17. -16-
Dorian
Clever little villain!
Whether she planned it or thought of it at the last second, she caught me completely off guard.
I didn’t expect her to uncover my only weakness.
Because I wasn’t worried about physical or mental torture if it didn’t include my hands.
I was trained to endure it until help came.
But those hands saved lives. They repaired shattered bones, stitched ruined flesh, and restored movement.
If someone jeopardized my mastery, I would lose my shit, becoming a psychopath, compared to which even Malin would look like a fucking clown.
Don’t push me, ma vilaine, or you’ll be unpleasantly surprised, I thought, glaring into her dark chocolate brown eyes.
A tiny black ring framed her irises, its color sneaking into the brown and mingling with it to create irregular, unique specks.
It was a pair of stunning, fierce eyes that would hunt me in my sleep.
I knew that. She’d made a terrific impression, and I actually flirted with the thought of saving her cute little ass from Malin’s wrath, but the threats to my precious hands turned the scales in the opposite direction.
She pissed me off. Despite the attraction, I was furious with her for daring to suggest something so outrageous.
“It’s going to be nothing, ma vilaine,” I answered her bold question, ignoring the cold metal pressing against my forearm.
She moved the gun up and down slowly, almost seductively.
I had difficulty ignoring the twitching of my cock in my pants.
The fucking idiot didn’t understand that our life mission was at stake here.
“That’s sad,” she sighed, sounding like she truly regretted her actions. “I hoped we could solve this like intelligent adults.”
“Really?” I raised a brow, unable to hide the amusement in my voice. “What about letting me go, then?”
“I’ll let you go after you marry me.” She shrugged, challenging me with a half-smile and a fearless look.
Fuck, she was hot! I couldn’t help but admire her, yet at the same time, she infuriated me. I wanted to nail her and bite her head off at the same time. Why didn’t she understand that she couldn’t win?
“Run, ma vilaine,” I whispered, leaning as close to her as the restraints allowed me to. “Run while you can.”
“Not without you,” she muttered, her breath fanning my skin. A shudder ran through me. Our proximity pushed the vivid memories of our encounters to the forefront of my mind, forcing my anger at her to mingle with raw desire.
Shit, I wanted her again!
Those plump lips tempted me to taste them like a beautiful cake displayed in a patisserie window. I couldn’t tear my gaze away when she was so close that the slightest movement would let our mouths collide. But the chains held me tightly, and she hesitated.
“Kiss me,” I breathed, the urgency in my tone slightly startling me.
I had no idea what this witch did to me.
What kind of spell had she cast on me? I was tied not only by the chains, but by the invisible, magnetic string that pulled me to her as well.
The affection that was reflected in those mesmerizing eyes captivated me.
The obsession with which she stared at me made my stomach flutter.
It was a borderline psychopathic behavior to kidnap someone to force them into a marriage, but I was no better than her.
I saved people during the day and helped my brother torture, mutilate, and kill them at night.
What was it, if not fucking poetic, to fall in a millisecond for a masked villainess I was completely smitten with?
“Marry me,” she countered, the smooth, plastic-like material of the mask brushing against my cheek. Her lips touched my jaw, making the spot tingle like a thousand ants moved under my skin.
“Tell me your name,” I negotiated, trying to get at least something from her.
“You can call me wife,” she teased, forcing my heart into overdrive.
But what I would normally expect—fear of commitment and panic—was something much different, something that made me think I had lost my mind.
Excitement. It sneaked around my insides like ivy, poisoning me with the ridiculous idea of marrying the masked stranger.
“You’re too quick for me, ma vilaine,” I muttered, feeling her wet, warm tongue moving along my jawline to my speeding pulse point. My cock, the fucking traitor, tented my pants, demanding to meet her mouth again.
“I didn’t hear you complaining earlier,” she whispered in that low seductive voice that made my stomach quiver.
But how could I complain when I couldn’t form a sentence?
I couldn’t even object to her actions or voice my disagreement, because there was none.
Actually, I was more than willing to beg for more.
I felt like a teenager who’d had their first taste of heaven with which women enchant poor men’s souls, and I couldn’t imagine losing that sensation before fully enjoying it.
The loud slam of the door cut through the fog clouding my brain.
I flinched, my eyes quickly finding the entrance of the room, anticipating an immediate attack.
But nothing happened. My beautiful tormentor interrupted her licking session and slowly rose to her feet.
Her posture was tense, but she didn’t panic like I would expect her to after the warning she’d received.
“I have it,” the man yelled, waving papers in the air victoriously as he entered the room. “Money can buy everything.”
“How?” my villainess asked, clearly surprised, relaxing as he approached and showed her the front page.
She fully trusted him, and that thought alone made my stomach churn with repulsion. I glared at them as she studied the papers, murderous thoughts slashing through my brain. We shared a connection. I didn’t like to be a third wheel in this unorthodox situation.
“Doesn’t matter.” He shrugged nonchalantly, but it sounded like he’d just saved an endangered species from extinction. “But we have to make it quick.”
“Of course.” She nodded, abruptly turning to me. Gone was the sinful smile that turned my cock into stone and lustful looks that would melt an iceberg. This was a woman determined to get what she wanted.
“We are getting married, Dorian,” she announced as if it were carved in stone, as if I couldn’t do anything to change it.
“We are not.” I shook my head in disapproval, holding her fierce glance. “Put it inside that masked head of yours. There is nothing you can do to force me to say I do.”
“That’s where you’re very wrong, pretty boy.” She smiled like she owned the fucking world; the maniacal glint in her eyes would surely startle an ordinary person, but I grew up with Malin and Zyon. She was child’s play.
“I’m positive you already noticed I’m no boy, ma vilaine.
” I winked at her, flashing a glance at her accomplice.
Yet the guy didn’t mind my flirting. Weird.
I expected him to at least protest, but he said nothing, just quietly watched us.
So, I pushed a little harder. “Take off the chains, and I’ll show you how much of a man I am. ”
“No, thank you.” She pursed her plump lips in disagreement. “I’m too beautiful to end up with a bullet in my head.”
“I can’t confirm that. I haven’t seen your face. But.” I smiled at her, because I couldn’t suppress my natural reaction to her naivety. “What makes you believe that I won’t kill you if you marry me?”
She matched my grin perfectly, glancing at me almost innocently.
“Your father’s sacred rule.” I flinched at the mention of my dad. I blinked, staring at her wide-eyed as she climbed onto the bed and leaned so close her lips touched my earlobe, her gentle rose perfume tantalizing my nose. “Family is untouchable.”
Fuck, where did she hear that?
“That rule applies to the true family, not the forced one,” I whispered, masking my shock behind a quiet voice. Yet she knew she caught me by surprise. Her triumphant smirk proved it.
“Family is family, Dorian. Sometimes you win by gaining new members; sometimes you lose. Anyway.” She tenderly kissed my cheek and stood up, taking out a tiny black purse from the nightstand. “We need to move forward with the plan. So, how’s it gonna be, hubby? The good way or the bad way?”
“What is the bad way?” I asked, even when I didn’t want to hear the answer. The black petite purse gave me the creeps.
“I’ll drug you to cooperate,” she replied like it was no big deal, and I inhaled sharply. The last thing I needed was another dose of that nasty crap. But she at least didn’t threaten my hands. That was an improvement.