Page 65 of Cain

He walks away, leaving me alone with him.

How good he looks in his work attire. Black slacks, perfectly tailored to sculpt his tall, athletic frame. His black shirt is unbuttoned at the top, just enough to reveal the inked patterns on his back, creeping up the sides of his neck.

I have a strange feeling around him; I don’t know what exactly it is. I’m not awkward or scared—not at the moment—but I’m not relaxed or calm, either.

He fixes his eyes on me and scans me from head to toe. Now I feel awkward. Why is he looking at me like this?

“It’s rude to stare.” I cross my arms.

“It’s rude to be so damn irresistible in the middle of the day.” His brow shoots up.

I instantly feel my cheeks flush. I force myself to meet his gaze, refusing to show how much he’s affecting me.

I narrow my eyes. “You’re crossing the line.”

He steps forward until he’s close enough to make me crane my neck and meet his dark green eyes.

“Am I?” His voice drops. “Because right now, I could make you regret that look in your eyes. You don’t want to test me.”

My jaw flexes. “You’re a bastard,” I whisper, the words barely escaping my lips.

His grin sharpens. “You have no idea how much worse I can be.” He steps closer, making my pulse spike and my eyes drop lower. I back away without thinking, only stopping when the counter presses against my lower back. “But maybe you’ll find out.”

I’m trapped.

Again.

My lashes flutter involuntarily, refusing to rise and meet his gaze.

Looming over me, he slowly unties my arms and let them fall to my sides. He grabs my chin and lifts my head to look at him. My emotions are all over the place.I don’t think I’ve ever felt this way, but I try to relax, obeying his commanding gesture.

“Do you still want to kiss me?” he asks, his breath hammering against my lips. My breathing becomes shallower, and I feel my fingertips going numb.Do I?

“Uhm”—I swallow—”what?”

He hums slowly—it’s almost like a growl.

His fingers tighten slightly on my chin, tilting my face further up. His eyes burn into mine.

Intense. Dark. Consuming.

“You heard me,” he murmurs, his lips barely a breath away from mine. “Do you still want to kiss me?”

My lips part, but I still have no answer. Wanting and surrendering are two different things, and right now, I don’t know which is worse.

“You can say no, little rose,” he hisses, his fingers tracing the curve of my jawline. “But we both know you won’t.”

He’s close. God, too close. I can almost feel his body pressing against mine.

The fear licking up my spine isn’t from him. It’s from me. From the way I don’t pull away. From the way my body betrays me, drawn to him like a moth to a flame. From the way I already know how this will end.

“Last chance,” he murmurs, his breath warm against my lips. “Do you want me to stop?”

The absolute horror isn’t that he’s asking. It’s that I’m not sure if I want him to.

His other hand descends on me and grabs my ass firmly while his dark eyes remain fixed on mine. “You’re such a good girl, Katerina, you know that?”

He lowers his other hand to my ass as well, and his grip tightens as he lifts me effortlessly, placing me on the cold kitchen counter. My breath stutters.