Claiming My Sweet Captive

I couldn’t bring myself to take the time to untie her, so I grabbed my blunt-tipped shears and cut her down. She sagged against me, and I held her carefully as I lowered us both onto the cool tiled floor.

“Mine,” I murmured, tracing the contours of her soft body. “All mine.”

She rubbed her face against the crook of my neck, her hot tears branding me. She licked at them, tasting the salt of her love on my skin. A low sound of animal satisfaction left my chest. It seemed to incite her need, even though she’d attained orgasm only minutes ago.

She shifted on my lap, turning to face me so she straddled my hips. Despite my recent release, I began to stiffen for her once again. Her bold touch made my mouth water with hunger. She no longer reluctantly submitted to my physical manipulation of her body; she initiated contact because she craved me, as well.

She lowered herself onto my hard cock and captured my lips with hers, demanding my kiss. I surrendered to pleasure as she began to ride me. My hands closed around her hips, guiding her to fuck me at the pace I desired, even though she was on top.

She screamed out my name, her fingernails scoring my back as she came. She marked me, owned me. Loved me.

Chapter 19

Only a few hours had passed since Samantha had declared her love for me, and I couldn’t stop playing the words through my mind, remembering them in her breathy voice. I’d never heard the words from a woman I’d trained. I hadn’t heard them at all since I’d lost my sister and grandmother. The emotions expanding in my chest threatened to cut off my breath and stall my heart. The sensation was so keen, it was almost painful.

I hadn’t wanted to stop touching Samantha, but I knew I needed to see my brother. I’d convince him to give me more time with her, even if I had to beg on my knees. I’d do anything to keep her safe with me. We didn’t have a plan yet, so all I could do was make Cristian believe that Samantha was close to cooperating with his demands.

I’d called my brother to set up a meeting, and he’d accepted. Now, I braced myself to face him as my driver pulled the car into the parking garage. I’d gotten caught in traffic, and it had taken me nearly half an hour to get here. Cristian wouldn’t appreciate my tardiness. If I was going to beg for him to spare Samantha, I might as well beg for forgiveness as well. What had been left of my pride didn’t exist anymore. Not when it came to protecting Samantha. Nothing was more important than her safety and happiness.

“You’re late,” Cristian commented when I was admitted to his office. His guards flanked me, too close. The back of my neck prickled with awareness, and my muscles rippled with the barely suppressed urge to defend myself.

I summoned up a calm demeanor, but I couldn’t quite clear the tension from my body. “I apologize. Traffic,” I offered in explanation.

Cristian’s malicious smile set my teeth on edge. “Don’t worry about it. The longer you’re separated from your little whore, the longer she has to learn that there are consequences for resisting me.”

My blood ran cold. “What?”

I took a breath, reminding myself that none of my men had permission to access my penthouse anymore.

Cristian’s smile curved with cruelty. “I ordered Lauren to give her a taste of Bliss. Samantha is probably already in my brothel, being a good little whore. You didn’t really think I’d let you keep her all to yourself, did you? Especially when you can’t seem to break her properly.”

I snarled and surged fo

rward, all fear of my brother forgotten as rage washed my vision red. The guards at my back were ready. They grabbed my arms, wrenching me back. My fury gave me strength to shake them off, but the barrel of the gun that pressed against the back of my head made me freeze.

I couldn’t let them kill me. If they did, I couldn’t rescue Samantha.

“I wonder how many men will fuck her before she agrees to cooperate,” Cristian mused. “Or maybe that won’t be enough to break her. Maybe she likes being used like a slut. Maybe that’s why you’re so attached to her, and why you haven’t been able to break her. Tell me, little brother, have you made sure she’s good at sucking cock? She’s not much to look at, but she’d probably be prettier with my cum on her face.”

A feral roar ripped from my chest, and I tried to twist away from the hands that held me. The gun pressed harder against my skull, reminding me that I couldn’t risk my life. I had to get back to Samantha.

Cristian made a dismissive wave, as though he hadn’t heard my anguished outburst. “If she enjoys my brothel too much, I’ll just make sure she doesn’t get relief next time I dose her. She’ll break, one way or another.” He tilted his chin, considering me. “Are you really going to attack me, hermanito?” he asked with soft amusement.

“Let me go,” I growled, trembling as adrenaline coursed through my system without an outlet.

“Fine.” Cristian grinned with sadistic pleasure. “You can go check on her progress. Let me know if she’s ready to work for me when she’s finished servicing my men. Bring her to me when she’s sobered up.”

The gun left my head, and the guards released me. Only the urgent need to get back to Samantha kept me from tearing my brother apart. I couldn’t let another minute pass before racing back to her. Cristian’s laughter followed me out of the room and down the hall.

I ran through my brother’s building and out into the parking garage, flinging myself into my black Jaguar and ordering my driver to speed back to my home. My body vibrated with violent tension as I rode in the backseat, impotent and powerless to defend her immediately. If I could have gotten to her faster by running across the city, I would have. As it was, all I could do was wait and try not to punch through the car window to siphon off some of my rage.

When I reached my building, I took the stairs two at a time to get to the third floor, unable to wait for the elevator. I had to stay in motion, had to get to her.

I burst into the brothel, kicking the door off its hinges. Samantha was naked, surrounded by men. Ben—the boy who’d threatened her in my suite when I’d first captured her—fondled her breasts. His eyes barely moved from her body to my face by the time I closed the distance between us. I bracketed his skull with my hands and snapped his neck with one jerk of my arms.

I dropped his lifeless body and rounded on the other men. They all backed away. I positioned myself in front of her, blocking her nakedness from their lascivious stares.

“Who else touched her?” I roared, preparing to tear my way through all of them. “Who?”