Page 70 of The Villain We Tempt

She nods. “Yeah,” she says quietly as another wave of pink stains her cheeks.

“So whatison the table,” I ask.

“Everything else.”

Jesus.

My dickimmediatelythickens and lengthens, growing heavy in my pants. Galina gasps, her eyes widening as I start to move toward her. She retreats until she backs into the wall behind her and I'm standing in front of her, caging her in.

“Word of warning, little villain?” I growl.

A small whimper trickles from her throat as I lean down close to her ear.

“Don’t say shit like that to a man like me.”

I relish the sound of her throat bobbing as she trembles a bit.

Fucking hell. It’s not that I want to terrify her. But when there’s thatlittttlenote of fear rippling over her skin, making her gasp like that?

Yes please.

“Any other ground rules?” I murmur as I force myself to pull back.

Galina shakes her head as she takes a shaky breath. “No…I mean, yes.” Her brow pinches. “If I want to stop?—”

“Mask.”

She frowns. “What?”

“If you ever want things to stop, that’s your safe word.”

She eyes me. “Wouldn't, like,noorstopbe simpler?”

I shake my head.

She frowns. “Why not?”

“Those words might only make me harder.”

A breathy, downrighteagerlittle gasp hitches in her fucking throat.

I just said it to fuck with her and to get a reaction.

…“Turned on” isn’t the one I was expecting, though.

“Anything else?” I growl.

She shakes her head. “No.” She swallows again as her eyes drag up to my mask. “So…now what?”

A groan hums in my throat.

“Soeager…”

She blushes fiercely. “I just mean?—”

“Do you remember your word?”

She nods.