Her body stiffened, and she locked her jaw in an attempt to mask her terror.
“You claim I’m a monster, yet you run your mouth without control,” I whispered in her face. “Tell me, is that courage…or folly?”
She swallowed hard.
“Perhaps I’ve been so soft on you that you now forget your place.”
Silence.
I could hear her heart drumming in her chest and could smell the scent of her fear.
“Since you care so much about that man, I’ll put his life in your hands,” I said, my eyes tracing the curve of her mouth.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
My lips twisted into a mischievous grin. “I’ll let him go on the condition that you’ll do whatever I want, whenever I want, and however I want it.”
Again, silence.
I didn’t realize my grip was so tight on her waist until I saw the pain on her face. Quietly, I loosened my hold but didn’t let go. Not yet.
“I’m your prisoner, aren’t I?” she began. “Last time I checked, prisoners didn’t have choices.”
“Say it,” I demanded. “Say you’ll do whatever I want, and he’ll walk.”
She swallowed hard, searching my eyes as if the answers she needed were hidden there.
“Say it.”
After a moment of hesitation, she gave in. “I’ll do it. I’ll do whatever you want.”
Amused by her decision, I let go of her, but my gaze lingered. “You traded your freedom for a man you don’t even know,” I scoffed. “Interesting.”
Celine shook her head subtly. “I was never free. If I were, I wouldn’t be here,” she said, her voice cracking, eyes filled with unshed tears.
I leaned in, my face mirroring hers, my hand sliding to the back of her neck. Her breath was warm against my skin, her lips quivering as my thumb gently traced the curve of her mouth.
Her chest rose and fell with slow breaths, her eyes boring into mine. The atmosphere was charged with tension, the kind that made my heart skip a beat.
Our lips were inches apart, and before another word could come out of her, I planted a kiss she couldn’t resist. It was hot, controlling, and swift, so much so that it left me breathless and wanting more.
However, I pulled away, watching her struggle to breathe. The fleeting kiss sealed our deal. It was both a punishment and a promise.
She stood there in silence, shaking—not from fear. No. From something far more dangerous.
Satisfied with her reaction, I flashed her a smirk and headed out of the library.
Chapter 9 – Celine
My wrist hurt, my waist ached, but I wasn’t concerned about the pain as I lay in bed that night. I stared absentmindedly at the ceiling, my thumb grazing my lower lip.
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop thinking about the kiss. It was sudden, unexpected, and dangerously intense. The charge in the atmosphere should’ve prepared me for the event. Yet I was caught off guard.
I should’ve resisted.
I should’ve pushed him away.
But I didn’t.