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“I do not need you to protect me.” I lean in closer, making him press into the wall. That’s right. Back down, bitch.

But I’d rather he fight back.

“He was about to?—”

“You are not a knight in shining armor, Ciro. I am not damsel.” I love making him squirm.

“I know you’re not. I’msorry. All I want is to have your back. That guy is not going to stop.”

“I am well aware. I have known him my entire life.”

“Then I will trust you to know how to handle him.”

“Damn straight, ‘noble knight.’ At least I know how you really feel about me now.”

“Wha—no. That was not?—”

“Shakal, I can see it in your eyes. When I am close. Especiallythisclose…” I breathe up along his neck. Goosebumps pebble his skin.

“Keep dreaming…” he grumbles, looking up and away.

“You can’t resist me. You’re inlovewith me,” I taunt him, grazing my fingers up his chest.

Tilting his head back, he sighs, refusing to look down at me as I press my chest into him.

“You wanna play this game, huh?”

“What game?” I lick his chin. This is so foolish. But I don’t want to stop.

“This one…” Ciro drags a finger down my back, snapping his fingers.

A little gasp slips out as I realize he unfastened my bra. Sly bastard.

“You said you wanted to have my back, huh?” I whisper, turning right against him and rubbing my ass along his front, feeling the rock-hard length of his cock pressing through his jeans.

“If you think I won’t play along, you’re wrong. And I never back down,” he croons into my ear, slipping one hand down to cup my ass cheek, the other tickling the skin on my exposed stomach. The sensations are scintillating, tantalizing.

I close my eyes for just a second, resisting the urge to moan.

“Hm. Not bad. I think you could do better.” Leaning back into him, I tip my head onto his shoulder, lipping his earlobe.

“You have no idea…”

“Are you too scared to show me?” I strut away, spinning to lean against the shelves on the opposite side of the room. He crosses to me in a heartbeat, slamming one hand into the shelf behind me and looming over me. Yet he stays just outside my space when he does it, balancing just the right blend of bold and enticing.

“I’m not scared. But you are just playing me.” Ciro’s fingers dance along my hip, tracing circles on my skin. It’s fucking delicious.

“I like to play, yes.” My fingers dig into his chest, keeping me from reaching lower.

“Toying with me could prove dangerous.”

“Oh? So not everything is a joke to you.”

“When I find something that I want, I can be like a dog with a bone.”

“Where would you like to bury your bone,sobaka?”

“Ohoho…you are dangerous, aren’t you?”