Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 31081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 155(@200wpm)___ 124(@250wpm)___ 104(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31081 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 155(@200wpm)___ 124(@250wpm)___ 104(@300wpm)
My thoughts splinter at the mention of a contract. Joshua floods my mind, making my skin heat.
“I hope everything goes well with your event,” I tell him, gathering my bag and leaving his office in a hurry. I’m almost through reception and out the door when I collide with a broad chest. Stumbling back, I open my mouth to apologize, but all saliva vacates and heads south. Did I summon him with my thoughts?
Joshua Tuck.
“Careful. You nearly went through me.” He chuckles, and the deep sound hums through my body, making me bite my lip.
“I’m sorry.” I shake my head, embarrassment pinking my cheeks.
His brow furrows as he looks around at our surroundings, then he flashes me a teasing smirk. “Are you stalking me?”
I don’t know what’s gotten into me, but I find myself saying, “Not very stealthily. I could do better.”
Fire blazes in his blue eyes, making them spark. “That sounds like a challenge. Are you sure you’re ready for the big leagues?” My heart skips a beat when he closes in, his masculine scent washing over me. “You’re playing with the wolves now, Little Red.”
“Don’t mistake me for Little Red. I’m the huntsman.” I grin and push past him, willing myself with every ounce of self-restraint not to look back to see if he’s watching my exit.
I don’t have to. I sense his gaze on my ass, penetrating through my layers and anchoring himself to me.
Everything about this feels dangerous.
And exhilarating.
I am in control.
I’m invincible tonight, and I like it. I slip through the crowd of bodies like a seductive smoke. Everyone at Hush is on fire for what the night will bring. The pleasures, fantasies, desires fulfilled. The atmosphere is electric, static coursing through the room, infecting everyone it comes into contact with.
I shouldn’t have come. I wasn’t invited. But the interaction with Joshua at Harose today gave me a confidence and energy I haven’t felt in a long time, and I refuse to let the sensation fizzle out. I’m embracing it and being bold for once.
I know his eyes are on me, watching like a predator ready to strike from across the room. I’m not sure if he’s teasing me or I’m the one teasing, but it’s like he’s lit a match within me to feel the heat against his flesh, test the flame. What he doesn’t know, and I’m only just realizing, is I like playing with fire. I won’t be the first to burn.
5
Oh, Little Red, you only wish you were the Big Bad Wolf.
I smirk as she prowls through the crowd, a hungry glint flashing over her features. She wants this. So bad, she can taste it. I’m loving her confidence and hope we can grow it with time. She’s already a far cry from the trembling girl I first noticed the night she came to see me.
But I’m not here to make her feel safe and good about herself. I’m here to push her boundaries—to teach her how to take back the control others once stole from her. For that reason alone, I evade her. We’re not a couple. She’s not my girlfriend expecting a kiss and a greeting.
She’s my friend.
My friend with really fucked-up benefits.
And we’re bound by contract.
Little Red craves to be hunted.
So, I hunt.
Hush is pulsing with people and music and a dangerous vibe. I can feel it in my blood, in my nerve endings, all the way down to my toes. The crackle of anticipation deafens me, numbing me to the music and laughter and club sounds.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
All I can hear is the steady beat of my heart like a war drum as I track her through the crowd. She’s lost her momentary arrogance, chewing on her bottom lip with uncertainty. It’s clear she thinks the game is paused. Or I’m not playing. This is my club after all. It’s probably safe to assume I could be working.
Pressing my back against a shadowed wall, I force her to feel my presence with my weighted stare. I project my intensity her way—make her feel all the things I crave to do to her. She bristles with awareness. Her head darts left, right, then left again. Big green eyes search each person, looking for me.
Not so easy, Little Red.
Nothing in life ever is.
She speaks to a one of my bartenders, and an unfamiliar protective urge swells inside me. He’s taller than her and much broader. I don’t like how he stands so close. I’m about to emerge from the shadows to intervene, unsure what to make of my feelings, when I see him point down the hallway. She nods, then she heads that way.
I prowl after her, discreetly trailing in her wake. Despite all the club smells—sweat, alcohol, lingering sex—I can smell her. It’s as if I really can track her by scent alone. I know it’s all psychological, but try telling my dick that as it leads the way, half hard and eager to play.