Page 82 of Vicious Kingdom

I crooked my leg and ran the tip of my finger along my inner thigh.

He took the whiskey, and my heart fell.

After a long pull, he set it down with a clap, loosened his tie, and knelt on the floor. Holy shit.Holy shit!Anticipation sizzled over my skin. Slowly, Leo drew his hands over my thighs until his fingers skated over the fastening. A quick pop, the zing of the zipper, and then he lifted his gaze to mine. He didn’t break it as he pulled the jeans down. I waited, heart skipping every other beat. Leo pressed his lips against my cool skin, searing me. The kisses didn’t stop. They trailed from the top of my thigh, down to my knee, skimming to my ankle.

That last one was more reverent than anything.

“How are you feeling?” He traced his thumb gently over the sore flesh.

“It’s healing.”

He murmured deep in his throat, before bending again. His lips pressed against the bone and tendon.

“Truth or dare, Anna,” he murmured against my flesh.

“Dare.” I was wild, reckless! I wanted to see how far this thing would go.

“Take your shirt off.”

My fingers fumbled at the hem, struggling to do the simple task of gripping the damn fabric. I tugged it viciously over my head. His eyes darkened as they swept over my exposed skin. The intensity of his gaze made me feel like I was wearing nothing at all.

“Truth or dare,” I breathed, chest falling and rising rapidly.

“Truth,” Leo said, his mouth cut a delicious smirk that I wanted nothing more than to taste.

Fine. If he was going to tease me, I could play dirty too. I licked my lips, gathering courage. “Do you really hate me for what happened five years ago?”

He stiffened, his jaw clenching. For a moment, I thought he’d reach for the bottle. Instead, he exhaled slowly through his nose.

“No,” he finally admitted. “I wanted to. I tried to. But hate requires destruction, and I’ve never had the urge to destroy you.”

The confession hung between us, raw and honest. My heart hammered against my ribs.

“Your turn,” he said, voice rough. He slid his fingers against the cotton center of my panties. With a low, lazy circle, the digit moved.

It was like a trip wire. My mind went blank. “Truth.”

His eyes locked with mine. “Are you afraid of me?”

I shook my head immediately. “Never. Not even when you’re at your angriest.”

But I’m afraid if I offer you my heart, you’ll only break it again.My body? Fine. It wouldn’t be much of a marriage without physical intimacy. But even though I was obsessed with this man, I knew better than to trust him with something as valuable as my heart.

“Now why does that feel like the first lie you’ve told this whole time?” he mused, leaning forward, pulling the panties to the side, and blowing over my pussy.

The whispered sensation had me moaning.

The sight of him between my legs, hair disheveled and lips still warm from where they’d touched my thigh, made my brain short-circuit. It was all I could do not to tell him he was technically right.

“It’s the truth, I swear it.”

“You’ve lied to me before…little authoress.”

That old, familiar nickname made my heart shudder.

“I’m not scared of you; I’m scared of what you might do,” I clarified.

“Ah, the sin of omission,” he murmured before blowing another breath.