The Skull King_ Skull #1 - Penelope Sky Page 0,26
I wanted to. No one owned me. I was in charge of my life—my freedom. None of it was real…but it was fun to pretend.
My eyes trailed over his body, and that was when I noticed the ring on his right hand. On his middle finger was a skull made of diamonds. It was gray, the color of fossilized bone, so the diamonds were vibrant and noticeable. It was a peculiar ring. I remembered the back of his business card and the image of the skull in the center. The fact that he had guards watching his place at all times didn’t bode well. The only kind of men that did that were criminals. “That’s an interesting ring.”
His lips rested against my hairline. “That doesn’t sound like a compliment.”
“Well…it’s different. What does it mean?”
“It represents my world. It represents my power. It represents me.”
I scooted away so I could look him in the eyes. For a man so hard and rugged, he shouldn’t have had such beautiful eyes. It seemed like a crime that a man could be that beautiful. Anytime he walked into a bar, he must have had women scratching at his pants to get them off. “And who are you?”
He turned on his side and propped himself on one arm. He looked down at me with that fearless expression, like he truly was afraid of nothing in this world. His hand started at my knee then migrated slightly to my belly. “I’ll tell you who I am—if you tell me who you are.”
“I have a feeling I’m not as interesting as you are.”
“I disagree.” His fingers brushed over my belly button then glided to my ribs. “I’ll answer your question, but you have to answer any question I ask of you. We got a deal?” His hand moved through the valley of my tits, sliding up slowly as he approached my neck.
“That sounds like a dangerous game.”
“It is.” His hand moved to my neck and gave it a gentle squeeze. “You wanna play?”
I didn’t know who this man was, but I’d already gathered he wasn’t Prince Charming. He had an aura of authority present at all times, and if he was being protected around the clock, then he must be worth protecting. He was obviously rich if he owned an entire building with more space than he would ever need. Maybe that hint of danger made him sexy, but I didn’t want to pull back the curtain and reveal everything. I would ever see him again, so there was no point. “No. I can already tell what kind of man you are.”
“Yeah? Tell me.” His fingers loosened around my neck then slowly slid into my hair. For a callous man, he knew exactly how to touch a woman. He knew how to be gentle and aggressive at the same time. Confidence mixed with experience made him an amazing lover.
“Rich, dangerous, powerful…that all leads to one thing. You’re a criminal. I just don’t know what kind of criminal you are.”
He didn’t confirm or deny it, but he tucked my hair behind my ear. The backs of his fingers trailed down my cheek and around to my neck. “Do you want to know?”
The second he gave me his information, he would be entitled to mine—and I knew exactly what he would ask. “The less I know, the better.”
The corner of his mouth rose in a slight smile. “So I’m a dangerous man, but you’re alone with me…naked with me.” His hand moved down my tits and back to my thigh. “No one has a clue where you are. I could do anything I want to you…like keep you forever. Yet, you’ve been here twice now. You’re either very brave or very stupid.”
“There’s a third option.”
“And what would that be?”
“My life has no value, so it doesn’t matter what happens.” I had the existence of a ghost. Most of the time, I had no purpose on this earth. I just wandered through the hallways, my feet barely making a tap against the hardwood floor. Even when Lucian wanted me, I was still dead inside. I’d subjected myself to this misery to save someone I loved—but they betrayed me. That was the worst part of this nightmare. I’d traded in my future, the chance to fall in love and have a family, to save someone who never really loved me. That regret hurt most of all.
Balto stared at me with the same hardened expression, his intelligent eyes not blinking as he