Chapter Ten – Caged, Yet Craved
799 Words
Leo may have captured my body…
But he’s dangerously close to capturing my mind.
---
The collar feels heavier than it should.
Not in weight. No, it's barely noticeable against my skin.
But in meaning.
I stand in front of the mirror, fingers brushing over the leather strap wrapped around my neck. It’s simple—black, unassuming—except for the silver clasp in the front, shaped like a lock.
Leo’s mark.
I grind my teeth, hating how easily he manipulates me.
This isn't about control anymore. It’s about breaking me.
And I refuse to be broken.
The door creaks open, and I don’t need to turn around to know who it is. His presence is a storm in the room—undeniable, suffocating, commanding.
I glare at his reflection in the mirror.
“You enjoy humiliating me, don’t you?”
Leo leans against the doorframe, looking infuriatingly casual in his black shirt and tailored pants. His hands are in his pockets, and his expression is unreadable.
“You humiliate yourself, sweetheart,” he says smoothly. “I just watch.”
I spin around, fists clenched. “Take this off.”
Leo tilts his head. “Beg.”
I scoff. “In your dreams.”
His smirk deepens. “Oh, I have much more interesting things to dream about when it comes to you.”
My face heats up, but I don’t back down. “I am not your pet.”
Leo takes slow, deliberate steps toward me. I don’t move, don’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me retreat.
When he’s close enough that I can feel his heat, he reaches out. I tense—but instead of grabbing me, his fingers skim along the collar, barely grazing my skin.
“And yet,” he murmurs, voice low, teasing, “you haven’t taken it off.”
Damn him.
I slap his hand away. “Because I don’t have a choice.”
Leo shrugs. “There’s always a choice.”
My pulse hammers in my throat. I hate how his presence affects me. How he makes it impossible to think straight.
Then, out of nowhere, his fingers slide beneath the collar.
My breath catches.
It’s not tight. Not restrictive. But the way he grips it, the way his knuckles brush against my jaw—it’s intimate.
And then—he pulls.
Just enough to make me step forward. Just enough to remind me who’s in control.
My chest rises and falls rapidly, but I won’t look away.
Leo’s gaze darkens. “Such a stubborn little thing.”
I glare. “And you’re a controlling bastard.”
His lips twitch, as if amused.
Then—he lets go.
I stumble back, heart hammering. He watches me with that same maddening smirk, like he knows something I don’t.
Like he’s winning.
I don’t realize I’m touching my throat until he speaks again.
“You’ll get used to it.”
I scoff. “Not in a million years.”
Leo just chuckles, stepping back. “We’ll see.”
---
Later That Night
I don’t sleep.
Not because I don’t want to—God, I’m exhausted—but because Leo is still here.
Not in my bed, thank God. But on the couch, lying down as if this is his room, not mine.
“Do you always watch people sleep?” I snap, crossing my arms.
Leo doesn’t even open his eyes. “You’re not sleeping.”
I grit my teeth. “Because you’re here.”
He finally cracks one eye open. “You say that like it’s a problem.”
I scowl. “It is a problem.”
Leo smirks. “Then fix it. Come here.”
I freeze.
He can’t be serious.
“You want me to sleep next to you?”
Leo stretches, his shirt riding up slightly, revealing a sliver of toned skin. I look away quickly, irritated at my own reaction.
“I don’t bite,” he says lazily.
Liar.
I throw a pillow at him. He catches it effortlessly, amused.
“Touch me in my sleep, and I’ll slit your throat,” I warn.
Leo grins. “Feisty.”
With a deep breath, I reluctantly climb onto the couch. There’s enough space between us, but I still feel him everywhere.
The scent of his cologne. The steady rhythm of his breathing. The warmth radiating from his body.
Minutes pass in silence.
Then—I feel it.
A soft touch.
Fingers brushing my wrist.
I freeze.
“Relax,” Leo murmurs.
I should pull away. Should slap his hand and tell him to go to hell.
But for some stupid, infuriating reason… I don’t.
I let him trace slow, lazy patterns against my skin.
And when my body betrays me by relaxing, I swear I hear him smile.
- Writer
