Corrupt Kingdom

“Hardly. I wouldn’t sulk over you.”

“Then why are you in here?” I start to walk over to the light switch. When I flick it up, I realize the problem. “They’re dead.”

“Bingo. Ten points for Hades.”

“Keep up that mouth, and I’ll punish you.”

“Promises, promises. Do your worst. You stole me from my life, what more are you going to do with me?”

“There are a lot worse things than being my captive.”

“Punish me then and get out.” I step away from the bed and head out the room but not before I hear her say, “Thought so.”

Truth. I would punish her. I’ll starve her if need be, and if she proved to be an enemy, I would do a lot worse. But the reason I leave the room is because I need to take a deep fucking breath.

Her fire, attitude, and refusal to cooperate does something to me.

I ball my hands and head down the hall. Once I make it to the closet, I grab a light bulb. In the dark of the closet, I allow myself to breathe. It wouldn’t be smart to go in there and show her the true force of my strength; however, making her fear me a little could prove beneficial to tame her.

Even though I’m calm now, I still go through with my plan and storm back into her room. The door slams shut as I pass through, and the walls shake from the force. Regardless of how dark it is, I can see the shadow of her body jump.

Good.

Mission accomplished. I scared her.

I prefer her be scared than tempt me with the flames.

Once I’m standing right by where she’s lying in the bed, I notice something else.

Fuck.

She is wearing next to nothing. It’s dark, but not dark enough to cover up the fact that she is practically naked. All she has on is that damn fucking camisole. I trail my eyes lower, noting an outline of material covering her, maybe boy shorts too.

How am I supposed to do anything with her looking like this? Here’s the thing about Ivy—she’s not even trying to be sexy, and she’s sexier than any other woman I have met. She’s certainly not trying to drive me crazy and entice me, but she does anyway. The feeling she evokes in me makes me feel equal measures of anger and desire. I want to strangle her for confusing me. She’s too much temptation.

I give myself a shake and pull all thoughts away from the naked girl on the bed, so I stand on the mattress. The bed shifts with my weight.

Ivy groans, “Seriously, couldn’t you grab a chair?”

“No.”

“Come on, please.” The way she asks has me hopping back off. Hearing a woman beg will make even the toughest men weak.

I grab the chair, the one I purposely forego in order to piss her off and then make quick work to change the light bulb. Once it turns on, I look down at Ivy who is reclined in the bed beside where I am. Her eyes are wide, and I follow her line of vision.

When I was changing the light bulb, my shirt rose, and Ivy now has a perfect view of my torso, and apparently, she’s eating it up.

I can’t help the shit-eating grin that spreads across my face.

“Like what you see?” I’m back to being a dick because it’s easier this way. She shakes her head, but now bathed in light, I don’t miss the blush crawling up her skin. I also don’t miss that I was right about her attire. She is wearing that fucking damn camisole and small barely-there boy shorts.

I’m about to jump off the chair and stop looking at her when Cerberus runs up and bumps me where I’m standing.

“Fuck,” I snarl, but it’s too late. The chair is tipping.

I catch myself, though, and being the dick I am, I opt for where she is, directly on top of her, all my weight balancing on her bed, slightly hovered above her.

We’re close enough that I can feel the rise and fall of her chest.

“What are you doing?” she breathes out, and her words tickle my chin. Her body stiffens, and I push back a little to stare into her eyes. Silently, she begs me to move, but instead, I continue to hold my weight on my hands and watch as she breathes in my air.

We’re both locked in a trance. Her breathing. My breathing. Her exhale. My exhale.

It’s a wicked dance, but neither of us pulls away.

We’re two flames, burning brightly to merge and become one. The type of fire that scorches everything in its path and causes mass destruction. That’s what we’ll be if I cross the imaginary divide between us.

Logic dictates the need to pull away, but instead, I lean toward her. We are now close enough that if I move a fraction of an inch, our mouths will touch in a kiss. Her eyes are large, the blue almost completely gone, hidden behind wide eyes, filled with desire. Lowering my gaze, I notice how she trembles beneath me and I ache to close the distance, to put us both out of our misery already.