Page 32 of Break Me

“Mmm… A challenge. Alright. What is the question?”

He leaned further over the table. “Do you enjoy breaking rules?”

“I never break them.”

His response of placing the tip of his finger against my nose brought a short laugh. “Try again.”

“When did I break the rules?”

“When you entered my house without backup.”

“Now, how would you know that?”

The intensity of his stare kept my heart fluttering. “I’m omniscient.” Every time he laughed, I swooned just a little bit. “I overheard some of the firefighters talking.”

“Oh, that. I saved a life. That was reason enough.”

“Rules are in place for a reason. You do know what happens to bad little girls who break the rules. Don’t you?”

“No, tell me.”

A rush of desire shifted back and forth between us.

“Bad girls are punished.”

The words thrilled me, which was ridiculous.

“What is this, Alexsey?” I breathed as the electric vibrations continued to tickle every inch of my skin. “The insistence on seeing me, thanking me. The clothes. A life-sized stuffed animal for my little girl, let alone medicine that might keep her alive. Dinner that cost you multiple thousands of dollars. Why?”

He took his time savoring his lurid actions before popping my finger from his mouth. But he kept my hand close, the same look in his eyes. “Because I wanted to, Halle.”

“And? Don’t lie to me.”

“I will never lie to you. This is about stripping away your defenses. About driving aside your inhibitions. And once I do, I’m going to break you.”

While the certainty in his voice would ordinarily annoy me, his seductive tone and the words themselves did nothing but excite me. Yet I wasn’t the kind of woman who would shed my defenses for any man.

“I’m sorry, Alexsey. No one will ever be able to break me.”

“Trust me, Halle. I am never wrong.”

His arrogance was palpable, which was why I found it so fascinating. He was a complex man, edgy on the outside while being considerate, even kind on the inside. The dichotomy was what had kept me from shutting down. I craved to learn more about him. His wants. His needs.

The power and danger surrounding him.

He pushed himself away from the table, his eyes never leaving mine. I watched as he stood, slowly removing his jacket and placing it over the back of the chair. His eyes remained piercingmine as he jerked on his tie, tugging it free while a smile slowly crossed his face.

For some reason, I held my breath when he unbuttoned his shirt, moving to the sleeves. As he rolled them up and over his elbows, I noticed an incredible tattoo on his forearm. A dagger through a rose.

The sight of it brought questions that eventually I would need answers to. When he was finished, he beckoned for me with a single hand, curling his fingers for enticement. I realized that he hadn’t blinked. Not once. The uncertainty of what he was planning was even more exciting.

He pulled me to my feet, the force enough to drive our heated bodies together. The feel of having him so close, the tickle of his hot breath dancing across my skin created a series of filthy thoughts and images. I had the intense need to touch his skin, including tracing the tattoo beautifully marking his skin.

Everything about the man was enchanting as he moved back and forth while inching close to the stunning ebony grand piano. A focal point of the room, the beautiful instrument had a permanent position in front of a sweep of floor-to-ceiling windows.

Alexsey shifted us back and forth in time to the intense bass beats of the piece the pianist had chosen. A little nagging in the back of my mind told me that he’d also been involved in the music selection. There was no doubt he wanted to be in control of everything.

Including me.