Mastered (The Enforcers 1)

And then she remembered that night when he’d said in a very straightforward manner that in no way appeared to be him saying stuff to placate her, that the other women had treated her as they did because they weren’t as beautiful as Evangeline, and that hers was a natural beauty that most women spent hundreds of thousands of dollars chasing but could never achieve what Evangeline had been gifted with naturally.

How on earth was she supposed to react to that?

She knew she wasn’t ugly, but neither was she anything earth-shattering. She was simply average. In between. And yet Drake saw her differently. It was there in his eyes when he watched her, unaware that she studied him covertly. For whatever reason, he was attracted to her, and furthermore, she had a hard time believing he did all the things he’d done for her in their very short acquaintance that he regularly did with his other women.

He’d ensured that her friends and family were taken care of because he hadn’t wanted her to have that worry any longer. He wanted her to relinquish all control and cede ultimate power to him. God, she liked—no, loved—the thought of that way more than she should as an independent woman well used to providing for herself and her family with no help from anyone.

Drake’s voice broke into her contemplation, a bite to his voice.

“Are you here with me, Evangeline? Because if there’s something else you have to be doing, by all means don’t let me keep you.”

She blinked and turned as much as she could so she could look at him, and she nearly flinched at the undisguised anger in his voice.

Shit. She’d checked out on him, and she doubted anyone ever made that mistake.

“I was thinking,” she said softly, honestly. She knew no other way to be, even to her detriment.

“About?” he prompted in an icy tone. “Because when I’m fucking you, I better be the only goddamn thing on your mind or we have a serious problem here.”

“I was thinking about how beautiful you make me feel,” she said, her voice so sincere he couldn’t possibly think she was being deceitful. “I’ve never felt beautiful before. Not until you. It’s an unnerving sensation and yet it’s the most wonderful feeling in the world. And . . .”

She paused, but Drake was still looking at her, though his expression had lost the iciness and anger.

“And,” he said, more gently than before.

“That while I already acknowledged to myself that I trust you, on an emotional level, I realized here and now when you could do anything to me you wanted, that I’m utterly powerless and helpless tied up, in your bed, and that I’m no match for you physically, that I know you won’t hurt me. I know that, Drake.”

He looked bemused, as though he didn’t know how to respond to her impassioned statement.

“I’m sorry if it appeared I wasn’t paying attention to you,” she said quietly. “All I was thinking about was you and the anticipation of what you will do to me. I don’t want you to hold back, Drake. You were right. I am stronger than I appear and I won’t run screaming from your apartment because you show me everything you’ve told me will eventually happen. I want the real you and everything you can offer me both physically and emotionally.”

She was very careful to keep the word financially out of her statement, and she knew he recognized the omission as well. She never wanted him to think she was with him for what he could provide financially. It would only cheapen what they had, and she wanted nothing to tarnish the beauty or progression of their relationship.

His entire expression softened and there was no longer any hint of anger or annoyance reflected in his eyes or his tone when he spoke to her again.

“Do you have any idea how rare it is to find someone as refreshingly honest as you are?” he asked in a husky voice.

She closed her eyes self-consciously, heat scorching over her face at the way he looked at her. As though he could see so much more than others could about her. Even her friends. What her girlfriends thought was a fault and something that would only bring pain and embarrassment for Evangeline, Drake clearly saw differently.

She sensed that this was a man who’d endured a lot of dishonesty in his life, which very likely explained why he was a very blunt, straightforward man. He didn’t sugarcoat things or try to appease others.

And she supposed it made sense that if he hadn’t had many people in his life who were honest, and he was a man who told the unvarnished truth, that he would appreciate those same qualities in Evangeline, whereas she saw it as simply being herself and deceit not being part of her nature.