Chapter 67

His hard tip pressed insistently against the soaked fabric of her panties, pushing to penetrate her warmth, and as it did, Daisy felt the last thread of her sanity snap.

“…You’re fucking insane!”

She couldn’t contain the surge of fury. The curse tore from her lips before she realized it.

Her head felt like it was boiling. Her vision went white-hot with rage.

To hell with heaven. You die tonight, by my hand.

Her finger tightened on the trigger.

BANG—! The gunshot rang out like a lightning crack, deafening and sharp. In an instant, her body was flipped, and the gun was sent flying from her grasp, skidding under the bed.

CRASH—! The mirror on the wall exploded into shards, raining down onto the floor.

Thud—! Her body slammed into the mattress, and the next thing she knew, Maxim was on top of her again.

Her arms were pinned, bound so she couldn’t move, her body half-buried in the bedding. A hazy smoke hung in the air, the kind that lingers after a shot is fired. The room that had been quiet moments ago was now chaos, fragments of violence scattered everywhere.

“Hah… hah…”

“Whew, that was a scare. Almost died before I even got the chance to put it in.”

He chuckled like it was funny. Like she hadn’t just nearly killed him.

Daisy lay beneath him, panting, dazed, her breath caught in her throat.

Maybe it was the thrill of nearly shooting someone again after so long. Her heart thundered in her chest, set off by the electric ring of gunfire. Her blood wasn’t just awake, it was roaring, surging wildly through every vein.

Maybe Maxim was right. Maybe hell suited her far better than heaven ever could.

Maybe that’s why, whether from adrenaline or from the sharp jolt of pain in her back, tears suddenly welled up. Her vision blurred.

“You’ve got good aim with the ‘click,’ but the bang needs work. Were you scared of just pulling that one little trigger?”

“Hic… ngh…hah…”

“I thought you were bluffing. I didn’t expect you to actually shoot. You’re rather bold. A talent such as yours would be wasted rotting in a place like this. You have potential.”

And yet, he wouldn’t stop with the compliments she never asked for, each one more irritating than the last.

“If you weren’t so pretty, I’d have squashed you ages ago. Problems must be nipped in the bud. Don’t underestimate a sprout, or it’ll crawl up and bite you in the ass.”

“I just took you to the brink of death, and yet, you spout such… bullshit. Hah… how can you find this funny?”

“Can you blame me for being in a good mood? Even your body got wet for me.”

“S-shut up, you asshole, sniff.”

“Stop whining and just breathe.”

As if doing her a favor, he sealed his lips over hers, blowing air into her mouth a few times, then cupped her wet cheek. As his long, slender fingertips wiped her eyes, her vision cleared, and Maxim von Waldeck’s true form was revealed in detail.

Everything, even the parts he’d kept hidden until now, was fully exposed.

Fuck. This was something I never wanted to see. Ever.

She blinked slowly, half-hoping it was a trick of the light. But no, you couldn’t miss something that size.

Even after blinking several times, it remained.

Fine. Might as well acknowledge it. He ought to know what he’s showing off.

“…I can see it.”

Daisy murmured, eyes blank.

“See what?”

“Your thing, Max… I can see it clearly.”

“I’m aware.”

“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

“Yes. A man should take pride in his cock. I thought that was obvious?”

He untied the sash of his robe and let it fall open.

…Fine then. If he wants to proudly flaunt it, I’ll take a look.

He was completely naked.

The first word that came to mind wasn’t “sexy.” It was “astonishing.”

For a man who’d lived as a mercenary for years, survived bloody fields of war, his body was impossibly pristine, nary a scar in sight. Smooth, unmarked skin. And yet, he didn’t look artificial. His broad shoulders and solid chest radiated something raw and masculine. Just looking at him made her feel heat.

As her gaze traveled downward, past the abdomen packed with muscle, the first thing that caught her eye was, of course, the monstrous thing that always intimidated Daisy.

Daisy examined the thick, heavy shaft rising past his navel.

…She’d almost blown his brains out moments ago, and yet that was still standing?

Even for someone who liked danger, this was taking it too far.