I press my lips together and gaze up at him, watching him struggle with dueling urges to cut off my air supply or break something over my head.
Maybe he’s right about me being insane, because rather than terrifying, I find his indecision understandable.
He’s not the first man I’ve driven to the brink of murder. He’s just the most capable of actually going through with it.
“Oh, one more thing—”
“I know a way to keep that mouth quiet,” he snaps.
Then he kisses me.
17
Mal
She sucks in a shocked breath through her nose. Her entire body stiffens. She’s frozen for a split second.
Until the freeze thaws, and the claws come out.
She bites my lip.
Hard.
Cursing, I jerk away. She glares up at me, pushing against my chest with all her might, trying to shove me off.
I don’t budge. Instead, I clamp a hand around her jaw and kiss her again.
She writhes beneath me, making angry sounds, fighting. Not giving in or opening her mouth.
I’m surprised at the resistance. She doesn’t look strong enough to stand upright in a brisk breeze.
I’m even more surprised when she yanks at my hair, scratching my scalp with her nails.
I pull away, chuckling. “My little bird has claws.”
“Call me a bird one more time, and I’ll—”
“What?” I demand, pressing my chest to hers so I feel her heart pounding right through my shirt. “You’ll do what? Shoot me? Stab me? Drown me in a sea of words?”
“Fuck you.”
“Is that an invitation?”
“You wish, you arrogant prick!”
She’s so mad, she’s almost spitting.
I like this side of her. This feisty, angry side.
It’s so rare that someone challenges me.
“Careful,” I whisper, brushing my lips against hers. “Combat makes my dick hard.”
She stops fighting me instantly. But not a single ounce of her anger fades. She lies beneath me, breathing raggedly, glaring murder into my face. Her lips are pressed together so tightly, they’re white.
It’s disarmingly cute. Like a furious kitten, all puffy tail and tiny hisses.
No—we’re enemies. I can’t let myself get distracted.
I’m already distracted. Fuck.
So improvise. You’re good at that. Kill two birds with one stone.
Gazing deep into her eyes so she can see I’m serious, I say, “Open your mouth for me, or I’ll shoot both your bodyguards.”
She snaps, “I thought you wanted me to keep my mouth shut.”
“Let’s try this again, smartass. Let me kiss you or two men die. Choose. Now.”
“That’s blackmail.”
“Yes. I told you I’m a bad person. Choose.”
She’s so furious, she’s trembling. If she had lasers in her eyes, my head would explode.
My dick and I are both really enjoying this.
“How do I know you won’t shoot them anyway?”
“You don’t. One more question, though, and I will.”
She’s getting desperate. I see her struggling to find a way out of this, to find an escape, and almost laugh out loud when I finally see her give in.
She licks her lips, then says defiantly, “Fine. Kiss me. But I won’t like it.”
Challenge accepted.
Instead of pressing my lips to hers, I turn her head and run the tip of my nose along her jaw. Beneath her ear, I inhale. Then I kiss her there, my mouth barely brushing her skin.
I have to suppress a chuckle when she shivers.
I think I might’ve been going about this revenge business all wrong.
“One more thing. You have to kiss me back. Lie there like a cold fish, and your friend Spider eats a bullet.”
“I take back what I said about you being a gentleman.”
“I’ll burst into tears over that right after you give me your fucking mouth.”
She inhales, closing her eyes and swallowing. When she opens her eyes again, I know it’s war.
I’ve seen hardened killers look less psychotic.
My smile makes her gnash her teeth.
“Ready?”
“Go to hell.”
“Can’t. The devil has a restraining order against me.”
“That’s not even original! I saw it on a T-shirt once!”
“You want original?” I put my mouth close to her ear and growl, “I want to impale you on my cock. I also want to wring your neck. I’ll settle for a kiss, instead.”
She mutters, “I can’t believe I didn’t let Spider shoot you when I had the chance.”