Page 74 of Kneel Before Me

“I’m not. I’m just wondering why eight women would be giggling after spending sixty seconds with me.”

“You know perfectly well that they were happy giggles.”

“Happy giggles?”

Daphne stepped to the side, extracting herself from the cage of his arms. She stomped over to the desk and turned the hourglass on its head.

Maximus crossed his arms. “You’re not supposed to do that. That’s my job.”

“Well, you weren’t going to,” she snapped.

“Of course I was.”

Even as the words were coming out, he knew they were a lie. He never would have turned the hourglass over because to turn it over would mean that their time had an end. Maximus never wanted this moment to end, even if she did.

Daphne whirled around to face him, crossing her arms in a perfect mirror of his own position. Whereas before she was fighting with words, now she seemed to favor silence, staring at Maximus expectantly. He knew what words she wanted to hear.

“I’m sorry I made you wait.”

Silence. Daphne tapped her toe.

Maximus thought about how stunning she was in her defiance. If there was anyone in this world who could look beautiful while annoyed, it was Daphne. “Do you accept my apology?”

He couldn’t care less if she accepted it since he hardly meant it. He was simply casting lures, hoping she would bite. The hourglass was already a quarter of the way empty, the tiny flakes of gold flowing downward in a flurry. Maximus wished he could freeze them in place.

Daphne shrugged. “I’ll see how I feel tomorrow.”

“I’d like to see you tomorrow.”

She frowned at him, and he only smiled wider. The wine was getting to his head.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Daphne snapped.

He didn’t bother asking how he was looking at her. He knew how he must look: hungry, desperate, turned on. It was exactly how he felt. There was only so long he could stare at everything he wanted without having it. So he said, “Because I want to kiss you.”

“I’m sure you do.”

“Don’t you want to kiss me?”

She pursed her lips.

Maximus laughed softly. “No retort? Hm. Is that because your answer is yes?”

Her lips pursed even tighter. She was adorable when she was ruffled. And he knew he was ruffling her right now. Daphne hated being proven wrong. She hated it even more when Maximus was the one doing it. He might as well enjoy the process.

“I suppose there’s no use in asking you to undress, is there?”

Daphne raised her chin. “No.”

“Didn’t think so.”

A beat of silence passed. The flakes of gold fell gently through the hourglass.

“In that case,” Maximus said. “How shall we spend our sixty seconds?”

A tiny smile tilted Daphne’s lips. Something inside Maximus awoke as she said, “You could undress.”

Time seemed to stop. The gold flakes continued to fall, but Maximus did not see them. He couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. On the list of scenarios he thought might occur in this library, the one Daphne had just proposed was certainly not one of them. She couldn’t be serious. Surely, she was taunting him—tempting him. It was only right, he supposed, after she’d been naked in his bathtub. His throat was dry as he asked, “Is that really what you want?”