Page 73 of Adam
“Show you what, little orchid?”
“Show me how to use it.”
A dark chuckle slips out before I can stop it, savoring the bite in her defiance. “Leave this to me.”
“I trust you,” she breathes sharply, her fingers resting gently on my torso.
I let the hum hang between us, then slide the knife into her hand. “Do you trust yourself?”
“Answer me, Isabella. Do you trust yourself?” he asks again, tilting his head to the side with a sinister expression.
“W-What do you mean?” I mutter, my eyes fixed on him.
He leans in slowly. “I am someone you should run away from. I am a liar. I am a manipulator.” He lets the word vibrate on his tongue for a bit longer, as if he enjoys the way it sounds. “I am a savage, and a killer, yet you say you trust me.” He guides the blade in my hand to his throat, pressing it gently.
“What are you doing?” I gasp, frozen in fear.
“Would you trust me if I did the same to you?” he asks, eyes wide, leaning even closer to me, the blade almost slicing into his skin.
Is he crazy?
It’s one more time that I feel terrified around him, yet not as much as I should. I do trust him. I know he won’t hurt me. Maybe he is all the things he said, but he’s not like this with me.
“Yes,” I breathe.
His brown eyes burn into mine for a little longer, as if he didn’t expect that answer from me.
Eventually, he grabs the blade, pulls the knife away from his throat, and takes two steps back.
What was that? What was that feeling? I’ve never felt such excitement, fear, and heat between my thighs.
Breathless and shaken, I turn back to face the mirror. I need to distract myself. My eyes land on the glass clock on the wall. Ugh.
“I don’t want to go on that stupid date.” The words slip out before I can keep them.
He crosses his arms and leans against the vanity, almost facing me. “Right, you need to go on a hot blind date that your daddy approves of.”
“You’re too calm about that.”
“No need to stress. I’ll be watching him all the time, and at the end of the night …” He clicks his tongue. “I’ll kill him.”
“What?” I gasp.
“Relax. I know my job.”
And just like that, he wears that signature smug smirk and his other face and twists everything in me.
“Your job is to keep me safe, not kill him.”
His expression turns solemn again, his eyes piercing mine, daring me to look away. But I don’t. I keep looking at him.
“I won’t let him touch you,” he says, voice low and soft. “I won’t let anyone touch you.”
I exhale, almost relieved. “Promise?”
“Mhm.” Slowly, he reaches for the knife, letting it turn lazily between his fingers, his gaze never leaving mine. “I’m a selfish man. And I don’t take kindly to anyone reaching for what belongs to me.”
My eyes roll involuntarily. “I’m not yours.”
