Page 26 of Carrick
Jesus.
My mouth went dry. My pulse dropped straight into my dick.
“Sounds intense,” I said, trying for casualness, but it came out lower. Hungrier.
She didn’t miss it.
“Most good scenes are,” she said, snapping her book shut with one hand. “But you’d know that, wouldn’t you?”
I stepped further into the room. She was baiting me, and I fuckingwantedto be baited.
“And what makes you think you know anything about me?” I asked.
“Oh please. You think I can’t recognize someone else who is into kink? You positivelyreekof dark and dirty Dom energy.”
“You always this mouthy when you’re turned on?”
She didn’t blink. “You always this predictable when you’re threatened?”
My chest tightened. “You think I’m threatened by you?”
“No.” She grinned. “But I think you’re used to people being more subtle when they want you to touch them.”
Goddamn.
I tilted my head. “I’ve spanked girls for less sass than you’re giving me.”
Bellamy snorted. “Is that supposed to scare me?”
I took another step closer, the air between us thick with heat. “It would,” I said, voice low and razor-sharp, “if you knew what was good for you.”
Her gaze dropped to my mouth and back again. “Oh, I knowexactlywhat’s good for me. I’ve taught classes on it.”
My brows lifted. “Bullshit.”
She shook her head, voice unwavering. “Workshops. Lectures. I’ve spoken at kink conferences. I’ve had scenes that pushed me past the edge, and I walked away better for it.” Rising from the chair with a stretch that was all feline grace and silent provocation, she let me look—and knew it. “Let’s just say I’ve had much worse than a little spanking.”
My fingers twitched.
“And I asked for it,” she added, moving closer until the air between us felt charged. “Even said, ‘Thank you, Sir’, afterward.”
Then she brushed past, slow and deliberate, her voice a purr as she reached the door. “But hey, if you’re offering, Carrick? I’m curious to see if you know the difference between punishment and reward.” She winked and walked out, leaving silence in her wake and heat crawling down my spine.
I stood there, blood pounding in places it had no business pooling, her words still echoing with far too much weight. One breath. Then another. And then I moved.
I caught her in the hallway, hips swaying like she hadn’t just set a goddamn fire and walked away from it. “Bellamy.”
She turned, brows lifted just slightly, like she’d expected I wouldn’t be able to let her go so easily.
I stepped close enough to smell her skin, to feel the tension twist tighter between us. Hands in my pockets only because Ididn’t trust them not to touch her, I met her gaze and dropped the flirtation.
“If you ever need a little stress relief…” My voice was low. Anchored. No smirk. No game. “You come find me.”
She searched my face like she was measuring the truth in it. Then her mouth curved, slow and knowing. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
She turned and walked off again, all confidence and chaos, leaving me rooted in place, jaw tight, restraint fraying. She hadn’t just lit a match and walked away.
She’d handed me the flame, dared me to hold it steady, and disappeared before I could see whether I’d burn.
