“Did you think you were having fun running from me, little red?” I question in her ear, my arms wrapped around her like a vise. She can’t escape because she’s mine.
“Don’t think for one second you’ll ever get me to submit to your games,” Scarlett hisses, but she doesn’t struggle against me like she was earlier. Instead, she’s placated, her body lax, and for a moment, I enjoy her warmth.
Perhaps, with time, she’ll come to love me. Even though I’m not capable of that kind of emotion with someone, I’ll make sure she’s safe, taken care of, and she will never want for anything when she’s with me. I don’t tell her this; instead, I slip my hand in hers, tangling our fingers together, and tug her along behind me.
I focus on the rage coursing through me instead of desire. Both emotions warring in my chest, in my mind. On the one hand, all I want to do is punish her with my hand, with my belt, and then my cock. On the other, I want to bind her to the bed until she finally submits. Until she realizes there is nowhere to run.
“Wait, please,” Scarlett says as I step up onto the porch, where she stumbles behind me. I halt all movement, twisting around so I can face her. With the soft yellow glow of the lamps that illuminates the area, I’m awed at her beauty. I’ve known she was beautiful since the moment I laid my eyes on her, but seeing her messed, muddy, and broken like this is a new vision that makes my cock throb behind my zipper.
“Let me make something clear, Ms. Bardot,” I bite out, allowing the anger to drench my words. “If you attempt that once more, I won’t think twice about allowing Kahn to show you what he’s capable of. He’s been my right-hand man for many years now, and he knows my tastes vary, even though sharing may not be top of the list, but I’ll gladly watch as he puts you through your paces.”
“I’m not some horse you can train,” she grits, her teeth clenching, and I realize she’s trying not to lose her mind at me. “I just need to know the reasons. I have to.”
“What you have to do is obey me when I speak. There are things that you don’t know about yet, and I will allow you the knowledge when you’re ready.”
“I am ready now,” she insists, her eyes sparking with curious need and ferocious interest. “Please?” This time, the word is a plea that turns my blood hot with need. How I haven’t taken her to my bed yet is a mystery. It’s only been a few days, but I have to admit, she’s more alluring than I expected.
“I’ll tell you when you’re ready.” Turning for the door, I tug her behind me, and I’m sure the trail of mud we’re leaving in our wake will be gone by morning. The staircase will be caked with footprints, but all I can think about is locking her in the bedroom until she’s had time to consider what she just did.
By the time we reach Scarlett’s bedroom, she’s practically vibrating beside me when I stop at the doorway and tug her until her back hits the smooth wooden panel. With my free hand, I tip her chin up, so those pretty eyes are on mine.
“I’m not the monster in your story, even though you’ve clearly made me out to be.” I want to tell her about her father, but that would be going against the agreement we came to. Horatio requested that he be the one to tell her the sordid secrets he’d been keeping. And even though I didn’t want him to, he’s her father, and the fuck up he’s made is his confession to spill.
I doubt she’ll ever give him the redemption he seeks, but I’m sure he’ll beg and plead, just to get back in his daughter’s good graces. But I know for a fact, she’ll never again see him the way she does now or did before he signed the contract, offering me her hand in marriage.
“Monsters all want us to believe they’re nothing more than heroes. But what makes a man a villain in a story is how he conducts his business and how he treats a lady.”
“Are you claiming to be a lady, little red?” I allow a smirk to curl my lips as Scarlett’s muddy hand attempts to make contact with my face, but I’m faster. I’ll always be quicker than her. And that’s something my sweet girl needs to remember.
“You know, Lycan Shaw, just when I think you’re finally showing your true, gentlemanly colors, you go and say something like that which convinces me that you’re nothing more than a monster.” She sneers at me, her nose crinkling, and it’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. Never once in my life have I thought of a woman being both cute and seductive, but Scarlett portrays both effortlessly.