There’s a flicker of something dark in his eyes now, a warning I’m both thrilled and terrified to see. He doesn’t rise to the bait—not yet.
“All right then,” he says, his voice warm and daring. “Hit me with your best shot.”
I let out a small laugh, unable to help myself. “Oh, you asked for it,” I say, glancing down at the pages, pretending to search seriously for something profound.
My finger stops on a verse, and I try to keep a straight face as I look back up at him. “‘Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.’” I tilt my head innocently. “Words to live by, don’t you think?”
His chuckle resembles a dark purr. He steps closer, the movement slow and deliberate, as if he’s giving me time to rethink what I’ve just done.
As if he wants to make me sweat.
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” he asks, and there’s a glint of amusement in his eyes, though it’s tempered by something far more serious.
I shrug, biting back a grin. “What can I say? You handed me a Bible and gave me free rein.”
He walks closer, and there’s a dangerous glint in his eyes as he snatches the Bible out of my hands.
“Julian said you like to be punished,” he says, and I see him look up at my husband. “What’s her least favorite punishment?”
I look over my shoulder at Julian, and he’s watching this all unfold with an amused smile.
“She has really sensitive nipples.”
I break out into a cold sweat, and as a scowl moves across my expression, he winks.
The bastards.
“They’re not that sensitive,” I say, trying to keep my voice even.
Kai doesn’t react immediately, but I notice the subtle way his jaw flexes, like he’s filing the information away for later. Julian’s eyes flick to him, and for a brief second, it feels like they’re speaking without words.
Julian knows exactly what kind of man Kai is—and how far he could push me if I let him.
“Noted,” he drawls. “And since you’re in the mood to challenge me,” he says, his voice low, “I think I have just the thing.”
He pauses for dramatic effect, letting his finger settle on one of the pages. “‘Whoever stubbornly refuses to accept criticism will suddenly be destroyed beyond recovery.’ Proverbs 29:1.” He looks up, his expression equal parts smug and amused.Prick. “Sounds like you might need a little lesson in obedience.”
I cross my arms with a smirk of my own. “Oh, is that so? And here I thought we were just reading Bible verses, not cherry-picking sermons.”
He drops to his knees so that we’re at eye level, leaning in and closing the Bible with a soft thud.
His voice is a low murmur. “Careful. Keep it up, and I might just have to remind you who’s in charge.”
I can’t help the laugh that escapes me, but something in his tone makes my cheeks warm. There’s something in his look that tells me he’s definitely not backing down.
“Yes, my lord.”
His eyes flash, and then he reaches around my chest to the clasp of my bra. In two seconds, my strapless bra springs off and falls to the ground. Kai’s gaze softens, his eyes tracing over me with a quiet intensity. The same hand that undid my bra runs through my hair, and it feels…reallynice.
There’s a stillness to his touch, as if he’s saying a silent prayer.
“Stay here,” he says, standing up and walking to his bedside table. When he returns, my skin prickles with both dread and anticipation. It looks like a rosary, but there are two clamps attached with a beaded chain.
As he drops the rosary around my head, my body visibly shudders as the palms of his hands brush against my skin. “Sit up straight.”
I do as he says, keeping my spine straight. Tracking his movements, unease slithers through me when I see him adjust the clamps.
Julian and I had tried nipple clamps before, and it was altogether an unpleasant experience. I’m not the kind of woman who can get off when someone sucks my nipples, and Julian knows how sensitive they are. The idea of experiencing a clamp again gives me anxiety.
