Page 103 of Beneath the Light of the Moon

“And miss out on seeing you like this.” His footsteps plodded closer, her eyes still adjusting. Lowering her arm, Mikko’s masked face was unbothered by the change in light.

Bastard.

“Piss off.”

Setting his supplies down on her small breakfast table nearby, Mikko slowly unraveled a length of rope. “I hate for it to be this way, but you always have to be sodifficult.”She rolled her eyes. “Arms on the armrests of the chair…please.”

Because she wanted to see his knot tying skills, she listened.

Kneeling before her, rope in hand, he grasped her ankle instead. The touch seared her bare skin and had her nearly gasping. Thewetness in her underwear was growing more noticeable. Gritting her teeth, her hands and feet ached to fidget while he touched her. The invasion of personal space was killing her while simultaneously setting her skin ablaze.

It reminded her of the gun range; his touches were semi-professional and fleeting, but still invoking something deep within her. It had to be her hatred morphing into its own entity, a feeling she was unaccustomed to experiencing so thoroughly.

“Sit still, little moon, I’ll be quick.”

The nickname had her freezing in place as she let him bind her legs—one to each leg of the chair. The sound of a knife sawing through the threads of rope occupied the tense silence between them. He read her hesitance as fear. Most women would be alarmed by such an intrusion—Anika was too if she really examined herself—but she was prepared, ready to look into the jaws of the beast she’d taunted.

Mikko used his height and stature to get what he wanted, imposing himself on her and threatening her without using as many words as he could. But Anika had been around men like him before, maybe even worse ones, and made it out alive. This time wasn’t any different. Her discomfort came from security, or lack thereof, but that could be rebuilt.

Still kneeling, he used his torso to pry her legs the rest of the way open, determined to press his heated flesh against hers. The rainwater on him was drying, but a dampness clung to his clothes. She fought to not clamp her thighs around him.

“Why do you keep calling me that?” Anika suddenly asked.

Mikko laughed humorlessly, his eyes darker than before when he glanced up at her. “Your hair.”

Two words, but still Anika’s breath left her lungs. “What?”

He reached out and touched it with his free hand. “It was the first thing I noticed about you that day atBubblegum. You were standing inline, glaring, and I caught sight of this…” he twirled a strand around his gloved finger. “It reminds me of a crescent moon, only a sliver of light left to keep you company on long nights.” His voice softened, eyes unfocused as if he was reminiscing something else. “And there aremanynights where most of you is hidden. Untrustworthy.”

“Some might see that as a warning.”

“I should’ve…”

“Your father teach you to nurture that kind of negligence?” she asked, fire in her eyes and in her heart.

Mikko huffed. “He taught me to be unwavering. Although I might’ve misconstrued his teachings when I channeled it into going after the things I wanted.”

“Which is?”

“You.”

She swallowed, speechless. Pressed to her very center, he tied each wrist to an arm of the chair. Every movement had her skin tingling. She was painfully aware of every inch where they touched. Warmth rushed to her cheeks, anger blossoming in her face. But beneath that, there was something else. An edge she’d refused to examine—a void that was sick and twisted.

“That’s a weak explanation,” she countered breathily, unwilling to acknowledge what he’d said fully.

“When you start cooperating, I’ll give you a better o—”

“Wha–Iam.I’m in this damn chair, aren’t I?”

“Small wins.”

Anika clamped her jaw tight, tipped her head back, and focused on breathing through her nose. The small breaths she expelled only semi-distracted her. If she started ruminating on the fact that her body was reacting differently than what she wanted, she wouldn’t make it out of this whole.

Satisfied with his work, he leaned back

“If you wanted to tie me up, you could’ve asked,” Anika said, needing to break the silence. “I’ll try anything once.”

He chuckled, the noise slightly muffled from his mask. “I thought Levi did that ‘all on his own.’”