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“And outside?” I whisper, almost afraid of the answer. Things will never work if he thinks I’m going to give up who I am outside these walls. Because being a thief is all I have. It’s the only thing I’m good at, and without it, my entire identity would shatter.

“Outside these walls, you’ll be my queen.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

ORION

Ember’s lips part on the declaration I never intended to let slip tonight, but it doesn’t matter. Before, I was scared I would send her running for the hills if I came on strongly. But now I suspect we’d both like the chase.

I give her a few seconds to think through what I’ve just said, to consider the implications of what that would mean for her, even without her knowing my true identity. As soon as she finds out I’m the man who killed her brother, there’s no doubt in my mind that she’ll kick and scream and try to kill me, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.

If I have it my way, I’ll have her tied to me in every way possible before she finds out, making it impossible for her to live without me.

“I gave you an order, Ember, and I don’t like repeating myself,” I rumble.

Her tentative fingers slip between her thighs over her panties, accentuating the growing wet patch on the lacy fabric, and I barely swallow down my groan.

This will be a test in patience for the both of us.

A soft moan tumbles from her lips, and I drag my eyes back up her body to her face, where her eyes have slipped closed.Ordinarily, I would demand her eyes remain on me at all times, but for right now, this suits my agenda just fine.

I want to watch her without the vulnerability slipping in. I didn’t miss the way she waited for me to acknowledge her scars. I didn’t miss how she hesitantly dropped her dress, as if she expected me to walk out the door once I knew she self-harmed.

Soon, she’ll realize the devil himself couldn’t convince me to walk out that door.

“Good girl,” I murmur. “Now your rules. You are not to come without my explicit permission. I don’t care if I’ve had you dancing on the edge of oblivion for hours. If I don’t give you permission to come, you don’t come. And believe me when I say you won’t like the consequences if you break that rule.”

Her eyes snap open, and her lips part as if she’s about to argue, but they fall shut as she takes in how serious I am.

“That also means you don’t touch your pretty pussy unless I tell you to. It’s mine now, and that means I’m in charge of who touches it and when.”

“Orion—” She starts, but I give her a swift shake of the head.

“I’m not finished, Little Flame.”

She rolls her lips together and lets out an annoyed huff but doesn’t continue with whatever argument she was about to throw my way. Her fingers have stopped moving, and I cut her with a lethal stare.

“Did I tell you to stop, Ember?”

“No,” she whispers and quickly starts circling her clit through the lace again.

“Good girl,” I praise, and her cheeks heat at the words. Good to know she likes being praised as much as I’m sure I’ll like praising her.

My palms twitch to touch her, to slide up her legs to the paradise she’s hiding beneath the barely there thong I bought for her. And fuck, I never knew how heady it would be to see herwear the clothes I picked out. To see her face light up through the cameras as she picked each item out of the box. If there’s a gift-giving kink, I think I might have it.

I shake my head to clear the fog of need that continues to roll through me before continuing. “I want to know where you are at all times.”

“That’s not?—”

“What did I say?” I snap, slapping my palm down on her bare thigh to punctuate the point, and a soft moan tumbles from her lips. How did I know my little flame would like a bite of pain with her pleasure?

“Sorry,” she whispers. “It’s just…there’s things you don’t know about me, things that mean I can’t tell you where I am at all times.”

I sigh, allowing my shoulders to relax slightly and my face to soften. Apart from that first night at the club, we haven’t discussed her work, and perhaps that was a mistake. “I know what you do for Lucas, Ember. I’ve known since the first time we met.”

Her lips part in surprise before confusion fills her gaze. “And you’re okay with that?”

I chuckle, brushing my fingers down her calf in a moment of weakness. Touching her only makes dragging this out harder, but I can’t help myself. I need to feel her softness beneath my palms to remind myself that it’s finally happening.