Read Online Taken by Lisa Lace - Free Book Online

she didn't recognize. She remained at the door, not closing it.
    "Everything okay, Lyzette?" he said, looking as if he found something amusing.
    "Yes. Everything's fine."
    He sat down at the breakfast table. It was located in a corner of her bedroom, next to the desk and armchair. He dealt out the cards, and Lyzette sat across from him, watching his skillful hands flying as the cards landed neatly in piles in front of himself and her. Then he explained a Markan card game to her, which seemed to involve a lot of touching.
    "I know it looks weird because you're human, but ask anyone impartial. Jol or the cook. They will tell you it's true. We're a physical people, Lyzette. You'll have to get used to it." His blue eyes were dancing.
    She tried to keep the rules straight, but when she lost her first tile and had to hold her right hand on his left shoulder, she started to get distracted. And when he lost two tiles and had to put his bare foot on hers and put his left hand on her right arm, she wasn't sure if they were still playing a game. Was he making these rules up?
    "Part of the fun is getting criss-crossed while you still try to handle your cards," he said, clearly enjoying himself. It reminded her of a sick cross between Twister and poker.
    "There's a game that the young men and women play that involves removing clothing instead of getting twisted up. Want to play that version?" he said. He laughed and was obviously joking. Lyzette missed the joke. She was trying to figure out if she was going to lose the next tile or not, and she wasn't looking at him.
    "Sure." All she remembered was that she was supposed to be agreeable. She wasn't paying attention to what she agreed to.
    "Really?" he said, not quite believing her.
    Uh oh. What had she just agreed to? Lyzette looked up from her cards.
    "Yes, of course. Whatever you want to play," she said, hoping it wasn't too awful.
    "Okay then," he said, and they untwisted their limbs.
    Lyzette bit her lip and laid down three cards. Mikael winced.
    "Are you sure you want to do that?" he said.
    "Not anymore," Lyzette said, grimacing.
    Mikael laughed.
    "But I'll learn faster if you don't coddle me," she said. "That's what Mother always said. She said if she made me face my lumps then I'd figure things out faster. But I never did. I guess I've lost this tile?"
    "You did."
    "And what do I have to do?"
    "Take off any piece of your clothing," he said, watching her face to see her reaction. She felt uncomfortable, but she had played games like this before at parties.
    "Like strip poker. The guys used to like playing that with me," Lyzette said.
    "I'll bet," Mikael said, under his breath.
    She was about to take her pants off but hesitated. She looked at him, trying to see his reaction.
    "You don't have to play this version if you don't want to, Lyzette," he said.
    She shook her head.
    "It's okay."
    She removed her pants, leaving her tiny baby blue cotton panties. These were her most comfortable sleeping clothes.
    She saw him draw in a deep breath. Yes, the men always liked playing this game with her. She had a feeling that if she lost this time, she'd lose more than her clothing, and she wasn't sure she would mind.
    Still, she could focus and play to win. Mikael had the advantage being familiar with the game, but maybe Lyzette could be clever if she concentrated. She paid attention, and on the next round won a tile from him.
    He pulled off his shirt.
    She should have paid more attention to the rules of the game. Lyzette looked at his broad chest, his defined six pack, and chiseled biceps. She wanted to run her hands all over him. She didn't know what was coming over her.
    He was looking at her at the same time. They watched each other secretly as he dealt. Each movement flexed muscles all over his torso. Lyzette managed to pull her eyes away to focus on the cards. She was determined to win this tile, too. The cards were against her, and she couldn't have won no matter what she did.
    "I lost," she