Free Marco's Redemption by Lynda Chance Page B

dangerously contemptuous as he lifted the key in front of her face and then quickly pocketed it before his hands fell to her shoulders, holding her firmly in place.
     
    "It's not really my room if you have a key to it," she snapped, attempting to move back from his touch, but his fingers bit into her shoulders harder, holding her in place.
     
    "It's not your room. It's where I allow you to sleep." His voice was an angry sneer, the words gritted through bared teeth.
     
    "Let me go," she said shakily, attempting to move away from him.
     
    "Be still," he hissed. There was a threat in his voice and it effectively stilled her movements, but she glared at him before her eyes dropped away from his.
     
    "Don't threaten me," she said in an angry whisper. "I swear--I'll call 911." She felt his touch stiffen on her shoulders and then he lifted one hand from her and slowly put it in his pocket.
     
    "You'll need your phone for that." His words carried a hint of sarcasm as he pulled her phone from his pocket where he must have picked it up after she left it in the kitchen. He tossed it a few feet and it landed on her bed.
     
    His hand moved back to her shoulder and Natalie went completely silent as she shut her eyes.
     
    They stood like that for a few seconds, and she tried her best not to tremble, but it was impossible. He was too close, his skin was too warm, and she knew he could feel the shaky movements of her body.
     
    He placed a single finger under her chin and lifted her face to his. Her eyes remained mutinously closed. "Open your eyes," he demanded.
     
    It was only a small measure of defiance, but Natalie waited a few seconds before she slowly lifted her lids and found him staring down at her, way too close for her comfort. His eyes, although bloodshot, were a deep, chocolate brown, and as they bore into hers, it was with an effort that Natalie kept her gaze on him.
     
    "I don't need the kind of shit you just pulled." His finger and thumb bit into her chin. "There are a couple of things you need to learn about me, and quickly. I don't respond well to threats or temper tantrums. Tears don't affect me--ever." His eyes searched hers and then he finished through gritted teeth, "I never apologize."
     
    He continued to study her face and the emotional upheaval suddenly took a toll on Natalie and her will to continue fighting him disappeared. Her body trembled and her torso bent, her pelvis finding purchase against his thighs as she gave up and let her weight fall against him. His eyes flared in response, and he moved his hands from her shoulders, sliding one arm around her waist to bear the brunt of her weight, and the other sliding over her cheek, into her hair where he gripped her scalp, lifting her face to his.
     
    The difference in their height was disparate and Natalie felt completely eclipsed by his sheer size and the steely muscles surrounding her. Against her will, the sexual aura he possessed, and that she always tried to ignore, enveloped her senses. As his hand tightened in her hair and his scent washed over her, her heart jolted and a dizzying current of electricity washed over her. Suddenly, she understood exactly how vulnerable she was to him.
     
    He studied her for a moment before he began speaking. "I had a bad night--I'm having a bad morning." His voice turned deeper and lost much of the anger. "I don't usually drink so much--my head is killing me. Tanya's a bitch--that's over and I don't want to think about her." His hand around her waist began caressing her and he leaned down and put his lips on her forehead.
     
    He maintained that position for a moment while Natalie's heart continued beating furiously in her chest. His lips moved slowly back and forth across her forehead, and it felt as if he were breathing in her scent. Shock and a tiny river of delight stealthily made their way through her veins.
     
    "I shouldn't have snapped at you," he said against her skin. "I know you were only trying to help