Page 21 of Under Your Scars

“Sounds like I need to teach you a goddamn lesson,” he growls, sheathing the knife. I feel his large hand land with a hard smack against my ass, so hard that it pushes me forward on the floor a few inches. I choke out a whine and tears prick in my eyes.

He lets me go, and I turn over, the cold wood of the floor soothing my tender flesh. He only slapped me once, but I swear to God, any harder and he would have broken a bone. He’s lounging triumphantly on my bed, his massive body nowhere close to fitting on the twin sized mattress. His arms are propped behind his head, and he’s got a tent in his pants as tall as a skyscraper.

“I’ve got something for you.”

“No,” I growl. I’m horrified. I can’t believe that just happened. He spanked me so hard I felt it in my teeth and he’s acting like we’re roleplaying or some other twisted shit.

“Get your head out of the gutter, Elena, and get up here.” He pats the bed next to him. “Now. Or I’ll drag you up here myself.”

“Don’t fucking touch me,” I snap back on instinct. In an instant, he’s sitting up on the bed, and his arm snaps towards me lightning fast, tangling his large hand into my hair.

Without saying a word, he uses his firm grip in my hair to drag me up to the bed with him, careful not to break eye contact. His stare burns right through me as he lays me down flat against the mattress. Only after he cages me in with his thick thighs does he release his grip on my hair, and my chest blooms with redness. There’s a stirring deep in my stomach.

He reaches out a finger to run along my jawline, and then in his other hand, he holds up a thin silver bracelet between us. It has a small circular charm no bigger than a dime dangling from it.

He drops it on my chest unceremoniously.

“It’s in case you ever need help,” he explains. I lift the chain to examine it. “The charm attached is a silent panic alarm. You turn it on by clicking it five times. You’ll feel it vibrate, and it will send me an alert with your exact location. If you press it, I’ll come. No matter what.”

Unease flips my stomach as I stare at the device. “How do I know you’re not just using it to track me all the time?”

“I guess you’ll just have to trust me.” He takes a deep breath, his body unnaturally rigid. He nods towards it. “Put it on.”

“Give me one good reason why I should.”

My attitude never seems to faze him, and he grips my jaw roughly. “Because if you were really scared of me, you would fight harder. You would run when you see me. You’d scream and beg for your life, but you don’t, Elena.” His voice is gravel behind that mask, but it doesn’t lack finesse, and it envelops me like a snake strangling its meal. Its rough edges trail up my spine like phantom fingers, coming to rest on my blushed cheeks. “You’re all alone in this city. If I killed you, it’d be days before anyone found you.” His fingers sensually trace my neck and the collar of my shirt, coming to rest along my throat like a necklace. He squeezes so gently, just enough to quicken my heartbeat but not enough to steal my breath. “I don’t want to kill you, angel. I want to keep you all to myself. You’d better take off those rose-colored glasses and accept that the only place you belong is in my black heart.”

Gone is the wit and the teasing glint in his eyes. He sighs, and his tone softens. “I’m not strong enough to stay away from you. I couldn’t live with myself if someone came after you because of me.”

“Why would anyone come after me?”

“Because I care.”

Though he doesn’t say it out loud, I know he wants to finish the sentence with ‘about you’.

I don’t know what comes over me, but I carefully reach up to run my fingers along his mask. When my fingers touch him, he closes his eyes and practically purrs.

“Are you trying to say I’m important to you?”

He opens his eyes and I swear he’s burrowing into my soul. “Yeah.”

“Important enough to know your name?”

Though a mask is covering his face, I can see it in the way his eyes sparkle that he’s smiling behind it. He laughs and shakes his head. “We’re not there yet, angel.”

I wiggle away from his legs, and he lets me sit up. We’re both crossed legged on the mattress now, and I hold the device between us. I glance up at him from under my lashes and my tongue wets my bottom lip. I fasten the chain around my ankle, and then rest my foot against his chest to examine it. “Ugly,” I hum, unimpressed. “I would have preferred diamonds.”

My comment pulls a chuckle from deep in his chest and he pushes my ankle to the side. He focuses on the dress discarded on my floor. “You going somewhere?”

I shrug. “A wedding.”

He hums and picks up the ugly garment from the floor, raising an eyebrow when he looks it over. “Elena, you’re way too beautiful to wear this abomination.”

“You offering to buy me a dress?” I snap back. He stays quiet. “Then shut up.”

He tosses the dress into my face. I roll my eyes when it falls and lands in my lap. He clears his throat. “I have to go. But remember what I said—if you press that button, I’ll come. I promise.” He makes a move for the window and without thinking, I catch him by his large bicep, at least what I can grab in my small hand. He looks at me and raises an eyebrow.

“I’m going to figure out who you are under there.” I tap his mask. “I don’t just mean your name.”