Page 97 of Loving the Tormentor

His arms wrap around my waist from the back.

"I write my best work when I have my muse around. Do you really think I'm doing this for you? I’m selfish, don’t you know that by now?"

I don’t say anything, forcing myself to stay still so I don’t melt into his embrace.

"So? Do you take my offer?"

"Do I have a choice?" I throw back.

"No, but it was fun pretending you did." He turns me around, drops a kiss on my lips, and says, "Now let’s get in the shower. We’re covered in blood."

Chapter Twenty-One

Achilles

KARMA – Dutch Melrose, benny Mayne

Nyx comes out of the shower with only a towel wrapped around her and her long brown hair dripping.

"Thank you for packing me a bag," she says as she comes to the end of the bed and starts to unpack it.

I brought it up while she was finishing in there. I think she needed longer to get the whole scene off her. But I wasn’t worried for one second that she’d be traumatized by this.

She likes when I play with her, and she enjoys when I'm rough or restrain her. But nothing, and I mean absolutelynothing, turns her into a good little whore like playing with her fears does.

It's fascinating.

"You say you're selfish." Her voice takes me out of my daydreaming.

I'm sitting on the bed in my boxers, my back resting on the pillows behind me, just watching her, and my imagination was about to start working on what I'm going to do to her next.

"But you put these in the bag." She shows me a pack of gum.

I feel a smile pull at my lips. I love how she always tastes of bubblegum. It's so silly and innocent, and I wonder how anyone over twelve can still enjoy the taste. But weirdly, I like that she likes it.

"Do you think it's for you or for me?" I ask.

"Well, I'm the one who likes them," she explains slowly, like I'm a four-year-old.

"And I'm the one who likes to taste them on your tongue."

She gives me a pointed look, and I shrug. "It'd be stupid of you to ignore the fact that I'm selfish. Naïve even."

I notice the hurt in her eyes in the way she retreats slightly, but there's nothing wrong with what I said. She just doesn't like the truth.

"Mon trésor," I say. "Why are you getting upset?"

She clears her throat. "I'm not."

I have to bite my lower lip not to smile at her pout.

"You're a good girl, Nyx. You can't help it. I don't understand it, that's for sure, but you shouldn't be hurt by the truth. You're too forgiving, I've told you that before. And yes, it makes you naïve, so I have to keep reminding you that I'm selfish andnota good person."

"I'm not naïve," she snaps. "I'm adreamer. No one is all good or all bad. And I choose to hang on to every piece of good everyone has in their hearts. It's what I do. I hope, and I imagine, that even people like Chase, and my dad, andyouhave a good part within themselves. That one day, you’ll feel safe enough to let that come out when you're with me. You…you gave up on everything, everyone. It's sad. So much that you don't even realize that the good in me has got you in a chokehold because you’re jealous of me and the things I can feel. So, yes, you keep reminding me that you're a bad person, and you keep doing bad things, but you can't even stop yourself when you're good to me."

I feel my eyebrows crunch.Ouch.

Deciding she's done with this after throwing the realest thing anyone ever has in my face, she keeps looking in the bag.