AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I turn to run, but he’s so fast, he grabs a hold of my wrist. I yelp, the Kindle slipping from my grasp. He tugs and I fall against his chest. "Not so fast, LadyBird." He searches my gaze. "I take it you want to play?"
"And if I do?"
"We need some clear rules first."
"R-rules?"
He smirks. "What do I get if I catch you?"
"What do you want?"
"That’s not how it works. I ask the questions here, baby."
I scoff. "And if I don’t answer?"
His hold on me tightens. He pulls me closer until my breasts are crushed against his chest. "You can find out now, or you can answer the question and postpone the inevitable."
I tip up my chin. "If you were serious about playing, you would let me go."
"And?"
"And give me a head start."
His nostrils flare. "And when I catch you, you’ll do everything I say."
"On one condition."
31
Liam
I scowl. Anyone else in her position would agreed to my proposal and take the opportunity to run. But this woman has to defy me. She always has to find a way to contradict the simplest of my instructions. It’s what caught my attention in the first place. She’s never been scared of me. Never been so awed by my presence that she’s submitted. Not yet, that is.
"Well?" She curves her lips. "What do you say?"
"What’s the condition?"
"I won’t sleep in the same bed as you."
"No fucking way."
"Yes way."
"What is it, Isla?" I search her features. "Why is it that you won’t share my bed? Are you afraid you’ll grow too dependent on me? Are you afraid you’ll get used to my presence next to you? Are you afraid that" —I lower my head until my nose bumps her— "you won’t be able to live without me?"
She pulls back as much as my hold on her will allow.
"You’re implying I have a problem with intimacy, and I can promise you, it’s not that."
"Then what is it? Tell me. Whatever it is, we can face it together."
She bites the inside of her cheek. Some of the color fades from her features. She glances to the left, then the right. A trapped look comes into her eyes.
“Baby, it’s okay. You can tell me anything, Isla,” I say in a soothing voice.
She opens her mouth to speak, and I’m sure she’s going to tell me what’s worrying her. I’m focused on her expression to the exclusion of everything else. It’s why I least expect her to bend her leg and knee me.
"Motherfucker!" Pain slices through me, white and blinding. Sweat breaks out on my shoulders. My grip on her loosens, and she darts away. I bend over, trying not to scream as the waves of agony pound through my body. I take a deep breath, then another. By the time I straighten, I spot her running around the boundary of the house. I’m going to track her down, and when I do, I’m going to teach her a lesson she’ll never forget.
