snarl as go-time because he immediately dropped into a crouch and charged me. Thankfully, he was continuing to hold back. I dropped to my knees this time and aimed a fist for his dick.
He quickly spun out of the way with a growl, and I popped to my feet to watch him.
“Good.” The word was grudgingly given. “That won’t always work, though.”
“I don’t need it to always work. I only need it to work enough to not get bitten.”
He grunted and crouched.
I wanted to scream in frustration. This wasn’t teaching me anything useful. No matter what he said, he had to be getting some kind of sick pleasure from chasing me around and beating me. And now, biting me, apparently. I really, really didn’t want that to happen.
He shifted his weight. That split-second warning was what I needed to bolt in the opposite direction as he came at me. My pride at seeing what he intended quickly evaporated as he adjusted course and was on me in a blur.
My back hit the mat. Panic and desperation flooded me. I couldn’t be bitten.
I used everything. Fists, nails, knees, hips. I bucked, and I twisted, and I fought like a wild cat. None of it stopped him from grabbing both my hands, settling his weight on my torso to pin me, and biting down on my bicep.
It fucking hurt. I cried out and struggled harder.
He got off of me and stared down as I glared up at him.
“You failed because you panicked.”
“I failed because you’re bigger, stronger, and a mean son of a—”
The bastard flipped me over and spanked me. Hard.
I squealed and scrambled to a sitting position.
“You said no spankings!”
“Stop being mean.”
I glared at him in silent mutiny, my backside stinging with the irony in his statement.
“If you don’t want to be bitten, keep my mouth away from you. Hitting me and kicking me are useless. You know none of that will stop me, so why do it?”
I hated him for biting me. I hated him for forcing me to do this. But mostly, I hated him for repeating what I’d been trying to tell him all along. I had no chance of winning against him. Oblivious to my growing anger, he continued.
“Think, Hannah. Don’t panic.”
He motioned for me to get up.
I wanted revenge so badly that I snapped. I didn’t just get up; I flew at him. His eyes went wide as he caught me. I opened my mouth, ready to bite his nipple clean off since it was the closest thing at the moment. But, he blocked me with a forearm under my chin.
My teeth clacked together as he nudged upward and back. I stumbled away, effectively stopped from succeeding. Instead of getting angry about it, I grinned ferally. He was teaching me something.
“Finally,” I growled.
He blinked at me, and surprise registered on his face as I flew at him again. I went for the same nipple. There was a good chance he wouldn’t repeat the previous blocking move. But, he seemed to always do the exact opposite of whatever I thought he’d do.
Finally, I got something right.
He thrust his hand out. I could see that he meant to plant it in my chest. I ducked, mouth open. His middle finger deep-throated the hell out of me. I swallowed my gag and clamped down.
All motion stopped.
A breath hissed out of him.
He didn’t try to pull his finger free. He probably would have ripped my teeth out if he had. And, I didn’t let go. I was biting down on his fucking finger for all it was worth.
“Bis is whab ib feews wike,” I said. “Nah goob, inna?”
He wasn’t looking at my face. He was staring at his lost middle finger.
“I suggest you stop now, Hannah,” he said, his voice rough.
When he looked up, the cold, calculating look in his eyes terrified me. I immediately released him and gagged when his finger brushed my uvula on the way out.
He didn’t speak. Didn’t move. Just stared at his finger.
Swallowing thickly, I looked down at the twin marks my front teeth had made just above the base of the third knuckle. It was bad. As in, almost-broke-the-skin bad.
“Go drink some water,” he said, without looking up at me.
I tried not to let my surprise show and bolted for the stairs.
Freedom.
Chapter Fourteen
“Where’s Merdon?” Emily asked suspiciously when I appeared without him.
“Downstairs.”
I went for my coat and quickly shoved my feet into my boots.