Luscious? Sometimes he said the sweetest, hottest things. Other times he cut to the quick. “Do tell.”
“Tatiana was Jareth’s third betrothed, celebrated by many for her unflappable stubbornness. No one expected me to win her from the prince. But I did.”
And he expected to win Cookie from the prince, too? By exhausting her? “Tell me why you did this to me.” Let him defend his rationalizations.
“I seek Prince Jareth’s punishment,” he said, confirming her suspicions. He raised his chin, his pride unmistakable. “Our war has lasted eons.” The ferocity in his tone proclaimed, Not long enough.
“So you abused me to punish him?” she demanded.
“I did.” He offered the words without a hint of remorse. “I live to punish him.”
Punish. Had Jareth the wife killer harmed someone Kaysar loved?
And he thought it made his actions okay?
Forget leaving him hard and wanting. Beneath her anger, hurt seethed. If she punished him for punishing someone else, then Kaysar had a right to punish her. A never-ending cycle. She sank to her knees and stuffed her belongings into her satchel—she’d earned these items. “I owe you a warning, so here it is. I’m leaving you.”
Whoosh. Cookie blinked, her entire world suddenly upside down. No, right side up. Kaysar had flittered over and tossed her to the ground, pinning her beneath him. He loomed over her, one hand restraining her arms over her head, the other gripping her throat, the tips of the metal pressing into her skin.
The savagery in his face intensified the vulnerability of her pose. Those whiskey eyes glittered as he wedged a massive erection between her thighs.
“You will not leave me.”
Her heart thundered, even as her blood heated. Not even the slightest bit afraid. Rather, her confidence reached new heights. This lethal king might wish to strike at Jareth, delighting in his petty retaliations against the prince’s “wife,” but he did crave Cookie. That, he hadn’t lied about.
Hurt receded.
Unflappable? Watch me.
“What’s the matter, Kaysar?” she purred, cradling his body against hers. “Has your raging hard-on for me left you cranky?”
He flinched but recovered quickly. “You will not leave me,” he repeated. “Until I’m finished with you, we stay together.”
Finished? With her? Dream on. “Stop me from leaving you in my dust. If you can.” Her smirk slipped free, suddenly on full display—because she let it slip free. “If I fail to discover another doormaker, if I never recover the ability to open a door myself, I’ll still find a way home.”
Different emotions tinged his features, each one steeped in despair. “Leave me, and I’ll hunt you. I’ll find you, Chantel. Nothing will stop me.”
Cookie smiled sweetly at him, wrenched a hand free and rammed the heel of her palm into his nose. Cartilage snapped, blood flowed.
“Go ahead. Threaten me again,” she said, “and I’ll hurt you.”
Other than a whip of his head as he absorbed the impact, he displayed no reaction to her strike—which proved shockingly hot. “Lulundria is the key to my vengeance against the prince,” he continued without a hitch. “Therefore, you are my key. You will aid me, Chantel. Willingly. That is not negotiable.”
“I’m not your anything,” she said, and she meant it. “I could have been your friend and your teammate, but you ruined it.”
Had he just cringed? “You will stay with me, and I’ll do better. I’ll choose a different path for you. I’ve already strayed from the original.”
From threats to false promises. “Too little, too late. I said we’re done, and I meant it.”
“I...made a mistake,” he rushed out. “I didn’t know you when I fashioned my first plan. It was an eternity ago.”
“An eternity,” she said, rolling her eyes. “And you think you know me now?” Days later?
“I know you better.” He nodded for emphasis. “I know you would be very upset if I harmed or misled you again.”
Realizing he couldn’t keep her without her cooperation? Or did his burgeoning desperation stem from a different source? As he’d spoken, he’d gently rocked against her, as if he’d lost the battle to remain immobile.
To her consternation, the soft bump and grind coaxed an embarrassing amount of wetness from her. She stifled a needy gasp.
“You had a chance with me, Kaysar. You blew it.”
“You hope to leave your Claw Man?” Rock. Rock. He applied more and more pressure, until suppressing a gasp was the least of her worries. “Or come on him?”
“Neither? Both?” So good! Cookie couldn’t stay still. She undulated her hips, meeting his next grind and groaning. Her gaze dropped to his soft lips. So badly she wanted his mouth on hers.
Maybe...maybe she should stay a little longer? No, he’d done her wrong! She shouldn’t do him right. “You won’t seduce me into changing my mind.”
“What if I only wish to seduce you for now?” he asked above her, fierce and carnal. Fatal to a woman’s resistance. He smelled like sunshine, soap and sandalwood, and every inhalation left her light-headed. “You make my body want things it’s never desired before.”
“That means my plan is a success. Your body can suffer as mine did.” She’d meant to make a bold statement. She’d uttered a raspy taunt instead.
“You seek the suffering of my body? Mission accomplished, little doll.” He swooped down, as if to slam his mouth against hers. A split second before contact, he stopped, as if he dared not take what wasn’t offered. Warm exhalations fanned over her face, tickling her sensitive skin. “Are you pleased to know I’ve never suffered like this? That I hunger in ways I didn’t know I could? With your need and your trust and your everything, you’ve frayed my control as no other.” He revealed a grin far smugger than hers. “But you hunger, too, don’t you, sweetling? I scent your arousal. It is the sweetest perfume.”
Heady admission. Sumptuous ferocity. Dangerous question. “Maybe I do.” Time for Kaysar to learn a hard truth about her. “I’m petty enough to deny myself pleasure, as long as you’re denied it, too.”
His pupils dilated as if she’d uttered the most provocative invitation. He appeared spellbound. Enthralled. “Pleasure. Yes. I want it. Give it to me.” His inhalations grew ragged. “I gave you my truth, after all. Now you are supposed to offer me a reward.”
He nearly enthralled her. He...his tone. Agonizing need saturated every note. He had instigated this showdown. This was his version of a confession. Maybe even an apology. Because he expected—pursued—a do-over with her?