Page 31 of Tragic Ink
“I hurt you, I get that, but a chastity belt,Gwen?”
I shook my head, caught up in the memory that had scarred me so deeply that I’d inked this protection into my skin to keep it from ever happening again. “I was nearly naked, and you just stopped. Then you walked away and left me there, Rhys. Standing there like an idiot. That was right around the time of my Awakening, and I was starting to understand how my ability worked. So, I inked myself with a defense mechanism. If you ever tried anything with me again, it would activate the spell behind the tattoo and, well, this would happen... Thus, saving me fromyou.”
“What about lastnight?”
“Last night was a kiss. This was...” I felt my cheeks heat. “About to bemore.”
He stared at me. “If it’s to keep you safe from me, shouldn’t you be the one wearingit?”
I folded my arms over my chest, smiling haughtily. “Why should I be punished if you were the one who startedit?”
He shook his head, muttering to himself. I caught enough of it to glare back at him, but the sight of him saying anything while standing before me trapped in a medieval chastity belt was too amusing. Before long, I was biting back morelaughter.
“I bet you think this is funny,” he said, taking a step closer so that the iron clangedagain.
A small laugh escaped. “It’s pretty hilarious,” Iadmitted.
He stepped even closer, sending me back against the headboard as he sat so close that he crowded me. His brows had dipped so that his expression was serious, intense. I couldn’t quite read whether he was still pissed, but the heat in my stomach was curlingagain.
“You’re only laughing because you haven’t really thought this through,” he said, his voice dropping low as he leanedin.
“Oh?” I blinked, trying to stay focused on what he was saying rather than how hot he looked while sayingit.
“If I’m all locked away, it’s going to make the outcome pretty frustrating for you.” His hand came up to cup my breast, and I bit my lip against the moan that built. His voice dropped to a whisper, his lips grazing my chin as his fingers found my nipple and tugged slightly. “Especially when I’m touching you like this... Don’t youthink?”
Damn it.He wasgood.
With a sigh and a small flick of my wrist, the ironvanished.
The second the iron was gone, Rhys sighed in relief. “You’re more diabolical than I ever knew, you knowthat?”
“Now you know why I don’t walk around inking everyone with this sort of magic,” Isaid.
“Damn right.” He shuddered. “I’m terrified to imagine what the hell is going to happen to me when we actually havesex.”
My lips curved just as his mouth coveredmine.
