Page 6 of Dance of Defiance

“Fucking let me go,” I snap. “Or I’ll?—”

“What.”

His smirking, slightly unhinged grin is uncovered now that his mask has been knocked off. His wild, dark hair frames his high, sculpted cheekbones and his sharp jawline. His crystal blue eyes lance into me with a dangerous glint.

“Or you’llwhat, Roman,” he grins. “Wait for me to loosen my grip again to test your reaction time? Yeah, I’m definitely doing that. Except how about this time, I give you a three second countdown so you can get the jump on me for sure.”

I glare wordlessly at him.

“That was a joke, by the way.”

“Yeah,” I mutter. “I got it.”

He sighs, settling his bulk onto me. His hands tighten around my wrists…

And an odd tingle, a singlezapof feeling, starts like a hum in the middle of my chest and then sparks out like an electric jolt to my extremities.

You have a sickness. A corruption. Something that needs to be cut out of you…

I squeeze my eyes shut behind my mask as my throat tightens, choking off my own breath as blackness begins to swirl.

“No, Roman, you’re not dreaming,” Val sighs. “As much of a dreamboat as I am.”

I open my eyes to glare up at him again. His lips curl at the edges in a smug grin as he winks at me. “See? I’m still here. Lucky boy.”

“Get.Off.”

His brows arch, the smug grin lingering on his lips. “Get off as in you’re tellingmeto get off? Or are you asking me to getyouoff? Because, Roman, I have to say, a littlepleasegoes a long way?—”

“Stop fucking around!”I snarl as I struggle in his grip. But, Christ, he’s goddamn immobile. And the more I try to shove at him, the more his hands tighten around my wrists.

The harder his strong, muscular thighs squeeze either side of my body.

The hotter his strong frame burns into mine.

And the more that fucking zapping sensation keeps sparking through my stomach, turning me inside out and sending my brain into spasms of uncontrollable thoughts.

Val tilts his head to the side, eying me in a slightly off-kilter, maniacal way that sucks the air from my lungs. His grip tightens on my wrists, and when it does, a little sound escapes my throat.

Val pauses, one brow arching slowly and dramatically. “Now, what wasthat?”

I swallow. “That was me grunting.”

“I think I like it when you grunt.”

“Youneedto get the fuck?—”

“Yeah, no, we’ve already covered that. Catch up, Roman.”

When I glare at him again, he takes another deep breath and lets it out slowly.

“First, tell me what the fuck you’re doing here.”

“None of your?—”

“It’s my brother’s house, and you’re not on the guest list.” He lifts a toned shoulder. “Pretty sure that makes it my business.”

“Maybe I was upset that I wasn’t invited,” I mutter.