Page 116 of Dance of Madness

“Pass.”

I gasp when he puts his hand right back between my legs, then feel myself whimper as he pushes his finger back into me, curling so perfectly against my g-spot. Then I come to my senses, grab his hand, and push it away once more.

“Tell me,” I urge. “Or no pussy.”

“Are you familiar with the term cutting off your nose to spite your face, princess?”

I roll my eyes. “Areyoufamiliar with the concept ofconsent?”

“Pretty sure that's a gray area for you.”

My face flushes. “Well, it’s a no—arealno—until you tell me.”

He eyes me hungrily. “And if I do it anyway?”

“It won’t be the fun kind of no,” I say quietly.

Darkness floods Nero's face as he leans back in the tub and looks away. His arm snakes out over the edge, and I watch with surprise as he pulls another cigarette out of the pack and lights it without fanfare.

He’s not really a smoker. The only time I've ever seen him do it is after we have sex, and only occasionally—not even every time. And it’s only the one.

Not two.

He sucks on it heavily, his brow furrowing as the shadow only grows over his face.

“Fine,” he mutters, still looking away as he sucks on the cigarette. “When I was thirteen, a family friend, a neighbor, decided it was a good age for me to start having sex.”

The words hit me like a punch to the face.

Oh my fucking God…

“Nero—”

“So for about three months,” he barrels on, his eyes burning into the wall, “she regularly had me over to her place, or hotels, and did what she wanted with me.”

A chill ripples down my spine despite the warm water.

“Jesus, Nero?—”

“You wanted to know,” he hisses. “Here it fucking is.” His face darkens to midnight. “Here’s the really fun part. After a few months of this, her husband found out she was fucking someone else. Not that it wasme, but…someone.”

He slowly turns, his eyes piercing into me, a haunted, faraway look in them.

“So he killed her…and then himself.”

My heart stops, breaking.

“There,” he snarls. “That's my fucking tragic villain origin story. We good now?”

I'm so numb that I’m barely aware of him pulling me into his lap, my legs on either side of his muscled hips. But when he reaches between my legs and runs a finger over my pussy, I flinch back to reality, my eyes suddenly focusing on him as my face caves.

“Nero, wait…one sec?—”

“I don’t want to wait a sec.”

His finger sinks into me, but I reach for his wrist, tugging his hand away.

“You…what you just told me…”

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