"Take your hands off me, you psycho!" I screech, squirming wildly, trying to be free. "Let go of me!"

"No!" he says, tightening his grip on me. He has me trapped, pressed between the wall and his body with my hands pinned above my head. "Where is it? Where is the book, sweetheart? And who hired you?"

"I told you, I don't have it! Stop calling me sweetheart and let me go!" I struggle harder, but my struggle is a laughable attempt at best. I tug at my hands but his hold on me is like a barnacle- secure, powerful, and unshakable. He's too strong and I feel helpless, like a little kitten in the jaw of a lion and I hate it. With every passing second, I grow more and more frustrated and enraged.

Snarling like a feral animal, I try to kick him between the legs. But without much effort at all, he squashed my thighs between his, trapping me even further.

His hand comes up to grip the back of my neck. "Stop fighting and look at me!" he growls. The sound of his voice is menacing and ominous but darkly sensuous too, trapping me in its velvety yet dangerous and powerful web. Automatically and without my consent, my body obeys him. I stop moving as though compelled.

The hand at the back of my neck gathers a fistful of my hair and tugs, tilting my head back and my eyelids flicker up to look at him.

I freeze when our gazes meet. My heart flips in my chest and my breathing is caught in my throat. I don't know what it is...a connection? An instant recognition? But those eyes. Those eyes with pale blue irises circled by dark blue outer rings. The eyes of a predator. Those eyes strike me like a spear of lightning and I feel the impact deep in the pit of my stomach.

Suddenly I become aware of everything about him. His scent- the smell of leather, a hint of cologne; citrus and spice, and something heady, probably male pheromones designed to make females weak in the knees.

I become aware of his hard body flushed against mine. His touch on my skin suddenly becomes electric.

I don't know if he feels it too but his eyes widen and he jumps back, yanking his hands off me as though he is scalded by a red hot iron.

We both stare at each other with wide eyes. Both of us are breathing hard. I swear I could hear my own racing heartbeat and my blood rushing in my ears. What was that?

It takes a while, but I blink when I realize that he's no longer holding me captive. I'm free!

Fight or flight instinct takes over and without thinking, I dash around him, leaping over the bed and toward the door.

"Oh, no you don't!" he says, snatching me mid-flight. His strong arm wraps around my middle and with one quick move, he slams me back against the wall. I'm back to where I was.

"Owww!" I complain, rubbing the back of my head, scowling at him fiercely. My head doesn't really hurt. My pride does. "I hate you!"

He's not smiling. His arms are braced against the wall on either side of me, caging me in. His face hovers above mine, fiercely intense.

Ominous energy that I sensed was just skimming below the surface before is now out in full force. I can feel it like it's a tangible thing. This man is dangerous despite his mischievous boyish smile, endless charm, and playful cocky attitude earlier. But I refuse to show him that I'm intimidated by it. By him.

He regards me quietly as I stare back at him defiantly. I feel a strange connection to him but I choose to ignore it. I hate that I find him physically attractive too.

His beauty is unreal. From the chiseled cheekbones and the sharp jawline, the flawless bronze skin, the high nose bridge flanked by two slashes of thick dark eyebrows. And those eyes, surrounded by thick sooty eyelashes... Like I said, too bad the man is batshit crazy.

"When are you letting me go?" I ask him. And because I can't resist, I add, "I know I'm fabulously awesome and drop-dead gorgeous, but you have to stop harassing me. And again, I didn't steal your stupid book!"

He doesn't say anything but without warning, he sweeps down, burying his face in my hair and breathes in through his nose, deeply and sharply. Just as swiftly, he lifts his face up with his eyes closed and his nostrils flaring.

When he opens his strange eyes, my heart almost jolts out of my chest from the intensity as they focus solely on me. They roam my face as though searching for something. "You're not a succubus," he murmurs.

"Huh?" I blink, trying hard to make sense of things and willing my heart to slow down. "A what?" I choke out. I thought for a second there I heard him say a succubus. But that can't be right. Succubuses only exist in storybooks. They're not real.

"What are you?" he quizzes me. He tilts his head to one side, studying me closer like I was some strange insect he just discovered.

"What kind of question is that? Are you insulting me?" I huff indignantly.

"Answer me, what are you?" he asks me again, eyes narrowing.

My eyebrows come down into a frown. I don't know whether I'm feeling mad or confused. Maybe both. Is that a trick question? "I don't know how to answer that," I reply.

"It's a simple question. It shouldn't be that complicated," he says. "What are you?"

"Is this a prank? It's a joke, isn't it?" I try again, but he's looking so serious. "Boy, you really are crazy," I finally mumble, looking down only to find myself staring at his firm and beautifully sculpted chest, visible even under the white t-shirt he's wearing. I quickly glance up and glare into his stupidly gorgeous eyes that are still staring intently at me. "Listen, I really have no time for this. Will you please let me go now?"

He ignores my request and continues to study me intently. I realize that he won't say a word or let me go until I answer his stupid question.

I try to think while struggling to ignore my body's response to his nearness. The warmth of his hard body close to mine makes my skin tingle. Electrified. The air feels thick and heavy with awareness, making me feel nervous, not because of the danger, but in a totally different way... Why oh why am I always attracted to the crazy ones? My taste in men is crap!

Finally, I lift my chin up, trying to act nonchalant as I tell him, "I'm a duck! Can't you tell?" There! A stupid question deserves a stupid answer. I can't help but roll my eyes before I add, "I'm a regular human being, Mr. Einsten!"

"You've got a mouth on you, haven't you?" His eyes glint underneath his thick dark lashes. His thumb comes up to trace a fiery line over my cheekbone to my jawline. The tingles spread everywhere and I swallow hard. "But no, that's not it..." he murmurs as he watches his thumb glide down my throat as though it's the most reverting sight. "You hid it well, but you're not completely a human being."

My back stiffens with indignation even as I struggle to breathe properly. "Well, I'm not really a duck... or goat or a cow if you must know." I glare at him. "So, if you're into bestiality, leave me out of it...just in case you've mistaken me for one of those farm animals." He's crazy, right? So who knows.

His face is still cold but his lips twitch...barely, as though he's not sure whether to laugh or to stay angry or whatever else he's feeling. The amusement wins because his eyes are slowly filled with mischief and suddenly I'm watching him warily. I don't trust that look on his handsome face. At all.

He observes me a while longer before he murmurs very quietly, almost to himself, "You really have no idea what you are, do you?"

I frown. "What was that?"

"It doesn't matter," he says, shaking his head. Then he sighs. "So, where is the book?"

"I don't know!" I explode. "How many times do I have to tell you that I didn't take your stupid book? If I did, you would have found it..." I trail away as something occurs to me suddenly. My eyes narrow on him. "You've gone through my room, haven't you?"

"Of course," he admits, totally without shame whatsoever. That lopsided, maddeningly cocky smirk makes an appearance. "Though it was a rather painful task...you're the messiest person I've ever encountered."

"Oh, whatever!" I scoff. "See? It's not here. Now you can let go of me."

"It might not be here, but...you might have hidden it somewhere else," he muses. "Or maybe you've delivered it to the person who hired you."

"I didn't! I didn't take your stupid book and you can't keep me like this forever. Now let go of me!" I growl.

"I don't know...I rather enjoy having you close to me. Maybe I could keep you...as my plaything forever." His thumb travels up my chin to brush against my lower lip and I snap my teeth at it.

He chokes out a surprised laugh as he snatches his thumb back, away from my mouth. His eyes alight with amusement and mirth.

It's strange how he could mask the air of danger about him like a cat sheathing its claws. One minute he's menacing and intimidating and the next, he appears harmless- playful and flirty, laughing at my annoyance. He's mercurial and fascinating...and I think he's trouble and very very bad for me.

"Oh, you are so annoying!" I growl.

"You are cute and entertaining," he returns.

"I swear, I'll stab you with..."

"Okay, okay, enough with the violence," he says, grinning. "I think we need to talk. But if I let you go now, would you try to make a run for it?"

My eyes automatically flick toward the door. Yes, I would. "No, I won't," I answer quickly. "I promise."

The corners of his lips slowly curl up higher into a wider grin. "You're a terrible liar."

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Hello everyone!

I hope you like this chapter. How do you like Joshua King? 😉😄

As usual, if you want to read a few chapters ahead, go to Inkitt. 

Pls stay safe and have a wonderful week, my dearies!

Much love,

Nicole♥