Page 166 of Inferno

I blink at him and shake my head.

“No.”

A smile tugs at his lips.

“You’re a mighty fine liar, Charlotte. You played a good game, though. I fell for it, hook, line, and sinker. I bet you and Vlad had a laugh about it. Didn’t you? Oh, how easy it was to trick me into believing you were real. That you were hiding pain and needed to be set free.”

His nostrils flare as he pushes himself off the wall.

“N-no.” My breath hitches.

He crouches down in front of me.

“Liar,” he spits out.

I need a new tactic. He isn’t going to sympathize with me. Nor listen to me.

My mind flashes back to Italy. I got under his skin by being me. The sassy version.

“Whatever helps you sleep better at night, knowing you lost to me and you’ve clearly been thinking about me for years. Decadent? You named a whole factory after my pussy,” I laugh.

Rage fills his pretty face, so I keep going.

“I got under your skin, and you hate it.” I grin at him and cough as his hand shoots out and grips my throat.

“You did not get to me,” he seethes in my ear.

Fuck it.

I swing my arm forward and squeeze his neck.

His heart races against my palm and his eyes go wide. But this time, there’s a spark in them.

He lifts me up and slams me against the wall. It vibrates through me.

“You wanna play, sweetheart?” He leans in and my breath hitches.

“Yes. Because I know I’ll win again.”

His gaze rapidly flicks between my lips and my eyes. He’s torn, and I need to make the decision.

“You fucking?—”

I cut him off by slamming my lips over his. I need him to hear me. To feel me.

Understand that the woman sent here to kill him is not me. Not really.

I am the Charlotte he brought out.

He deepens the kiss and runs his hands through my hair before pulling so damn hard it feels like it’s being ripped from my scalp.

“Your spells won’t work on me this time,” he pants out.

I lick my swollen lips as he presses his body tighter against mine.

“Tell that to your brain.” I look down at his crotch.

“My brain is up here, heartbreaker. You just wanted a look at the last decent dick you had, didn’t you?” He smirks.

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