appreciating every inch of my body beneath the black fabric.
I clear my throat, and Langston’s eyes meet mine. “Do you want to give me a boost, or do you want me to give you one?”
“Let’s try you first; you were always a better climber than me,” he replies.
I smile, but then I realize it will be hard to climb in this dress. I kick off my heels and hike up my dress until my black panties are exposed. I tie the dress just above my hips to give my legs more mobility.
“If you keep staring at me like that, I’m going to poke your eyes out. I’m not yours to stare at.”
Langston walks over to me; brushing the hair off my neck until he thumbs my pulse. “Aren’t you? You’ve always been mine, huntress. That’s one of the reasons I’m so angry at you. You’ve always been mine, and yet you run off with other men.”
I narrow my eyes as I glare at him. “Just like you ran off with other women. You got married. You had two kids. You don’t get to be mad at me for falling for a man who isn’t you. Not when you abandoned me. Not when you couldn’t protect me. I’ve never been yours, killer.”
He breathes on my neck, before he turns me around to face him with his hands on my hips. “That’s where you’re wrong, huntress. You’ve always been mine, since we were kids. But being mine doesn’t mean that I’m going to gives you roses and pamper you. It doesn’t mean I’m going to marry you and choose you over all others. Being mine means you are mine to do what I want with. To kiss, to fuck, to kill. Your life is in my hands—even here. Remember that.”
“There was once a time when I might have been yours. But then you betrayed me; you failed me. From that moment on, I learned that I belong to no one, and no one belongs to me. I’m not property—I belong to no one. Not even you.” I step back until Langston is no longer touching me. He has a scowl on his face, but he doesn’t say anything else.
He walks to the wall, assessing the best strategy. “Climb on my back and then up onto my shoulders. I’ll boost you as high as I can, and then you can try to climb from there.”
I nod, agreeing with his strategy.
Langston leans down so I can climb on his back. I spot his wound that has bled through the T-shirt tied around his back.
I sigh and climb onto his back, careful to avoid hitting his wound. Although, he deserves for me to drive a knife into his wound, deep into the muscle until he can no longer walk.
Langston stands as I wrap my arms around his neck.
“Now, try to climb up to my shoulders.”
I try to ignore how it feels to have his torso between my legs as I scramble up onto his shoulders until my legs are wrapped around his neck.
“Good, now can you stand up?”
I roll my eyes. “Of course, I can stand up. Are you strong enough to hold me up is the question.”
He growls as I grab onto his head and press one foot into his shoulder. With a thrust of other my other foot, I’m flung up onto his shoulders.
I don’t have to look down to know he has a smug expression on his face. I should know better than to doubt his strength. His body may be lean and injured, but he has an unlimited amount of strength when he wants it.
Standing on Langston’s shoulders, looking up toward the window didn’t give me much of a boost. I’m still a good twenty or thirty feet from the window. Even if I make it to the window, I’m not sure how I’ll be able to get Langston out. A rope maybe, but if I can’t find a rope, my only choice will be to run and try to get help. While Langston will be left here…
“On the count of three, I’m going to push you up until you can reach the rock jutting out. Think you can grab onto it?”
“Yes,” I breathe, not wanting to think about how painful it would be if I fell and didn’t grab onto the ledge.
“One, two, three.”
Langston catapults me up, and I feel like I’m flying through the air as I reach up to the small piece of outreaching stone. When my hand