Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
He smacks the inside of my thigh for me to spread my legs. My pussy clenches, and my clit throbs at the nearness of his strong hand and the bite of pain from the little slap. Mmm. Goddamn, we could have some fun together. I’ve never been interested in regular men, but the criminal type? Now you’re talking. None of the men at home tickled my fancy, though. Too macho and too familiar. This one, however…
He scans the inside length of both of my legs. I swallow as my nipples become painfully hard, and wetness gathers between my thighs. It’s been way too long since I’ve been touched by a man, and the last time was hardly memorable.
When he reaches the top of my left thigh, he stares at the tattoo I have, a tight wreath of vines in an elegant, flowing script that reads Fuerza y Libertad.
I got it on my eighteenth birthday, and no one in my family was the wiser. Carlos’s sister Renata was the only one who knew about it.
“Interesting choice for a tattoo,” he says. “What does it mean?”
I swallow. “Strength and freedom.”
It feels oddly intimate to tell him that.
He scans all the way down to my toes, back up my legs, and across my ass until he’s finally satisfied.
“Maybe you were telling the truth,” he says thoughtfully. “Maybe you weren’t. Let’s see.”
I know he hasn’t found anything, but that doesn’t stop him from bringing the scanner to my breasts again. He brushes it along the top of my hardened nipples. I keep myself in place with effort, trying hard not to show how much he’s affecting me.
He could try lots of different tactics, but this might be his most effective method. I can’t let him know.
Wordlessly, he cups my ass in one of his strong, rough hands, the calloused palms scraping across my delicate skin. “And this scar,” he says when he notes the white pucker on my shoulder blade. “What is that from?”
“You’d have to ask Javier,” I say with a sad smile. Yes, that one’s my brother’s souvenir.
“Your brother gave that to you?” he asks in a low growl. Is he… angry? Upset that his “prize” is marred? Affronted that he didn’t give it to me himself?
“Mmm. What a man, isn’t he?” I can’t keep the venom from my voice.
He’s the devil incarnate, and I hate him.
“I’ll fucking kill him,” he snaps.
“Not if I get to him first,” I retort, and I fucking mean it. I won’t let anyone else exact the revenge that belongs to me.
I was the one he hurt. I was the one pressed under his thumb. I was the one thwarted by his chauvinistic tactics, and I will be the one who claims his throne.
Lev gives me a curious look but doesn’t respond.
“No bugs,” he says, with a satisfied nod. “Now let’s get to the good part.”
My heart thumps madly. I’m instantly wet. I must be insane.
This might not work out so well for me. Or him, really.
I swallow hard and toss my head as if scoffing at his threat. If he sees right through me, he doesn’t let on.
“Come here.”
I’m restrained and stuck in place as if someone’s flicked a switch and frozen me. With a scowl, he spins me around and claps his hand across my ass. Under normal circumstances, that’d turn me on, but it only serves to unfreeze me. I yelp and hop to, walking over to where he instructs me to go.
The cable system looms in front of me. It might as well be the stocks or a medieval torture device under these circumstances. The cold, metallic glint of the pulleys and weights reflects the harsh light of the basement, casting eerie shadows on the walls.
What time is it? It’s got to be the middle of the night, maybe even into the wee hours of the morning. I’m tired and hungry and in pain, but I will not break.
I will not.
When I cast a glance at him, his dark eyes are unreadable. The weight of our situation presses down on me. At any moment, he could end my life, but then where does that leave him? The irony is that the only thing keeping me safe is my identity… which is also my greatest condemnation.
The tension in the air is palpable. I shiver, not from the cold, but from not knowing what’s coming next. He doesn’t seem tired like I am at all but energized and almost excited. I mean, he’s got a naked woman at his mercy. I don’t really blame him.
“Enjoy the view?” I ask, somehow managing to keep my tone light and not betraying the fear that thrums through my veins with a life of its own.
“You seem to be enjoying the attention,” he says smoothly.
I roll my eyes, trying to mask my growing terror. “Well, it’s not every day I get such an audience for my workout routine.”