“Hold still.” The clip locked with a soft click. “There.”

He turned away and tugged on his own black helmet. The lights overhead skated across the plastic flap fixed to the top. A face guard, she thought, watching as he did his own chin strap.

“What is this?” she demanded, no longer believing this was some weird sex dungeon.

A heavy bit of plastic and metal was dropped into her hands. A gun. She would have dropped it, except it looked nothing like a real gun. For one, it was too thick and the screws were fake. For another, there were lights inside and they were flashing different colors.

“Laser tag,” he said, now that she no longer believed he was dragging her off to get gagged and flogged. “Not nearly as exciting as a sex dungeon, mind you, but I’m sure you’ll enjoy it all the same.”

Juliette gaped. “Laser tag?” She looked down at the gun before fixing him with her annoyance. “You had me believing…”

“That I was going to strip you naked and put you over my knee?” He smirked. “I still might, but you’ll have to ask very nicely.”

Her face exploded with colors. “Ass!”

“Don’t be like that, my pervy little lamb.” He took hold of her chin and lifted her face up for a hard kiss. “If it means that much to you, I’ll build you your own playroom and we’ll do whatever you like.”

The thought was tempting.

“I’m not very good with surprises,” she admitted a bit sheepishly.

One eyebrow lifted in mock disbelief. “You don’t say. I could hardly tell.”

She swatted at him. Laughing, he captured her hand and tugged her down the hall.

The bend opened to yet another door that led to an enormous arena made up entirely of foam walls, ramps, nets, pipes, mirrors and tiny crawl spaces. The overhead strobe lights swung in time to the heavy techno beat pounding through the chamber in a flurry of pink, blue and yellow. Everything was painted black with streaks of yellow. Even the floor had yellow arrows guiding people around the obstacles. But they were the only ones there.

“Have you done this before?” she asked, loud enough to be heard over the bass.

Killian shook his head, his face actually flushed with excitement. “I’ve always wanted to though.”

It was hard to believe when faced with a man who ran an entire empire, a man who was always so confident and powerful, that he might actually still have a fun side. Unlike her, he’d never had a chance at childhood. Not a real one. Had he even had any friends other than Maraveet? She wondered with a touch of sadness. But she shook it away and forced herself to grin.

“Well, you’re in trouble then, because I have.” Skirt in one hand, gun in the other, she started for the opening. “Be prepared to lose, McClary.”

In the end, she wound up ripping her own skirt while trying to roll out of a crouch and catching the hem under her foot. The score was two-three and she had no idea what she’d done to her heels. She vaguely recalled getting fed up and tossing them somewhere. But in the scheme of winning, they mattered little.

It was their last game. Juliette was up by one point. She’d lost sight of Killian somewhere by the foam pillars. Her plan had been to retreat before he recovered, circle around, and come up behind him, but so far, she’d lost sight of him and the clock was running out.

Against the stiff material of her light-up vest, her heart thundered with adrenaline and a tinge of fear that came with getting caught. Sweat slickened her grip on the gun. She tightened her fingers and edged closer to the end of the makeshift wall. The rubber material felt cold against her back as she pressed up against it and counted her breaths. Carefully, she slide forward and peered around the corner. A jungle of tangled ropes hung ahead, blocking her path to the tunnels on the other side. It was the perfect place to hide.

Holding the air in her lungs, she took a step forward.

“Not so fast.” One toned forearm closed across her chest and yanked her back into a solid chest, eliciting a squeak from her. “Now you’re mine, little lamb.”

Heart going wild, Juliette laughed. “How did you get behind me?”

His lips grazed her ear. “You’re not the only one who knows how to circle around.”

“I was so close.” She turned to face him. “One more game to break the tie?”

A streak of blue light shot across his face, illuminating his eyes. “Not tonight. It’s late.”

Juliette pouted. “But I was winning!”

He frowned and tugged lightly on a strand of hair that had escaped the helmet. “I think a tie means we were both winning.”

“But I would have won,” she clarified.

“Only because my injuries still hurt.”

Juliette immediately stiffened. “Are you all right? You didn’t rip the stitches, did you?”

“I’m only teasing, love.” He took her hand. “Come.” He led her towards the red sign marked EXIT. “Where are you shoes?”

She glanced down at her bare feet, then back at the obstacle course they were leaving behind.

“Not sure,” she answered honestly. “In there somewhere.”

Killian sighed. “Such an odd woman.”

They reached the hallway and their helmets and guns were returned to the little shelves built into the wall. Their vests were hooked just underneath the cubicles and they pushed through the hidden door into the first room.

“I had fun,” she said as Killian threw on his blazer and shoved his tie into his pocket.

He smiled. “Even if it wasn’t the sex dungeon you had your heart set on?”

She elbowed him. “It was better.”

In the foyer, he bent at the waist and easily swung her up into his arms.

“Can’t having you walking on sharp rocks, now can we?” he said when she shot him a curious glance.

Frank stood by the SUV, holding the door open when they ducked out into the frigid night. Juliette hissed as the wintery air clawed at her sweat kissed skin. Killian pulled her closer to him, but it wasn’t enough to save her from the cold. Hurriedly, he set her into the backseat and joined her in the warm cabin. Frank shut the door.

Juliette tugged her coat on, her teeth chattering. Her fingers trembled, but she managed to zip the material up to her chin. Killian wrapped an arm around her and dragged her into his side where she nuzzled her cold nose into the curve of his neck.

She must have dozed off, though she had no recollection of it, because when she opened her eyes again, they were rolling to a stop up the driveway of her house. The lights were all off, but she knew Javier or Laurence, or both would be at the window, watching.

She turned to the man still holding her, bemused.

He smiled gently. “Come on.”

Groggy, she let herself get helped out of the car and up the stairs to her front porch. Frank followed with her purse and the garment bag with her original clothes. She took both and thanked him. He bowed his head before returning to the car, leaving her alone with Killian.

“Are we not going to your place tonight?” she asked, her voice hoarse with sleep.

Killian shook his head. “Not tonight. Tonight, I’m going to walk you to your door and kiss you goodnight.”

Juliette frowned. “Why?”

He framed her chilled face between his warm palms. “Because tonight wasn’t about getting you in bed.” Then he kissed her, slow and gentle. It was barely a minute long, but they were both breathless. “Goodnight, Juliette.”

Heart a wild bird beating against the cage of her ribs, Juliette swallowed weakly. “Night, Killian. Thank you for tonight.”

She stepped back when he released her. Her fingers were unsteady when she reached for the doorknob. He was still standing there when she let herself inside. She gave him one final glance as he stood out there in the predawn, looking beautiful and rumpled before shutting the door.”

Chapter 19