Page 9 of A Kingdom of Shadows

"Believe me, I've thought about hundreds of ways to kill you. I even made a new list for it."

"What was your other list?"

"My hate list." I huff and stop to catch my breath. "I wrote you down ten times." I turn to him, but all I can focus on is the soft glow of the sun caressing his onyx hair and the brightening of his gold eyes.

His lip tugs to the side. "Sounds more like an obsession. Did you kiss my name after you wrote it?"

Pig.

"Dream of me?" He smiles harder as he notices my ever-growing aggravation. "Imagine me naked?"

My brow lifts, knowing he's waiting for me to insult him, get even more irritated by everything he says because, strangely, I think this is his way of wanting us to be normal again.

Pursing my lips, I blow out a relaxing breath before my features soften. "Yes, I did."

All the amusement disappears from his face, and I know I've got him as I saunter toward his tense body. "And then I thought of scenarios in my head of us," I whisper, sliding my fingertips up his arm.

Unexpected and tempting of me.

Another game between us.

Back to normality.

"Like?" There's a rasp to his voice as his brows furrow.

"Well," I breathe, eyeing his upper arm, the taut muscles even through his sleeve. "They'd start off with you touching me." My hands reach down to grab him and place them on my waist. "Here."

He watches me closely every moment I drag my gaze over him. "Then," my whisper is a graze upon his skin. "You'd lower them to my thighs." And I do exactly that, grinning as I look up at his throat, stretching while he swallows hard.

I win.

Pushing his hands off, I step back when his arm encircles my waist, pinning me back to his chest. "Seems very unlikely of me to do, Goldie," he murmurs in a dare.

"Oh?" I cock my head, raising my brows. "Why is that?"

He smirks like my challenging voice means little when it comes to us. "Because what you just showed me is minuscule to what I would do and what you secretly desire."

My façade drops.

"It's too tame, too safe when it comes to you," he says, a laugh vibrating deep in his chest. "And we both know you're not like that, Goldie. You want to know why?"

I don't say a word as he keeps going.

"Because you want to feel everything. You want to experience what it's like to go over the edge. But it doesn't stop there." His voice drips with seduction, warming my veins until it's scalding. He wets his bottom lip as he stares at my own. "See... you want to be punished; you want someone to be as dominant with you as you are in person and not just that, Goldie. You also crave the desire of a release that only a dragon—one you hate could ever give you."

What is happening?

My palms crackle like wildfire, heating under his chest. His lips hover over mine, and a voice inside my head tells me to push him away, but I'm solid on the spot. My mouth is slightly ajar, and my eyes are half closed as his hand glides down my back, making me lose all sense.

"But of course," he whispers, and my gaze tracks the thickness of his lower lip, the vibrations of his neck as he talks, "That is only hypothetical, though I'm glad to know I've caused somewhat of an effect on you, Goldie." He lets go and winks as he goes to walk past me. "Knew you had a thing for me."

"You—" Frustration hollows in my chest, and I screw my face as I whirl to him "—You fliptwit!"

"Fliptwit?" He carries on walking carelessly. "I've never heard of that before."

"I made it up." I grimace to myself at the childish need to admit that.

He turns to me, placing a hand on his chest in fake offense. "You sure know how to wound me with your words." His voice drops to a whisper as he scrunches his nose with glee. "Wretched mortal."