Read Online Bait: A dark erotic thriller (Hunter & Prey Book 2) by Kira Barker - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Kira Barker
Ads: Link
had made me lose my cool sounded like a damn good idea. I stopped at the balustrade above the foyer, looking out over the now deserted lavish carpets below.
I had no idea where the sudden rush of emotion had come from, but it subsided slowly as I got a grip on myself. “Calm” wasn’t quite there yet, but, if anything, I had learned to act over the last decade, composing my exterior in the face of turmoil inside. Soon, my frantic breathing had slowed down to sedate in- and exhales, my heart rate decreasing. It was likely just nerves—last time I’d seen Darren, I had had little time to fully freak out as I’d had to ditch my handlers; now, my mind had had hours to dwell on the impact of what I intended to do. The fact that I was lying to myself didn’t hinder the soothing reaction on my mind.
Feeling more composed again, I let out my breath one last time, getting ready to return, when I suddenly felt heat closing in behind me. A whisper of air against my mostly bare back, then a strong, tall body pressed against me, effectively locking me in between him and the balustrade, still facing outward. My first reaction was to go rigid and let the fight-or-flight instinct do its thing, but I stomped down on both immediately. Instead, I made myself relax, hating myself just a little bit when my body obeyed immediately.
A scream died low in my throat, replaced by a sultry chuckle. I didn’t need to check over my shoulder to know who was towering behind me.
“Miss me?” I asked, proud of how steady my voice sounded. A little breathy, yes, but that could have been excitement rather than fright. What it actually was I didn’t bother to analyze.
“Always,” Darren whispered, his voice doing things to my body that should not have been possible had my sanity still been intact. It was just as I remembered—low and certain—only now it held an edge that hadn’t been there before. Before the basement, that was; I’d become intimately familiar with it in the last few days of our acquaintance.
“I was wondering when you’d track me down,” I replied, allowing myself a small smile even if he likely couldn’t see it. A waste, really, because it took a lot to keep it from looking fake. But goading him on was reward enough to make up for the acid churning in my stomach.
He replied with a chuckle, steel still in his voice but now sheathed in velvet.
“Didn’t you get my flowers?”
I turned just enough to be able to glance back over my shoulder—about the maximum freedom of movement our position left me. His eyes were burning into mine, the intensity enough to make my throat go tight—among other things.
“I wouldn’t have worn this dress if I hadn’t. Do you like it?”
I was tempted to spew some vitriol at the girl—there was a time and place for a little black dress that both looked great and gave good access, but the opera was not it—but cut off there when I felt him grind his groin against my ass. Even through the layers of fabric I could feel his erection, leaving me oddly satisfied although I knew that it likely hailed from what he’d been doing to Daliah rather than my presence.
“I love it,” he murmured against the side of my neck. Then he grabbed the fabric below my ass and started pushing it up, his hands soon hot against the naked tops of my thighs. I was wearing stockings and garters but hadn’t bothered with panties—the dress was hassle enough as it was where going to the bathroom was concerned. And really, I had a reputation to live up to, also to myself—making his touch even more prominent now. It was rather obvious what he had in mind even before I heard the zipper of his fly descend.
There was a part of me that halted. A part that wanted to scream, turn around, push him away, attack, anything just to get away—but it was a dwindling, small part of me. It was so easy to ignore, to lean forward to better support myself against the balustrade, my legs a little further apart to give me
I had no idea where the sudden rush of emotion had come from, but it subsided slowly as I got a grip on myself. “Calm” wasn’t quite there yet, but, if anything, I had learned to act over the last decade, composing my exterior in the face of turmoil inside. Soon, my frantic breathing had slowed down to sedate in- and exhales, my heart rate decreasing. It was likely just nerves—last time I’d seen Darren, I had had little time to fully freak out as I’d had to ditch my handlers; now, my mind had had hours to dwell on the impact of what I intended to do. The fact that I was lying to myself didn’t hinder the soothing reaction on my mind.
Feeling more composed again, I let out my breath one last time, getting ready to return, when I suddenly felt heat closing in behind me. A whisper of air against my mostly bare back, then a strong, tall body pressed against me, effectively locking me in between him and the balustrade, still facing outward. My first reaction was to go rigid and let the fight-or-flight instinct do its thing, but I stomped down on both immediately. Instead, I made myself relax, hating myself just a little bit when my body obeyed immediately.
A scream died low in my throat, replaced by a sultry chuckle. I didn’t need to check over my shoulder to know who was towering behind me.
“Miss me?” I asked, proud of how steady my voice sounded. A little breathy, yes, but that could have been excitement rather than fright. What it actually was I didn’t bother to analyze.
“Always,” Darren whispered, his voice doing things to my body that should not have been possible had my sanity still been intact. It was just as I remembered—low and certain—only now it held an edge that hadn’t been there before. Before the basement, that was; I’d become intimately familiar with it in the last few days of our acquaintance.
“I was wondering when you’d track me down,” I replied, allowing myself a small smile even if he likely couldn’t see it. A waste, really, because it took a lot to keep it from looking fake. But goading him on was reward enough to make up for the acid churning in my stomach.
He replied with a chuckle, steel still in his voice but now sheathed in velvet.
“Didn’t you get my flowers?”
I turned just enough to be able to glance back over my shoulder—about the maximum freedom of movement our position left me. His eyes were burning into mine, the intensity enough to make my throat go tight—among other things.
“I wouldn’t have worn this dress if I hadn’t. Do you like it?”
I was tempted to spew some vitriol at the girl—there was a time and place for a little black dress that both looked great and gave good access, but the opera was not it—but cut off there when I felt him grind his groin against my ass. Even through the layers of fabric I could feel his erection, leaving me oddly satisfied although I knew that it likely hailed from what he’d been doing to Daliah rather than my presence.
“I love it,” he murmured against the side of my neck. Then he grabbed the fabric below my ass and started pushing it up, his hands soon hot against the naked tops of my thighs. I was wearing stockings and garters but hadn’t bothered with panties—the dress was hassle enough as it was where going to the bathroom was concerned. And really, I had a reputation to live up to, also to myself—making his touch even more prominent now. It was rather obvious what he had in mind even before I heard the zipper of his fly descend.
There was a part of me that halted. A part that wanted to scream, turn around, push him away, attack, anything just to get away—but it was a dwindling, small part of me. It was so easy to ignore, to lean forward to better support myself against the balustrade, my legs a little further apart to give me
Similar Books
