Treachery

Lips pulling into a seductive grin, he tilts his head to the side, his voice dropping to a deep, dark tone that is the thing of fantasies...and nightmares.

“Whatever will we do?”

A woman can’t help but be affected by him. It’s not my fault, really. He’s had years to perfect his game. Every expression, the way he moves, the way he speaks and looks at a person as if seeing right through them.

He owns whatever space he occupies. Claims it just by existing.

I fight to understand how the mere presence of a man like him is enough to shake me to the core.

It’s all Ta

But it’s still a game.

He just makes it difficult at times to remember that.

So I play it, too. Not as well as him. I know that. But that doesn’t mean I won’t try.

“I might have an idea.”

Batting my lashes at him, I lean closer, my eyes all but daring him to climb over the center console and take what I’m offering.

His stare drops to my mouth, hoods heavy, his top teeth scraping over his lip.

“And what is your idea?”

Ta

It reminds me of the one time at Yale, the one mistake I made believing a good person might linger beneath his tantalizing shell.

I won’t let myself forget.

Not after what he did last time.

Not after those photos.

Still, I won’t lie and claim I’m not affected as well. Already my pulse has picked up until it’s a flutter in my neck. The car is too hot, and my breath shudders.

Studying his eyes, I search for any trace of humanity in this man. Any hint that he can be a good person if he wanted to be. I know nothing about him more than I learned in Yale. And even that wasn’t much.

He’s a mystery. To me, at least. And for that reason, I know I’d be an idiot to trust him.

Voice intentionally soft, I hold his gaze like I’m not staring at the devil. “I was thinking we can go in your house.”

He grins, the expression so arrogant that I fight not to roll my eyes.

“And then?” he asks, his voice a low croon that whispers against the ear and toys a feather touch between the legs.

Damn, he’s good at this. My breath catches at the promise I see in his eyes. My thighs tighten to remember just how powerful his body had been the one time I’d been stupid enough to let myself take a taste.

Forbidden.

That’s what this man is.

The poisoned apple that will wreck everything you once were until you’re drowning in the wreckage he leaves behind.

Just one bite.

That’s all it takes.

And then you’ve opened a door for him to step through, a storm that ravages, a maelstrom that sucks you so deep, there’s no hope for escape.

“And then we can go to your room.”

His smile widens, straight white teeth glimmering beneath. Our bodies draw closer together, our breath colliding.

One last dip of his eyes to my mouth before they lift again, a lazy smirk stretching his lips.

I grin.

“And then I’ll lock your ass in there, leave the house and call a fucking cab to get me the hell out of here.”

Laughter bursts from his chest, deep and soft.

He studies my face with assessing eyes. “I seriously can’t stand you. I hope you know that.”

“The feeling is mutual,” I answer, hoping like hell he’ll take me back to my car and let me start putting the pieces of my life back together.

Sitting up, he shuts off the engine and opens his door.

“But that doesn’t mean you’ll get away that easy. Either climb out and follow me, or I’ll carry you inside, kicking and screaming. It’s your choice.”

Casually strolling away from the car, he leaves me with no other option than to follow. It’s either that or sit in a garage for the next few hours, my breath fogging up the glass as the car heats with the deepening afternoon.

Letting myself out, I don’t run to catch up with him, but instead keep a casual pace myself, my teeth grinding as I catch myself watching the way his black pants fit perfectly over a toned ass and strong thighs.

When he reaches a side door to the house, he waits for me to step up to him, his eyes sca

“Why are you doing this to me, Ta

He doesn’t smile when he answers, “Because I enjoy pissing you off.”

Sadly, I believe him.

The door pops open, and he steps aside to let me walk in ahead of him. I know better than to have him at my back, but he’s being civilized at the moment, at least as much as he can be.

Stripping off his suit jacket as we walk into his kitchen, he tosses it over the counter and heads to the fridge.

“Can I get you anything? Soda? Water?”

He pauses, that damn smirk of his at full wattage.

“Something stronger, maybe? I recall you being a lot of fun when you’re drunk.”

“You can take me home,” I say, dragging a tall stool out from the kitchen island to take a seat.

His head is hidden behind the fridge door as he leans in to grab whatever it is he’s after. Straightening his posture and shutting it, he turns to me, his long-legged stride eating the distance between us as he places a bottle of water in front of me.

Untwisting the cap on his, he sips from the bottle, my eyes falling to the movement of his throat as he swallows.

How is it possible that he can make something as mundane as that look sexy? I find myself fascinated by everything Ta

Setting the bottle down, he leans forward to brace his forearms against the counter, our eyes now at the same level.

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to do that.”

Crap.

I know the look he has on his face.

It’s the same one he always has when he’s about to drop a bomb in my lap, the seconds ticking down, ready to explode.

You can tell by the wicked glimmer in his eyes, the line of his lips twisting up into a crooked smile that promises everything I’d never want.

For some reason, and in some way, Ta

It’s tempting not to ask. To just leave him hanging there, twiddling his candy, begging me to take it. I’m my own person. I don’t need to reach out. But still, I know that whatever it is he’s dangling in front of me involves something in my life.

The curiosity is too much. The kind that doesn’t just kill the cat, but runs it over with a two-ton truck, dragging it for miles before the carcass is left on the side of the road to be picked at by vultures.

“Why can’t you?”

His widening smile doesn’t surprise me. His bedroom eyes soften even more despite how focused they are on my face.

Ta

“You won’t be leaving my house for a while, Luca. I brought you here with every intention to keep you trapped until you give me what I want.”

My heart thumps once as my teeth slam together, his stare lifting to the muscle that jumps above my eye, the corners of his mouth curling more.

Ta

Yes, he’s a dick, but he’s not a kidnapper.

What the hell did Everly do for me to deserve this?