Page 85 of Pretty Little Threats

We eat in silence for a few minutes. Dare’s questions and words run through my mind over and over. He was adamant that his parents were killed. My dad swears Dare is responsible for their deaths, but so far, most of the things my dad told me about Dare don’t line up with the man in front of me.

I bite my cheek, frustrated as I wrestle with my conflicting thoughts.

He’s definitely dangerous.

He hates my father.

But he’s not a sociopath. He’s not a monster. If he were, I would have known by now. And if it turns out his company isn’t ruining people’s lives?

I’m not sure what the truth is, and I’m not sure why my dad would lie.

twenty-seven

ROSE

After the conversationyesterday and my inability to find anything, even a misplaced file, I’ve been reeling. Could my dad have lied? I don’t even know how to handle that thought, because if it’s true, why?

Nothing is adding up, but maybe that’s the point. Maybe Dare’s whole game is to get inside my head and make me question my entire life.

Sighing, I turn off the shower, before I waste too much water, and grab a towel. I’m so lost in my thoughts, I don’t notice Dare waiting for me when I walk into the bedroom. He catches me, placing his hand dangerously low on my stomach, only the towel keeping his touch from scorching my skin. Awareness zings through my body, but I grit my teeth and stay strong, even as he pulls me closer, rubbing his thick length against my ass.

“I want to be inside of you, Rose.” His hand starts to slide lower.

My stomach flips, and I grab his wrist, stopping his descent. “No.”

“Who are you punishing? Me or yourself?”

I look at him over my shoulder. “You can’t use sex to distract me.”

His eyes glint with challenge. Suddenly, I’m pressed against the wall with my arms over my head and Dare’s hips pinning me. He presses against me and simply watches my reaction.

I try to keep the desire hidden, but I must do a terrible job because he rocks his cock against me, only the towel and his thin sleeping pants to keep me from enjoying the heat of his body. The hold on my wrists is gentle but firm. I take a breath to steady my racing heart, but he’s so close. His lips drag along my cheek. My teeth bite into my bottom lip as heat pools in my core.

“There she is,” he purrs into my ear, rocking himself against me.

“Dare,” I rasp, trying to find the last scrap of sanity to tell him no.

His lips brush over mine, a cruelly soft caress. “Wife.”

My cunt clamps around nothing and my body practically burns in protest. A scorching inferno of need. I should tell him no. I can’t give in.

Dare rubs against me again, kissing me until I part my lips and his tongue lashes against mine. I sigh into his mouth, finally relenting, but then he stops. He pulls back. Releases my wrists. Walks away and slams the bathroom door.

A heavy breathwhooshesout of me. What the fuck was that?

I cross the room, ready to kick the door in and demand he finish what he started.That’s what he wants.

The thought hits me like a bag of bricks.

Dammit.

Pausing right before the door, I seethe, clenching my fists at my side and hating that, once again, he’s nearly pushed me to the point of losing control. It takes twenty breaths to calm down. With a scowl on my face, I grab the closest dress and tug it on. The kitten heels are right in front of me, so I grab those too, turning to escape before Dare finishes, but he’s standing in the threshold, a towel around his waist and water rolling down every hard plane of his body.

My throat goes dry, and I clutch the heels to my chest like a shield.

Dare’s head is dipped low as he peers up at me, eyes blazing and hungry. I bet if that towel fluttered to the floor, he’d be as hard as a rock. That’s none of my concern. Tipping my chin, I head toward where he stands. If I thought he was still before, the way his body goes unnaturally still now reminds me of a predator.

Warning bells go off inside my head, but I keep walking. I can’t let him know how much he affects me. I have to get the upper hand. So, I stop before him, batting my eyelashes and running my palm up his leg to cup his cock.

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