Page 12 of Tick Tock, Boom!

So I played the game.

I stepped to the edge of the room, took a seat in a leather chair like I owned the whole damn club, and let my fingers curl slowly as I crooked them toward her.

Come.

She saw it, hesitated for a moment, and then she rose, leaving the half-assed prick behind. Her steps were quiet, careful, but her eyes stayed on me. She crossed the floor and I knew the heat of my stare had to have scorched her skin. When she knelt in front of me, she rested her hands on my thighs and the room slowly fell away.

There was something hypnotic about the way she moved, the sway in her hips, a grace that pulled you in like smoke through your lungs. She wasn’t just beautiful, she was dangerously innocent and didn't even know it. The kind of girl that made you forget where and who you were.

Her lips hovered over mine, soft and close. “Did you want to play?”

I tapped the small bell at her throat. It jingled and she purred. “What kind of game did you have in mind, kitty cat?” I murmured, my voice low and dark, pulling her in.

Her eyes met mine and locked, wide and innocent like she didn’t quite know what to do with everything she was feeling, but she held my stare, breath catching softly in her throat.

I had to give her props because she didn’t look away. Hell, she didn’t even speak. She just gave the smallest, shyest smile that ghosted over her lips as she reached out, lightly grazing her fingers over the edge of my cut.

“You miss me?” I asked, voice low and rough.

Her cheeks flushed, and she gave the smallest nod. "Yes."

I let my knuckles graze her cheek, slow and deliberate, watching the way her eyes fluttered under my touch. "Then why’d you run?"

She gave the softest shrug, her gaze flicking down for a second. She was hiding something, and I could tell she wasn’t ready to share it. Eventually, she would, when I was done with her.

"Do I scare you?" I asked, voice low, leaning in just enough for her to feel the heat of it.

She nodded once, quietly. She was so fucking sweet, too sweet for me but I didn't care, I wanted that sweetness on my tongue.

My thumb traced the edge of her jaw. "You gonna run from me again?"

She swallowed, shook her head slowly. "I don’t want to."

That answer.Fuck.It did something to me.

I let my hand drop to the bell at her throat and gave it a light tap. "Your pussy purr for me, kitten?"

She blinked up at me, wide-eyed, cheeks glowing red. The innocence in her eyes clashed with the fire she kept trying to hide. She didn’t speak, didn’t need to. Her silence was answer enough.

"Take me somewhere private," I said, rougher this time, letting my hand trail down her arm before catching her wrist and pulling her gently to her feet. "Now."

She hesitated, just for a moment, then stood and turned, her movements graceful but unsure. Every step she took was a choice and it felt like she didn’t want to mess this up. I followed her past the bar, down a hallway pulsing with red light. She stopped at a black door markedPrivate, her fingers trembling just slightly as she pushed it open.

I stepped inside first, my body filling the room. I heard the soft click of the door closing behind her and turned toward her. The scent of leather and vanilla clung to the shadows, mixing with her scent which was soft and warm, like sugar and heat.

She turned, looked up at me through her lashes, and her breath stuttered in her throat. Then, she slowly sank to her knees.

Not practiced. Not trained. But inoffering.

Her voice was soft, uncertain but hopeful. “Would you…couldyou call me kitten?”

I stared at her for a long beat. She wasn’t trying to control a damn thing. She was giving me the reins. And hell if I didn’t like that more than I should.

I stepped closer, grabbed a fistful of her hair, and tilted her face up.

“You want to be called a kitten?” I growled, fisting her hair tighter as I forced her to look up at me. “Then you better beg for it.”

Her lips parted to respond, but I crushed my mouth over hers, stealing every breath, every thought. My kiss was hard, punishing, the kind that said she was mine before either of us had a chance to question it.

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