Saying Mercy

"Do you surrender?" Ashelia purred the question into his ear and he actually shivered, which caught her off guard.

Eric took a deep breath and whispered, "never."

Her lips touched his ear as she said, "I thought you might say that," and then she wrapped some of his hair around her finger and pulled, "now you know what you have to say to end it."

"Aye, I do," he gritted out.

She pulled tighter, and his grimace made her smile more. "You should have said mercy."