Lucien felt Stephanie’s gaze. He glanced at her to see her brows raised, a smile playing at her mouth.
He looked back down at Leah and made a decision. Half-leading, half-dragging her still giggling frame, he guided her to the far less crowded hall that led to the restrooms. There, he pressed her into the wall and got close.
She put her hands on his chest and smiled up at him.
Lucien felt his chest get tight. This feeling wasn’t unpleasant in the slightest.
“That’s usually Justin’s gig,” she said through her smile.
“Pardon?” Lucien asked, smiling back, his arms sliding around her waist to pull her closer even as he leaned into her, pressing her back into the wall.
“Mind control. Justin was the master.” Then she laughed again, out loud, her body sagging into his. When she controlled herself she told him, “If I’d have known you six months ago, I would have paid you to mind control Justin. He was such a shit, the master manipulator.”
“You wouldn’t have had to pay me, my pet. It would have been my pleasure.” He was still smiling but his words were serious.
They also sobered her. Her body twitched and the smile died on her face.
Lucien wanted it back.
“Don’t,” he warned, his arms tightening.
She looked around, noticing for the first time where she was. Then her eyes locked at the entryway five feet down the hall.
“We should get back to Stephanie –”
“Look at me, Leah.”
For the first time in weeks he watched her struggling against her natural reaction before her eyes met his.
“For five minutes, I had you back. Don’t go away again,” he demanded.
“But you already –” she started and he cut her off.
“If you tell me I’ve already got you, I swear to Christ, we’re going home right now and I’ll do whatever I have to do to drag you out of that f**king fortress you’ve built around you.”
Her mouth clamped shut, her eyes flashed and Lucien felt a bolt of elation rip through him.
Finally, he was getting somewhere.
“Can we talk about this later?” she asked quietly.
“There’s nothing to talk about,” he told her. “You’re withholding from me.”
“Am not,” she returned.
“Leah.” Her name was a warning.
“Well, I’m not!” Her voice was rising and Lucien welcomed it.
Because of this, his tone softened when he spoke. “You forget, sweetling, I’ve been watching you for twenty years.”
Her eyes slid away and she muttered, “I haven’t forgotten that.”
His arms gave her a squeeze and her gaze came back to his.
“Therefore, I know the Leah Buchanan who I’m sharing a bed with is not Leah Buchanan.”
“She is,” Leah retorted.
Stubborn. He nearly smiled.
He didn’t.
“She isn’t,” he replied.
“What do you want from me?” she asked and there was the barest hint of a snap to her question. Regardless of her crumbling composure, he could hear her heart racing and he could smell her fear.
He’d missed that too.
He drew her even closer and her hands on his chest started pressing.
He ignored it.
“Everything,” he answered.
“You’ve got it.”
“I don’t.”
“Whatever you don’t have then you can’t have.”
Definitely a snap.
Yes, his Leah was coming back.
He couldn’t help it, he smiled. Her eyes dropped to his mouth and he heard her pulse accelerate.
“You’re saying you’re determined to be nothing but my whore,” he stated.
Her body grew still and her heart skipped. “What?”
“You have a choice. You can be with me as I want you to be or you can be my whore. Your choice.”
He watched her face work as she struggled to find a way out of the predicament she placed herself in.
Then she said, “There’s a third choice.”
“And that would be?”
“You can release me.”
He felt his chest tighten again. This time it was extremely unpleasant.
“That isn’t going to happen.”
She pushed against him. He ignored it.
“I refuse to choose,” she hissed.
“Then I’ll choose.”
She stopped breathing and her face went pale before she whispered, “You can’t make me do either one.”
His hand slid up her back, fingers wrapping around her neck.
“Would you like to try me, pet?”
Her fear spiked, the scent of it filling the hall and he felt his c**k start to get hard in reaction as he felt her heart tripping against his chest.
The bells sounded, announcing it was time for the patrons to take their seats.
“Please can we talk about this later?” she begged and he studied her face.
She’d had enough. However, he was again getting through.
“Yes,” he relented. “We can talk about it later.”
She sagged in relief against him.
He dipped his face to touch his mouth to hers.
“But we will talk about it, Leah,” he cautioned, his lips moving against hers. “Your new game ends and we begin.” He watched close up as her eyes grew round, her scent enveloping him, her delicious fear coating his throat. “Tonight,” he finished.
* * * * *
Leah sat beside him in the car, feigning sleep.
He knew she wasn’t asleep. He’d slept a month of nights beside her. He knew exactly what her breathing and heart sounded like when she was sleeping.
That was not it.
Furthermore, she couldn’t be tired considering she’d had a nap at the opera.
It was safe to say, even though Leah hadn’t told him, she didn’t like opera.
During the first act, he’d discovered this when he felt her subtle movements beside him. However when he turned his head to look at her, her own head was bowed as if deep in contemplation.
He thought nothing of this, suspecting she was considering her options for their discussion later that evening.
His gaze moved to Stephanie who was sitting beside Leah, eyes glued on the stage, lips curved into an amused grin.
They weren’t watching a comedy.
His gaze traveled back to Leah and he saw her suddenly pull an outrageous face. Chin jutted out so the cords in her neck strained, she flicked her tongue between her lips like a snake.
Lucien stared in disbelief wondering if the pressure of his taming was getting to her.