Page 75 of Tall, Royal Hater
I should’ve run immediately. A voice whirled like a warning siren begging me to get away.
But I didn’t.I didn’t want to.I wasn’t sure I could. Run or escape him.
I hadn’t realised how much I’d been relying on his strength to keep me upright until I slumped back against the wall, my knees wobbling. But refusing to appear weak or affected, I forced myself to stand tall and straight.
With one hand on his hip and the other scrubbing over his trimmed facial hair, he shook his head. When he lowered his hand, there was a venomous sneer on his mouth, but the smoky heat behind it made it seem more irritably amused than murderous.
“You really are such a fucking little menace, aren’t you?” he grated quietly.
His gravelly voice licked right over my pussy, and I hoped he didn’t notice the involuntary clench in my thighs. “Did you hit your head on the way down the stairs, or do you just enjoy spouting absolute bullshit all the time?”
He edged half a step closer. “Don’t you think it’s too late to act like you haven’t been desperately begging for my attention all day?”
A laugh burst from me, but it was more high-pitched than I would’ve liked it to sound. “Okay, it’s official. You really are fucking delusional if that’s what you think.”
He shook his head, and the slow, sure movement scattered cautious prickles all down my neck. “No, Mariyah. I’m not.” He dropped his hands from his hips. “You’ve been avoiding me, but you’ve also been watching me. You refused to acknowledge meunless you had to, but you’ve been doing everything possible to get my attention.” I didn’t realise properly that he’d moved closer until he pressed his palms to the wall by my head and lowered his face closer to mine. “Isn’t that what your whole act with Candy for the last three hours has been? A demand for my attention.”
I struggled to fill my lungs with air, but it smelt like him—warm, male, earthy with a hint of something clean and citrusy. It turned the wind-up key in my chest, bringing everything I was hiding closer to exploding open.
“You saw me having fun with Candy and assumed it was for your attention?” Tipping my face higher, I raised my brows. “Is this some dumbass roundabout way of telling me you were jealous?”
“I don’t need to be roundabout about it, Mariyah.” He leaned back, but it didn’t feel like he’d moved at all. “I was jealous, and I’m still burning with jealousy. It’s eating out my fucking insides.”
His admission shouldn’t have made my belly jump as high as it did. But then it dropped so low between my legs, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to scream in frustration or moan in excitement.
“But that’s not the issue here.” He angled his head, his lashes dipping for a breath. “The issue is why are you so desperately trying to make me jealous?” His voice grew deeper and darker and thicker with every angry word. “Why were you shaking your arse against another man’s lap when really you wished it was mine? And now that you finally have my attention, why are you still mouthing off like a fucking brat?” He smirked slowly. “Are you that upset that we were interrupted yesterday?”
It took me a moment to unglue my swollen tongue from the roof of my mouth. “You have a bad habit of projecting your own delusions on other people.”
He tutted me and shook his head.
Fire singed my cheeks. I felt like I was twelve and being told off or mocked, and I hated it. I wanted to scream in his face, but that would’ve just proved his point.
“You’re being a brat because you didn’t get what you wanted,” he said, so gallingly sure of himself, and despite the anger it lit up, the molten ache between my legs throbbed harder. “You called me Daddy, but I didn’t get the chance to follow through and that left you feeling angry and frustrated. So, you’ve been going out of your way to piss me off in hopes that I won’t leave you wet and wanting today. Isn’t that right?”
Lies. Lies. It’s a lie. A fucking lie.
But the chant of denial in my head was a whisper in comparison to the truth that bloomed in blotchy, red patches all over my skin. My lungs constricted and inflated on a roar at the same time. I wanted to fight him, but I wanted to pull him closer. I wanted to run, but my swollen cunt wanted me to strip down and let him ruin me with his hands, mouth, and dick right there in the corridor by the stairs anyone could come down.
I hated it.I wanted it.I loathed it.I craved it.
The aching mix of hate and lust. Being roughened up by him. Pinned by his strength even as I struggled. Telling myself I wasn’t going to give in, so we could pretend he was forcing me to.
It was depraved. I knew it. But hate emulsified with lust did that. It brought out the kind of wicked, animal side in two people that had them using teeth and claws to bring each other pleasure while hissing hateful words into kissing mouths.
If he chased me and held me down, maybe I would’ve let him. But right then, the combination of rebellious ire and pride refused to allow him to win. And I leaned back on both with all my weight.
“See what I mean,” I said, just about keeping an even tone though my timbre had thickened. “You’re fucking delusional,and it’s getting out of hand. You should really speak to someone about it.”
His hot gaze travelled my face before one corner of his lips rose. “You’re a bad liar, Mariyah.”
“No, you wish I was lying, Sheri.”
“You are. Ask me how I know.”
I remained silent, refusing to.
He pushed himself back, his smirk lifting higher. “Your blue irises don’t hide your pupils,” he said. “It’s pathetically easy to see how desperately blown with lust they are.”
