Chapter 436: 436-I Have Awoken The Beast In Him

Verity:

“I crossed a line, didn’t I?” I murmured, looking up at him.

Ragnar pressed his lips into a tight line and slowly nodded.

“You sure did,” he whispered.

Before I could react, he abruptly rose from the sofa, grabbed my arms, and pulled me to my feet, moving me aside so that we stood face-to-face.

“First, you’re ruder than I am,” he countered, bending down to my eye level while raising his own index finger.

“Two, I wasn’t flirting. And even if I was, go ahead and tell Gigi.”

He raised another finger.

“Three, whose feelings am I being inconsiderate of?”

His voice had grown noticeably huskier, making the question sound entirely different from the others.

“And four…”

He cleared his throat before continuing.

“I have a heart. Wanna feel it?”

As he said that, he took a step toward me, and I immediately retreated.

“Touching it with the tip of your finger won’t help you feel anything. You’ll have to come much closer if you want to hear my heartbeat.”

What the fuck?

Why was he talking like that?

I didn’t like it.

I liked the other Ragnar better, the one who was always cold, distant, and annoyingly composed.

Not this version of him.

Whatever the fuck had gotten into him tonight, I wanted no part of it.

“And five…”

Before I could process what he meant, he closed the remaining distance between us, forcing me to retreat until my back met the wall.

He planted one hand against the wall beside my head while his other settled at my waist, effectively trapping me between his enormous frame and the wall behind me.

Then he leaned down, bringing his mouth close to my ear.

“I can be rough,” he whispered. “Rougher than anyone has ever been with you.”

And just like that, I felt my knees begin to buckle.

“So tell me, do you want to test it? See for yourself?” he challenged, his hands curling into fists as he lightly tapped them against the wall on either side of me.

I didn’t utter a word, but judging by how close he was, I was certain he could hear my ragged breathing.

“What happened? Not so talkative anymore?” he taunted, drawing his head away from my ear and tilting it to look directly at me.

He leaned even closer, his fists braced against the wall to support his weight.

“You keep saying these things, Verity. You keep instigating me. But the minute I’m ready to prove you wrong, the cat’s got your tongue?” he muttered.

His jaw clenched so tightly that I could practically hear his teeth grinding.

Well, I had to do something.

I couldn’t just let him walk away thinking he’d won this argument. I mean, I probably should have, but my ego got the better of me.

For some reason, I always wanted to win against him.

I didn’t even know why.

So I raised my eyes to meet his and lifted my chin defiantly.

“Fine. Prove it.”

The moment those words left my mouth, I felt heat rushing to my cheeks.

But Ragnar didn’t look shocked, embarrassed, or even remotely surprised.

In fact, he looked impressed.

I had to force myself to maintain eye contact instead of looking away and blushing like a complete idiot.

“Fine.”

That single word sent goosebumps spreading across my skin.

He stepped back, turned around, and started walking toward the bed, unbuttoning his shirt as he walked.

My eyes widened when he slipped it off his shoulders.

I mean, he couldn’t see my expression because his back was turned, but I could see exactly what he was doing, and I was starting to fucking panic.

He reached the bed, grabbed the blanket, and tossed it aside.

“Come on,” he instructed, turning around to face me.

He stood there completely shirtless, the muscles of his chest and arms flexing with his movements.

“Hop on,” he whispered, licking the corner of his mouth, “or do you want me to drag you with me?”

“I’ll hop on,” I replied, pointing toward the bed. “But are you sure you’re ready to cheat on Gigi?”

I folded my arms across my chest, although even I could hear how weak my protest sounded.

Ragnar chuckled, resting his hands on his hips as he shook his head, looking entirely too pleased with himself, as though he’d already won.

“And besides, I don’t want to cheat on your brothers either,” I added in a quieter voice.

That wiped the amusement off his face.

He lifted his head and tilted it slightly, the corner of his mouth slowly curving into a smirk.

“I thought you weren’t together with any of them yet.”

Then he bent down to retrieve his shirt from the floor, giving it a firm shake.

“Next time, Verity, don’t start something you aren’t prepared to finish.”

Oh, the nerve of this man.

I wasn’t sure what irritated me more, his smug expression or the casual way he stood there putting his shirt back on, as though he’d already proven his point.

Because I knew exactly what would happen if I let him walk out of here.

He would never let me forget that I was all talk.

And my poor ego simply couldn’t take that.

I wanted to embarrass him for once.

“What happened? Putting your shirt back on so soon?”

The moment I spoke, Ragnar froze with one arm raised, his hand still holding the sleeve he was about to slip into.

He slowly lowered his arm without continuing.

“Looks to me like someone’s looking for an excuse to escape,” I remarked, beginning to walk toward him.

He let his arms fall to his sides, leaving the shirt hanging loosely from one shoulder.

I stopped directly in front of him and tilted my head back to meet his gaze.

Then I placed a fingertip against the base of his neck, slowly tracing it toward his shoulder before gently slipping the fabric off.

I watched his muscles tense beneath my touch, his eyes narrowing as he studied me.

“Come on, big guy. You certainly know how to act tough,” I began, slowly circling him. “But are you really?”

I continued walking around him, deliberately taking my time.