Serpentine Desires

The prey

I tried averting my gaze and felt the heat of his stare as his eyes bore into me like a flame against my skin. My hands pressed against his chest and I pushed him away. Surprisingly, he let me go and a smirk tugged at his lips. I willed myself not to look down between his legs, but the shameless man hadn't even bothered putting his clothes back on. 

He chuckled, taking a lazy step closer and it didn't hide the fact he was a foot taller than me and almost twice my size. He lifted his hand and brushed my hair from my face, letting his fingers linger for a lewd second. His mouth curved into a wicked grin as his voice dropped.

"Why so shy now?" he teased. "My cock's been inside you more times than I can count."

He leaned in, close enough that I could feel his breath on my neck, his fingers trailing along my collarbone, possessive and slow, reminding me of every moment he'd claimed me.

My jaw clenched so tightly I could feel my teeth grinding together. My grip tightened around the sheets, pulling them closer, holding onto that thin shield between us as if it might somehow keep him at bay. I forced myself to take a deep breath, steadying the surge of anger and the strange, disorienting heat his presence seemed to drag up inside me.

"Where are my clothes?" I demanded, keeping my voice steady, eyes fixed somewhere past his shoulder as he stood there, shameless and entirely unbothered by his nakedness.

He chuckled, that low, dark sound that grated against my nerves and curled around something deep inside me. "Clothes?" he repeated, mockingly, as if the word itself was laughable. "Ptichka, you won't be needing them here."

I narrowed my eyes, refusing to let him rattle me any more than he already had. I didn't let my gaze drift, no matter how much he moved, no matter how he seemed to lean in, making every angle and edge of himself visible in my periphery. "Believe me, I do need them," I said coldly. "Unlike you, I have some boundaries."

He laughed again, unbothered, and took a step closer. "Boundaries?" his voice dripped with a sarcastic amusement that only infuriated me further. "You lost the right to boundaries a long time ago."

I gritted my teeth daring a glance at him and finding those icy eyes watching me intently. "You're delusional if you think you have any right to keep me here like this," I spat.

He tilted his head, his expressions darkened but his freaking smirk was still there. "You're mine. Here," his eyes dropped to where I clutched the sheets, "and anywhere else I decide to take you."

Something in his tone sent a shiver down my spine, but I swallowed hard, refusing to let him see it. I turned my gaze to the window, forcing myself to look out at the bleak, white landscape beyond, hoping the sight would somehow ease the tightness in my chest.

"Till then, if you want to take a bath, the bathroom is all yours. I'm expecting you to be in the kitchen in twenty minutes. One second late and I'll drag your ass out myself. Don't even think about testing me, or you'll regret it." His gaze darkened and without another word, he turned and strode toward the other side of the room and my eyes widened at the sight of his arse. What this man was? How could he be so casual about roaming naked...

His back was to me, and for a brief, dangerous moment, I considered grabbing something—anything—to use against him. But I knew he'd see through that in an instant.

"Enjoy the view, little bird," he said as he disappeared into the next room before looking over his shoulder and winking. "You'll be seeing it for a long, long time."

********

The bathroom door closed behind me with a quiet click, and I took in the vast, gleaming space around me. Marble walls soared high, polished and cold, and every fixture gleamed with a calculated luxury, meant to dazzle, to awe. But it felt like a gilded cage, an inescapable prison with no windows, no way out, and nothing sharp enough to use if I ever needed it. A hollow sigh escaped my lips as I turned on the shower, the water pounding to life like a heartbeat, steady and scalding hot.