Page 41 of Sticks & Serpents

“Don’t act like you don’t remember how it felt when we were together.” My breath brushed against her lips. “You know you miss it.”

The silence was deafening; the tension wrapped around us like a vise grip. Her heart raced in sync with mine, and I could almost see the battle waging within her—a mixture of anger and desire swirling just beneath the surface.

“I won’t let you play games with me,” she finally managed to say, though even she could hear the wavering resolve in her voice.

“Not playing games,” I replied softly. “This is real.”

“You’re insane,” Holly shot back, her voice edged with both anger and disbelief.

I grinned, the corners of my mouth lifting into a smirk that I couldn’t suppress. “And you like it.”

She shifted slightly, trying to push past me, but I wasn’t about to let her escape.

In one swift motion, I grabbed her waist and spun her so that her back pressed against my chest. The surprise in her gasp made my pulse quicken, and I reveled in the way she fit against me—her body molding into mine like two pieces of a puzzle that had been waiting to connect.

Her breath came in ragged gasps as I leaned down, my lips brushing against her ear. “Tell me to stop.”

She hesitated, caught in that moment of indecision where desire clashed with reason. But instead of protesting, she remained silent.

Encouraged by the quiet acceptance hanging in the air between us, I pressed my lips to her neck—slowly, dragging them along her soft skin as I teased the very boundaries she fought so hard to maintain. My heart raced at the thrill of marking her; it was primal and intoxicating. Each kiss ignited a fire beneath the surface that sent shivers down her spine.

She tilted her head back slightly as if giving me permission without uttering a single word. That small gesture fueled my hunger further; every drag of my lips against her delicate skin felt like claiming what was mine, the edges of my teeth scraping against her in a rough caress.

I felt her body melt against me for half a second, warmth radiating from her skin like an electric current that coursed through my veins. It was intoxicating, a fleeting moment where the world outside faded, and it was just us—her heart racing, mine pounding in time with hers.

But then, just as quickly, she jerked away, shoving me hard enough that I stumbled back.

Not weak. Not hesitant.

Her face flushed with anger and something else I couldn’t quite pin down. Those furious eyes of hers locked onto mine, a storm brewing within them.

“This is a mistake,” she spat, each word sharp as a knife.

I leaned back against the shelves, calm and collected, a smirk tugging at the corners of my mouth. “You keep saying that, but you never stop me.”

She glared at me like I’d just taken everything she held dear and tossed it into the flames. Then she turned on her heel and stormed out of the closet.

But she didn’t slam the door behind her. Didn’t scream or yell for someone to come help her escape my grasp. There was no drama—only an undeniable tension that lingered in the air long after she’d left.

And me? I stood there watching her go, the thrill of victory humming through my veins. She had just proven it: she was already mine again.

I felt it in every heartbeat—the way she fought against me but still craved that closeness; how her anger was a thin veil over something deeper and more dangerous. This wasn’t over—not by a long shot.

As the door clicked shut behind her, I knew this was only the beginning of what I had planned for us both. The game was on, and I had every intention of winning.

Chapter13

Holly

Islammed the door to my room shut; the sound reverberating in the silence that followed. I locked it behind me, the click of the latch echoing like a heartbeat in my ears.

My body still burned from Damien—his touch lingering on my skin, his kiss seared into my memory. I could almost feel the ghost of his breath against my neck, igniting a whirlwind of conflicting emotions inside me. How had I let it happen?

Dragging both hands through my hair, I felt the tension coil tighter in my chest.“This isn’t happening. This isn’t real,”I whispered to myself, desperate for some semblance of control.

But deep down, I knew it was real. The feel of him lingered on my skin, an intoxicating mix of anger and longing that sent shockwaves through me. This was all my fault.

I paced across the small room, trying to shake off the weight of what had just transpired. The walls felt like they were closing in; every inch reminded me of him—of us. The way he pinned me against that wall had been both terrifying and exhilarating, as if he’d unlocked something within me I thought I’d buried long ago.

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