By the time she reached ten, her breath came in jagged bursts, her chest rising and falling with the exertion and the fire that still lingered across her skin. She sagged slightly against the bench, relief mingling with a dissonant thrill, a part of her warring with the other.
She hated him, and yet… a small, treacherous part of her couldn't deny the pull of this man who was at once danger and obsession.
He dropped the whip and moved to one of the desks that lined the room. The metal can of soothing cream caught the dim light. He knelt behind her. When he pressed a kiss to her reddened skin, her breath caught.
"You have the most beautiful skin." He sighed against her. Vee's mind flitted between anger and shame. The awareness that he wanted her, desired her, and that he had to hold himself back until she truly chose—stirred a conflicted warmth in her.
