but I fight when I have to. And right now, I have to.
My eyes slowly open and adjust to the light.
The air is cold and damp, but my throw is in a pile on the floor next to me. I quickly grab it and wrap it around me as though it can protect me. Fear cripples me as I hear the sound of a chair moving across the floor. My heart stills and a chill prickles my skin. I’m not alone.
As I search the dark, vacant room, I see him. The look of a hunter stares back at me. I don’t recognize him. His broad chest and chiseled muscles flex as he leans forward. His eyes are a brilliant light blue and they pierce through me. His cheekbones are sharp and only appear more contoured with the shadows from the dim light. If he had any other expression on his face, I’d think he was the most gorgeous man I’ve ever met.
As if reading my mind, he smirks at me. The fucking bastard thinks this is funny. My heart tries to climb up my throat as he sits back in his seat and his hand settles on the raging erection in his jeans.
Fuck!
My eyes dart back up to his. That shit’s not happening. I’ll claw his fucking eyes out. I look for a door and then back to him. I don’t see one, but I don’t care if I kill him and I’m locked in here and starve to death. I won’t let that happen.
We stare at each other in silence. I want to ask him what he wants from me, but I already know. I want to plead for him to let me leave, but I’ve learned that doesn’t work. Instead I wait for his move. He cocks his head after a moment and slowly stands.
As he moves toward me, I resist the urge to scoot away. I can’t do that. I can’t back myself into a corner.
He crouches in front of me and leans in closer. His eyes hold a hint of danger, but also a spark of desire. I’m just not sure what he wants to do with me exactly, besides the obvious. “I’m supposed to kill you,” he says. His deep baritone voice is low and threatening. He tilts his head as I slide slightly backward on my ass out of natural instinct. I take control of my body and tilt my chest away from him, giving myself leverage to kick this motherfucker in the balls if he gets any closer.
His full lips pull into an asymmetric grin. “You can’t get away from me just yet.” I hate how he’s taunting me, like he expected this.
My breathing is ragged, and my heart is beating so fast I swear my chest won’t be able to contain it. It feels as though my heart's trying to leap out of my throat. I barely get the words out, but I manage to say, “I don’t want to die.”
His grin widens into a perfect smile. This man’s too handsome to be a predator. There’s a darkness about him, but he could fool anyone with just a small amount of charm.
“I don’t want you to die either, kitten.” His pet name sends a bolt of desire to my clit. Shame washes through me. I shouldn’t like it. This is wrong. He stands up and towers above me. I tilt my head to keep my eyes on him. “You have a choice,” he says.
I wait for him to continue as I stay huddled in a ball beneath him. My blood rushes loudly in my ears and I try to calm my racing heart. He doesn’t want me to die. That should relax me; it should make me feel even the faintest bit better. But it doesn’t.
“You can die.” He speaks to the far wall, not looking at me. I find my eyes searching for a door, looking for a way out. To my right, I finally spot a steel door, with a keypad to its left. “Or,” he continues, and I feel his gaze on me as my eyes fly to meet his and my heart thuds painfully in my chest. “You can agree to be mine.”
I can’t help that the way he says it makes my core heat. A wetness pools between my thighs and I feel ashamed. This isn’t a fantasy. This is real life. I feel the blood drain from my face as I become lightheaded. The only reason