I suck in a breath. All my fight is gone, just like that, at the snap of his fingers. I’m once again pinned between him and a wall, same as I was just a moment ago downstairs. But now, instead of a sun-soaked kiss with the French countryside descending into indigo evening as the cinematic backdrop, I’m caged alone in a dark, stone-lined hallway as the shadows cluster closer and closer.
“I’ve been patient,” Lukas continues, his voice dropping to a growl that resonates through my bones. “I’ve been careful. I’ve done everything in my power to keep my hands off you, and you keep pushing. Poking. Wanting.”
His face is inches from mine. Every plane and line of it is taut and cruel.
“I’m not worth wanting, Rae. I’m the thing mothers warn their daughters about. I’m the monster hiding under the
