"Let me go before someone sees us," she commanded, but instead of releasing her, he only drew her closer.
"I am afraid I can't do that," he murmured, his grip firm. "I gave your man my word to stay away." Yet his eyes, shamelessly fixated on her lips, told another story.
"Then why aren't you staying away?!" She snapped.
"I never said I would stay away in private." A smirk played on his lips. "Belle, may I kiss you?"
She sighed, exasperation flickering in her gaze. "You already know the answer will always be no, so stop asking. And don't act as if you have the right to hold me like this, not after ignoring me the last time we met. Where was that man who wanted me nowhere near him, huh?" Her frustration bled into her words, her anger unmistakable.
"That performance was for Steve, so he could report back to his master," he admitted, unbothered. "It's rather difficult to flirt with you when he's lurking around. Didn't I tell you?"
