Page 39 of Trapped With You

“Fuck you!”

“Ask me like a good girl and I might consider givingyouthe opportunity to suck my dick,” I goaded. “I remember how much you loved getting your face fucked, Ella.”

Feeble fists pounded at my back. “Let me down, asshole! Or I really will knee you in the balls! I’m not kidding!Cade!”

“Careful,princess.” I spanked her ass in two successive swats that echoed in the tunnels. “Once I redden your ass into my favourite shade of red, I’ll fuck the disrespectfulness out of you in no time.”

“You’re insufferable.” She squirmed in my hold. “Are you forgetting I literally have a gun in my hand?”

Dark amusement curved my lips. “Hard to forget since you currently have it poised at my head.”

We reached the door leading to Balthazar Building and I dropped Ella to her feet. She swayed with a curse and I rapidlyretrieved my gun, tucking it back in the waistband of my pants. Then I backed Ella against the hard surface, pressing my hands on either side of her head.

Her chest heaved up and down with her inhales and exhales. She glared at me with a daring expression.

In the dead quietness of the tunnels, every breath and heartbeat felt magnified.

It was the chase. It always exhilarated both of us. The excitement mixed with fear released a rush of adrenaline that roused our pulses like no other.

“Would you have done it?” I asked gently.

“Done what?” she spat.

“Shoot me.”

Ella’s shoulders deflated and she closed her eyes on a sigh. “No. Even if I hate you, I don’t wish you dead.”

“What will it take for you to forgive me?”

Silence stretched between us for a few seconds. When Ella answered, her voice was thick with emotions. “A miracle, Cade.”

I flinched, hearing what she really wanted to say.For you to not have broken my heart. For the last three months to have been a fever dream.For us to go back in time and erase all the wrongness that overshadowed our perfect start.

“Ella—”

“Don’t,” she said vehemently. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?” My tone was inexplicably hoarse.

“Like you want to kiss me,” she whispered. “And never stop.”

“I always want to kiss you, Ella,” I whispered back. “That’s what I dream about most. Kissing you and never, ever coming up for air.”

My words punctured another layer of her thinly composed mask.

I stepped back to give her space and focused on the electronic lock.

While I entered the combination, Ella stared straight ahead. Unblinking. Frozen like a goddess Nemesis statue. Trying to make sense of what I just said.

With a small buzz, the door unlocked.

Ella didn’t budge. Neither did I.

Maybe I underestimated the depth of her hurt. Maybe I was a fool to believe that a handful of hours would be enough to convince Ella to give me another chance. The way she stood now with an unyielding quality, I feared our three-month separation had cemented her walls to a point where breaking them would be nearly impossible.

Though I would not stop trying.

“Clock’s ticking, Ella,” I told her.