Page 36 of Prey Tell
“He touched you. Not in myfuckingapartment, Parker.”
My stomach drops at his words, and my clit begins to pulse as he watches me with swollen lips and a deranged expression.
My hand comes up to my mouth. I can still feel him kissing me—still feel the hardness of his muscles pressing into me from beneath his suit.
“I want to play,” I tell him.
His lips curl as his eyes narrow dangerously. He grabs my arm, dragging me away. “Not tonight.”
Anger blooms through me as he pulls me through the balcony until we get to the living room next to the elevator. It’s quieter here, the lights are normal colored, and it’s not full of running or gyrating people.
I pull out of his grip. “You can’t kiss me and then still want to protect me.”
He widens his stance and rubs his mouth as he studies me. He still looks pissed off.
“Oh, yes I can. It was a momentary lapse in judgment.”
His words sting, and I look away as the events of the last few minutes plow through me.
“Did you come here with him?” Chase snarls.
“Who?”
He sighs and looks away, as if I’m playing games. “Ben Hearst.”
I laugh. “Are you serious?” His jaw clicks.Oh.He is serious. I try to hide my smile, try to quell the butterflies dancing around inside of me at the thought of Chase Ravage acting possessive and jealous. “No. He let me in because, despite your invitation two weeks ago, I just so happened to be excluded from your exclusive list.” I glare at him. “Which is very rude, by the way. It makes you a take-it-backer.”
His jaw is still tensed, but it loosens some at my childish retort.
“Of course you weren’t on the list, Parker. I didn’t think you’d actually show up on my fucking doorstep.” He looks away for a second. “Ben Hearst is what we call a fake Dom in this community. Men who seek out submissives, thinking that being a Dom means being domineering and foregoing consent. He took advantage of your newness. Trust is a massive part of playing. Unfortunately, not everyone understands that.” Looking back at me, he still looks pissed off. “You should get home to your fiancé.”
I look down at my boots. “We broke up.”
When I look up at Chase, he’s watching me like the predator that I now know he is. “Andthisis where you decided to sow your wild oats?” he asks.
Shrugging, I wrap my arms around myself.I wanted to see you.
“I don’t know. I didn’t—I had no idea about the… all of this,” I say, cheeks flaming.
“The what, Parker?” My eyes snap to his. He’s testing me. “Whatisall of this?” he adds, placing his hands in the pockets of his dress pants. He looks more amused now than irate, which I suppose is a good sign.
“The hunt,” I say softly. “I’m intrigued. I want to stay.”
“Fuck that,” he mutters, reaching for my hand, but I pull out of his grasp. His nostrils flare as he glares at me, but I don’t care.
“I showed up tonight because I was curious. And maybe a little desperate. I can’t remember the last time I did anything for myself. Dylan and I, we…” I trail off as fresh tears sting my eyes. “I was complacent. And I’m trying tofeelsomething again. Anything. I won’t let you take that away from me.”
His jaw hardens as he considers my words. And then he laughs.
“Sorry, but no. This isn’t the place for you to discover yourself. One, it’s not safe for you. And two, there are things you need to know before committing to something like this. I’m walking you out of this damn building myself, right now, or I won’t hesitate to call security.”
CHAPTERSEVEN
THE RULES
Chase
I’ve barely contained the pure wrath at the idea of Ben HearsttouchingParker. I’m not sure why he was on the list in the first place, and I make a note to check with my security team. It’s possible I added him months ago, when we struck our business deal. He’s notorious for his red flags. And now Juliet tells me she’s no longer engaged? I never expected her to show up, let alone to be interested in all of this. It makes me feel so many things at once. I don’t know if I should be proud, furious, protective, or relieved.
