cleared my throat. “You can take the collar off now.”

“Can I?”

Before I knew it, he had me backed against the wall, holding the tiny remote a few inches from my face.

I made a grab for it.

He was faster.

“How am I supposed to keep you in line without it?”

Heat flooded my body.

Dread. Arousal.

If I were honest, there wasn’t much separating the two anymore. If only he wasn’t so good at hiding what he was thinking, I might have been able to tell how serious he was. “You don’t mean that.”

“Don’t I?”

“That’s not you.” There was no mistaking the hope in my voice.

My heart hammered against my ribs. What if he never removed it? What if he kept me chained up in his mirrored room, nothing more than a sex slave forced to service him repeatedly?

More importantly, why wasn’t the idea as horrifying as it should have been? This place was making me lose my mind.

Nico brushed a thumb over my cheekbone, the gesture completely at odds with the conversation we were having. “It would be one way,” he said softly, “to make sure you do what you’re told.”

“It would be twisted.”

He smiled. “Everyone here is a little twisted. Some of us just hide it better than others.” His fingertips traced a path over my face. Brow. Cheek. Chin. Lips.

All the while he watched me.

Assessing.

Evaluating.

“I’m not sure how I feel about this look,” he said finally.

Shit. With everything else that had happened, I’d completely forgotten about the makeup. “I need a shower.”

And just like that, he let me go. Almost as though I’d stumbled across the secret password.

He waved a hand toward the bathroom. “Take one.”

I glared at him. “I’m not taking a shower wearing a shock collar. I’m not suicidal.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the key, holding it up the same way he had the remote. Whatever price he named, I’d pay it.

Blow job.

Fuck.

I was prepared for either. After all, it wasn’t anything I hadn’t already done with him. Done and enjoyed.

Instead, he tossed the key to me. Surprise almost had me fumbling it. An unfamiliar feeling hit me square in the gut. Was I disappointed? Had I wanted him to ask for something? Current evidence suggested I had.