Page 53 of Ignite

“That I do.” I bite the inside of my cheek.

“So. Mechanic by day, fighter by night? What else don’t I know about you?”

Everything. That I’m born into a mafia family. That I’ve killed for sport and family. That I ran an underground ring before I was legal. That I live in a repurposed chocolate factory with a secret sex club hidden inside. That I want to bend her over the hood and make her scream my name.

Or maybe… I want her to run. So I can chase.

I shake my head. “Not much more to tell.”

She steps closer, air crackling between us.

“Lies. There’s way more under the surface with you.”

“I guess you gotta work on removing the layers, darlin’.”

She bats my chest, and I catch her wrist.

Fuck, I want to taste her again. But I resist.

“Wanna see the rest?”

“There’s more?”

“Hmmm.”

I lace our fingers and lead her through the back.

My gym. My war zone. A steel cage center stage. Ice bath. Sauna. No distractions. No excuses.

“So you never need to leave this place?” she asks, eyes taking it all in. She pulls her hand away and wanders toward the rear door.

“What’s in here?”

“Bodies.”

“Ha-ha.”

“A bedroom.”

She tries the handle. Locked.

“Only special people can unlock that.”

Beyond it, the woods. My second hunting ground.

“Right.”

Her shoulders dip as she walks back to me.

“Special people? You mean like the instructor today? Would you let her in there?”

That spark in her eyes? It scorches me.

“Hallie,” I warn.

My chest tightens.

“I don’t want to fuck her.” Blunt. Raw. But it’s the truth.

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