Ruins of Temptation (Corium University Trilogy 4)

He stirs on the bed, then clears his throat, and I know he’s awake without having to see his face. I have to do something to get on his good side. I need him to start looking at me as a person. The more I can get him to like me, the more freedom he’ll give me. The more freedom I get, the better my chances of escape. Now is as good a time to start as any.

Especially when I see what’s sticking straight up under the covers. From the looks of it, my host has a respectable dick, which I guess makes sense seeing as how he’s so tall. It moves back and forth a little as he stretches and sits up.

His gaze immediately falls on me. Even with sleep still heavy in his eyes, I don’t miss the deep-rooted hatred for me. I don’t even know why he hates me so much, but I’m certain he does. I only have to find out his reason. And the best way to get the truth out of him is to be unexpected. Be blunt, shock him, and keep him on his toes.

“Morning wood is a bitch, huh?” Somehow, I manage to sit up, ignoring the stiffness in my legs and hips. “What do you usually do? Do you jerk off, or do you ignore it and wait until it goes down on its own?”

“What kind of question is that?” he sneers.

A snort escapes me. “Sorry, I didn’t get a chance to read the chapter on approved conversation topics in the captor-captive handbook.”

He still can’t tell if I’m serious or not. I wonder if he’s used to being off-balance like this. I can’t imagine he would be. Not a man who practically exudes strength and control like he does. He didn’t even hesitate to bind me up before making me sleep on his bedroom floor. Like his conscience didn’t get in the way at all.

He murmurs something I don’t understand, but his eyes slide over my body the way they did last night when I was getting out of the shower. That gives me hope, too. He’s only human, nothing more than a man, no matter how much power he has over my life right now.

“How about you let me take care of it for you?”

“Excuse me?”

“I think you heard me,” I murmur.

When he swings his legs over the edge of the bed, I have to fight off a triumphant grin. It’s almost too easy. Here I was, thinking I’d have to come up with some big, elaborate scheme. All it takes is the offer of a blowjob, and he’s putty in my hands.

“You know what. That does sound kind of exciting,” he rasps, standing, and now his erection juts out in front of him like a flagpole. “I could keep you tied up the way you are. Fuck your face a little. And there’s nothing you could do about it.”

“I’d be at your complete mercy,” I tease, my heart hammering as he crosses the room to stand in front of me. I clasp my hands together so he doesn’t see how my fingers shake with each tiny step he takes toward me.

I get on my knees, a little awkwardly, considering I can’t use my hands, but something tells me he doesn’t care much about me moving seductively. He’s too busy imagining getting his dick sucked.

My heart sinks. I haven’t done this with anyone since Nash, and I didn’t plan on it either. I know he is gone, but this still feels like a betrayal of sorts.

Lucas stops in front of me, and I have to lift my head to be able to see his face. He glares at me with hate and disdain, which has my stomach in knots. This is going to be rough. He hates me, and he is going to let me feel that hate.

Instead of dropping his shorts, he drops into a crouch, his face inches from mine. He is so close now I can smell his minty breath when he talks. “Like I would ever let you get close to my dick,” he snarls, his lip curling in an ugly sneer. “What, do you think I’m some horny teenager? Like I’m as stupid as those assholes I took you from last night? You’re way out of your league here, Delilah. Keep that in mind.”

Disappointment and relief settle into my bones. I didn’t want this, but it would have helped me, and I was so close, at least I thought I was.

But here’s the thing about me: I’ve known nothing but disappointment my whole life. And when you’ve been knocked down more times than you can count, you learn real fast how to disguise your true feelings. That’s why I can grin while looking him dead in the eye. “We’ll see about that.”