She straightens, her shoulders square, her face passive, but the small smirk that curls those plump, pink lips makes my blood heat as it races through my veins. The girl I wanted to see is slowly being let loose.
“If you knew who I am, who I really fucking am, you wouldn’t like to see me angry,” she tells me confidently. Only, she doesn’t realize I’ve been studying her this past week, and that’s the only reason she’s inside that fucking cage.
“Oh?” I ask, dropping the smoke onto the gravel before stepping on it with the toe of my shiny-black dress shoes. “Why don’t you tell me who you are?” The challenge is right there in my words.
There’s a hint of a spark in her gaze, burning bright. The flicker of a flame, the embers igniting, and inwardly, I plead with her to give me the truth. If she does, I may think about releasing her.
“I’m not a toy you can lock up and play with when you’re bored,” she tells me. “I have connections to dangerous people.” She grips the bars again, her knuckles turning white with the fierce hold she has on them. “Just let me go.”
I reach for my back pocket. Tugging the handkerchief free, I hand it to her. “Would you like me to put this in your mouth?” I wait; she doesn’t move. “If you don’t answer me, you’ll spend the night in here, and trust me when I say, nobody will venture into this corner of the garden.” The partygoers are all on the right side, all focused on the show my folks have put on. After that, they’ll head into the castle to play their annual game of hide and seek before the night slowly winds down. And once that happens, everyone will be indoors.
She reluctantly takes the material, her eyes burning with rage, as she balls the handkerchief in her hand. “I’ll do it because I want to leave here alive.” With fire in her gaze, she pushes the small ball past her glossy lips. I close the distance to the cage and unlock the door with the small, silver key. Offering Micaela my hand, I watch as she slips those delicate fingers over my palm.
A slight smile tilts my lips. “You look pretty with that in your mouth.” My words only seem to fan the flames of her anger. “Will you behave, or would you like to walk all the way back like that?” I’m taller than her, looking over her, and I know she’s afraid. The emotion dances in her eyes.
She nods, reaching for the cloth, but I stop her. I shake my head, and she drops her hand to her side, allowing me to trail my fingertips over her lips. The plump flesh glossy and shiny, and I swipe at them with my thumb.
I tug the material, pulling it free before depositing it in my pocket. Her eyes widen with shock as she reads the action. “You’re going to keep that?”
“Of course,” I tell her. Turning, I lead her through the maze, and she does exactly what I knew she would—tries to run. I grip her hand just as her fingers slip from mine and pull her backward until she’s flush against me.
Her heart thrums at the pulse point, and I lean in, placing my lips at her ear before tentatively licking the erratic beating with the tip of my tongue. “You’re a bad girl,” I tell her. “To make up for it, I think you should allow me one kiss.”
I spin her around so we’re face-to-face, and I watch as those fiery gemstones blaze with fury, and I have to say I’ve never been more turned on than I am at that second.
She doesn’t speak, so I grin before asking, “Is that your tacit agreement?”
“I don’t kiss monsters,” she retorts, her words dripping with frustration. Her lithe body flat against mine, and I’m certain she can feel my hardness pressing against her. This is what she does to me, and I won’t hide it.
“Let’s play a game then, Princess,” I tell her. “A game of Finders Keepers.” My blood simmers with excitement at the thought of having her out there in the woods, in the dark where nothing can save her from me.
“Why? What would happen if we played the game?”
“Well . . .” I consider for a moment and tell her, “If I win and catch you, you’ll give me one kiss.”
“And if I win?”
“If you get back to the house before I do, and you’re indoors safely with my brothers by the time I reach you, I’ll let you go. Never bother you again.” It’s a promise, and I never break my vows. But she doesn’t need to know that right now. Uncertainty fills her expression as she regards me. I can’t stop admiring just how beautiful she is. Fire-red hair, freckles on her nose and the apples of her cheeks along with a small, pointy nose, and those full, rosy lips. Her eyes sparkle like emeralds in the dim light.
The noise of the party behind us is still going strong. It will be like this until the early hours of the morning. My father doesn’t know when to stop when he’s enjoying himself. Perhaps I’m more like him than I imagined.
“You’re taller, stronger, and more agile than I am,” she finally tells me after assessing the situation. She’s right.
I nod. “I am, but being smaller in those woods is actually an advantage. You can scamper through the trees quicker than I can.”
Once more, she’s silent, and I can almost see the wheels turning in her pretty head. She calculates all possible outcomes, just like her father taught her. But she doesn’t realize just how much I know about her.
“And if I lose, just one kiss is all you want?”
I can’t help but smile. She can give me that kiss right now and forego the
