Page 25 of The Devil We Crave
“No? Nothing at all about last night you want to discuss?”
Even shadowed, there’s a dark gleam in his eyes as he peers down at me.
“Why don’t we start with the fact that you could get in alotof trouble for sneaking around the third floor of Kingsward Hall uninvited.”
My jaw falls open.
“It’s private, and was clearly marked?—”
“Icould get in a lot of trouble?!” I finally spit, indignation making my ears ring as heat floods my face. “Youassaulted me!”
I flinch when he barks out a cold, mirthless laugh.
“Is that what you’ve been telling yourself?”
I stare at him. “It’s whathappened!”
He’s right, though. Itiswhat I’ve been telling myself, in a vain attempt to convince myself that what happened last night was bad.
That I didn’t enjoy it. Because no oneshouldenjoy that.
“How interesting,” he murmurs darkly. “Iremember things a bit differently.”
He moves another inch closer, my breath hitching as the heat of his body warms mine, and his scent—so spicy and masculine—washes over me.
“The way I see it, it wasyouwho assaultedme.”
My eyes bug out as I stare up at him, angry confusion swirling through me.
“What?!” I choke. “You jumped me in a dark bedroom!” I hiss. “You chased me with a fuckingknife! You... Youtouched me?—!”
“And youlet me do so,” he growls. “Even when it became abundantly clear that I thought you were someone else.”
“W-what?!” I stammer. “I didnot?—”
“You either thought a masked stranger was chasing you through the dark with a knifeand youlet that happen, which would make you…well…” His head tilts to the side, and he smiles darkly. “Deranged.”
Heat simmers in my core.
“Or else you clearly knew I thought you were someone else, given that I reminded you of our pre-determined safe word?—”
“We didn’thavea pre-determined?—”
Shit.
“Exactly,” Achilles murmurs, waving a finger between his chest and mine. “Wedid not. Any rational person would have put being in a room to which they were not invited together with a masked man talking to them about safe words they’d never discussed before andconnected the fucking dots.”
I shudder as he steps another inch closer to me, my back pressed tight to the gnarled bark of the tree. Despite the fall chill in the air, sweat sheens the small of my back as my hands nervously ball to fists.
“I—” A shiver ripples up my spine. “I wasterrified!”
“So terrified that your greedy pussy came all over my fingers? That’s…inventive.”
My eyes narrow. “Youchased mewith a fucking knife! I couldn’trememberthe safe word!”
Not at first…
Achilles’ brows raise, amused. “Bullshit.”
