Page 18 of Oath

“I’m sorry, I think I misheard you.”

An actual huff of laughter left him. “You didn’t.” He’d finished taping my hands and tossed the roll back toward the bench. “Kick me in the balls.”

Of all the things for him to say, I just stared at him. I wanted totouchhim, nothurthim. “You know that might be going a bit?—”

All at once, he grabbed my biceps and hauled me up off my feet. His pitiless expression arrested every single thought I had as he glared at me and put his face right up to mine.

“What would you do now?”

Since he was asking…

I kissed him.

Chapter

Six

GRACE

Something in Bones forever dared me to defy him. Even when we were cooperating, it wasn’t about working together—it was about doing ithisway. He set my body on fire, but never let me touch him. The stroke of his fingers could drive me to orgasm over and over, but not once did his lips even so much as brush mine.

Did I ask them to train me? To teach me? To help me help them? Yes, I had. But I didn’t sign up to be in the military and I sure as shit didn’t promise to obey every single order. That was what Bones did—hecommanded.

He didn’t ask. He didn’t suggest. He said jump and expected my ass to be in the air when I asked how high. After the past few weeks of bending over backwards to be “good,” I was done.

Done waiting.

Done pretending.

Done playing nice.

Of course, when he wanted to know what would I do if he dragged me off my feet and put his face in mine? I did exactly what I would do. I kissed him before I could talk myself out of it. The flex of his fingers around my biceps kept my arms trapped atmy sides, but I made the most out of crashing my mouth against his.

The contact was a shock—sharp, electric, like stepping off a ledge and realizing too late you meant to fall. For a second, he didn’t move, and my stomach sank. Had I made a mistake? But I didn’t pull back. I pressed in harder, demanding a response.

I had to know and he could at least—but then he kissed me back and everything justsnapped.

Anger and desire surged up, hot and tangled. I bit at his lip; he squeezed my arms. It wasn’t romantic. It was messy, furious. A clash of pride and pain and everything we’d left unsaid. I wanted to bruise him with it. I wanted him to feel how long I’d held it in. His hands gripped tighter, his breath rough, matching mine beat for beat.

But something shifted—somewhere between the fury and the fire.

The kiss deepened, turned hungry, almost desperate. I wanted to slide my fingers into his hair while his hands roamed over me, but I couldn’t move. We were trapped in this moment, with our mouths feasting on each other. Wildfire consumed the anger and irritation. I drowned in the want of him, and it cut all the safeties.

I devoured him—or maybe he devoured me. The whole world narrowed to where we connected. We thrust our tongues against each other’s in an infuriating duel. Suddenly, he jerked his head back to stare at me. His pupils were huge, and his breathing as ragged as my own.

That was something.

“What the hell was that?” he growled in a harsh voice.

Oh, there he was. Snarly Boney Boy doused the incendiary moment with the cold reality.

“That—” I said, licking my lips, savoring the taste of him that already had me addicted, “was a distraction.” I slammed my knee into his crotch—just like he’d demanded.

Shock rippled over his face, swiftly followed by pain. His hands spasmed and opened. I dropped to my feet even as he went down, gasping.

Still panting, I put my hands on my hips and met the blazing storm in his eyes. “That’s how I do it—anyway. So what’s my next lesson?”

Coughing once, Bones continued to glare at me. “Dollface, you ever kiss another guy like that when he’s attacking you, I’ll kill him and spank you.”