Chapter 45 – remi
Forty-Five
remi
Thiago kicks the condo door closed and deadbolts it, all without loosening his hold on me. Call me whatever you want, but that alone makes me wet and itching to tear out of this costume and ride this man to oblivion.
I watch him cross the dark living room without bothering with the lights.
When we reach his bedroom, he wastes no time tossing me onto the mattress.
I bounce once and prop myself up on my elbows while Thiago stands at the foot of the bed, still wearing that fucking Batman mask as he looks down at me.
“Well, Batman,” I say, slowly crossing one booted leg over the other. “Looks like you finally caught me.”
His head tilts as he takes a step closer. “I did.”
“And what exactly do you plan on doing with me?”
Thiago moves between my legs, planting his hands on the mattress beside my hips.
“That depends on how cooperative you plan on being.”
I flash him a grin and lift my leg, pressing my heel to his chest. “You really don’t know Catwoman at all.”
We barely spent any time at the party, and it would be a fucking crime not to have a little fun with this.
“Tell me something, Braga. Why Batman?”
He looks up at me, caught off guard by the question.
“Is it a cop thing?”
He closes his hand around my ankle. “What do you mean?”
“You know.” I gesture vaguely between us. “Justice. Bad guys. Brooding in dark corners while pretending you don’t have feelings.”
“I don’t brood.”
“You absolutely brood.”
“You’re exaggerating.”
I grin. “Fine. So, tell me, why him?”
His thumb moves absently over the leather of my boot, his silence stretching long enough that I start to wonder why such a simple question requires this much thought.
“Because he does what he thinks is right, even when the way he does it isn’t,” he finally answers.
“Because Batman operates outside the law.”
“Sometimes the law isn’t enough.”
There’s something different about the way he says it, and I study what I can see of his face behind the mask. “That’s a pretty questionable philosophy for a cop.”
“Maybe.” His gaze drops to my leg again. “But doing the right thing and doing the legal thing aren’t always the same.”
“You know, Braga, you might be a shittier cop than I thought. I knew I liked you.”
A small smile returns. “You have no fucking idea.”
I laugh, and after a beat, he joins me.
Whatever put that look on his face disappears when I let my thighs fall open, and I decide I’ve spent plenty of time interrogating Batman when I could be having much more fun with him.
“You know, I bought this catsuit and barely got to show it off tonight. It would be a terrible waste not to actually play the part.”
His gaze travels over the black leather covering me. “Trust me, nothing about that suit has gone to waste.”
The reminder of exactly how much he appreciated it earlier has me tempted to let him have his way with me. But I’m not ready to let Batman have his prize that easily.
“You seem pretty confident for a man who’s only managed to catch me once.”
“I’m not worried.”
“Maybe you should be.” I shove my heel into his chest, and he staggers back. I use the opening to roll across the mattress and hit the floor on the other side of the bed.
“Remi.”
I straighten with a grin. “I think you mean Catwoman.”
His head tilts slightly, and even with half his face hidden behind the mask, I catch the slow narrowing of his eyes and a hint of a smile at his mouth.
“Okay, Catwoman.”
I crook a finger at him. “Come get me.”
Thiago slowly rounds the bed, and I match each step in the opposite direction.
“You know how this ends.”
“Do I?”
“With me catching you, pinning you down, and giving that smart mouth something better to do.”
My pussy clenches at the image he just put in my head, and I hate how badly I want him to make good on it.
“Again with the confidence.”
“Again with pretending you don’t like it.”
He moves without warning. I dart away from the bed, but instead of running for the door, I turn and swing. He blocks my fist with his forearm, and I follow with another that he dodges.
“Oh, so we’re actually fighting,” he says with a smirk.
“What did you think we were doing?”
“Foreplay.”
I laugh and throw another punch. “Of course you did.”
Thiago catches my wrist this time and tries to pull me against him, but I turn with the motion and drive my elbow into his ribs, forcing him to let go.
“Still think you caught me?”
“I’m starting to think you just wanted an excuse to beat me up.”
“Maybe I’ve been waiting for this opportunity. It’s not every day you get to beat up a cop without consequences. Dream come true.”
“That’s mildly concerning.”
“You knew what you were signing up for.”
He comes for me again, but I’m faster, and I slip beneath his arm, dragging my fingers across his chest as I pass.
Thiago turns. “Did you just fucking pet me?”
“It distracted you.”
“That was cheating.”
“You’re a vigilante. I don’t want to hear shit about rules.”
His laugh fills the bedroom as he lunges. This time, I barely get out of his reach and retreat until the backs of my thighs hit the dresser. Thiago slows when he realizes I’ve run out of room, and the amusement on his face turns downright smug.
“Looks like you’ve got nowhere left to go.”
I glance behind me, then back at him. “You think furniture is going to save you?”
“From where I’m standing, it kind of looks like you’re cornered.”
“Maybe. But cornered isn’t the same as caught.”
When he reaches for me again, I catch his arm and use his momentum to turn us, but he’s ready for it. His other hand clamps onto my waist, and suddenly we’re fighting for leverage, both of us laughing as I try to twist free.
“Give up,” he says.
“Fuck you.”
“Is that Catwoman talking or Remi?”
I manage to turn in his hold and look up at the black mask still covering his face. The smile I love so much nearly makes me break character and climb him like a fucking tree, but I’m having too much fun to give in now.
“Does it matter?”
“Not even a little.”
Rising onto my toes, I pretend I’m going to kiss him, then hook my foot behind his ankle and shove. He actually loses his balance, and I burst out laughing.
“That was cold.”
“Still almost took down Batman.”
Thiago straightens and stares at me, and I probably shouldn’t find the way his smile slowly disappears as exciting as I do.
“Almost,” he says.
Without warning, Thiago comes at me again. I duck the first grab and twist away from the second, laughing as I put the bed between us.
“Come on, Batman. You can do better than that.”
“You sure you want me to?”
I have a sneaking suspicion he’s holding out on me because he’s enjoying this little game just as much as I am.
“Did I stutter?”
He suddenly plants one hand on the mattress and vaults across it. A scream tears out of me as I take off for the door, laughing so hard I lose precious ground while his footsteps close in behind me. I barely make it into the living room before his massive arm circles my waist.
“Wait! I wasn’t ready!”
Thiago plucks me straight off the floor like it’s nothing. And that will never not be sexy.
“Your screams sound suspiciously like surrender.”
“No, that sounds like you’re a cheater.”
“I caught you. Complain about how I did it all you want, but you’re still exactly where I wanted you.”
I’m exactly where I want to be too.
“Enjoy your victory, Batman. It might be the only one you’re getting tonight.”
His mouth curves beneath the mask.
“Keep talking like that, Catwoman. It’ll make the next one even sweeter.
” He turns me in his arms and kisses me hard, all tongue and teeth, cutting off whatever I was about to throw back at him.
I pull away, then immediately grab the front of his shirt and drag him back to me.
He lets me kiss him for half a beat before he breaks away and sets me on my feet.
So I swing at him.
He blocks the punch, and when I come at him with the other hand, he catches that wrist too. “You done?”
“Catwoman doesn’t surrender.” I bring my knee up fast, stopping just short of actually making contact. Thiago jerks his hips back on instinct, his grip loosens, and I wrench one hand free.
“That was dirty,” he says, eyes wide as he laughs.
“I’m a criminal. You expect any less?”
“You’re really committed to this.”
“You’re the one wearing a cape.”
I shove at his chest and manage to get a few feet away, but he catches a fistful of my hair and brings me right back against him. “That is absolutely cheating.”
“Says the woman who just threatened Batman’s balls.”
“I did not threaten them. I reminded you that they exist.”
“And I appreciate your concern.”
I’m still laughing when I turn and find myself backed against the wall with Thiago blocking the easiest path out. This time, I don’t run.
His breathing is heavier from chasing me around the condo, and mine isn’t much better. The cape hangs crooked behind him, his curls are sticking out around the mask, and whatever intimidating effect Batman had going for him at the beginning of this has taken a serious hit.
I bite my lip to keep from laughing as an idea hits me.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Coming from you, that look is never nothing, fera.”
“You trust me?”
He gives me a skeptical look, clearly fucking with me, then nods. I decide to let it slide since I’ll be riding that face soon enough. I grab his hand and tug him back toward the bedroom.
“What are you doing now?”
“You caught me,” I say, glancing over my shoulder and giving him a wink. “I think you deserve a reward.”
“That sounds dangerous.”
“For you? Probably.”
When we reach the bedroom, I push him toward the middle of the room and climb onto the mattress, settling back against the pillows.
“Now strip.”
Thiago stares at me. “What?”
“You heard me.”
“You want me to strip?”
“I want Batman to strip.”
His mouth twitches. “How is this a reward for me?”
“Because you get to watch me enjoy every second of it. And if Batman puts on a good show, I might make it worth his while.”
The idea should be ridiculous, but the longer I picture him actually doing it, the more I need to see it.
“What’s wrong? Batman getting shy?”