Breathless (Steel Brothers Saga #10)(78)

I fought against it and screamed again, this time muffled against his hand.

He clamped onto me more tightly. “Damn it! Why isn’t it working?”

Why wasn’t what working?

“You can’t scream again. I don’t want to harm you.”

I had no choice but to believe him. I was at his mercy. His strength was apparent as I tried to maneuver against him.

I wasn’t going to get away.

He brushed his cheek against my neck and inhaled. “What are you? You smell like…truffles. Black truffles. Black coffee. Dark chocolate. Hints of blackberry. Tin. Copper.”

“Mmm,” I said against his hand. His strange words, any other time, would have made me pause. Now? I was too frightened to give them any credence.

“Okay. I’m going to take my hand away. Don’t scream.” Slowly he released his hand.

And I screamed.

Back went his hand. “Damn it! Now what are we going to do?” He inhaled again. “Cabernet Sauvignon. Fuck. Fuck, you smell so good.”

His hand was lower on my mouth this time, and I bit into the top of it as hard as I could.

“Ouch!” He tore his hand away from me.

I turned to run out the door, but he blocked my exit.

A man. A man with black hair tangled around a face stained with blood. Eyes as dark as strong coffee stared at me. Not in a menacing way. In a pleading way.

“You have to help me.”

Without meaning to, I reached toward him and touched his cheek. Something pulled at me, forced me to do it, yet I wanted to touch him, wanted to feel him beneath my fingertips.

He whisked my hand away. “Don’t,” he said. “I won’t be able to control myself.”

“C-Control yourself?” My hand tingled. Had to touch him.

His stubbly cheeks were covered in blood, some of it already drying into brown, and more of the red fluid rimmed his full lips.