Dark Wish

But nothing is going according to plan.

And the longer I stare at myself in the mirror, the less I recognize.

“Think hard, Amelia,” he says. “Think about that night. When you went out to party all by yourself. What happened?”

“I don’t know. I think I went home, and …” My eyes search the mirror for clues, but I’m coming up with blanks. “Nothing. I can’t remember. I don’t know what I did. Or what happened after. I only remember I woke up in a city park in the middle of the night.”

I can’t remember what happened between, and that scares me more than anything.

My body starts to shake vigorously, my eyes growing bigger and bigger. “Why can’t I remember?”

Panic flushes through my veins.

Suddenly, Eli spins me on my heels and wraps his arms around me. I’m overcome by the sheer force of his grip and the tenderness with which he holds me as though he wants nothing more than to calm the storm brewing in my heart.

But why? Why would someone like him even remotely care about me?

He put me in this situation. He made me say those words.

Why can’t I take them back?

Why can’t I … undo what I did?

My heart pounds in my chest as images from that night flash in and out of my mind like paintings appearing and vanishing in a split second. Me entering my apartment. The bruises I tried so hard to hide. The kiss I shared with Eli.

I almost choke on my own saliva, but Eli only buries me further into his chest, forcing me to come back to the here and now.

“Don’t let go,” he says.

Of him? Or reality?

Right now, I’m not so sure.

But the memories flashing through my mind make me feel weak. Vulnerable. Exposed.

More than any kind of sex could ever do to me.

And it wounds me.

I look up into his eyes, those hauntingly beautiful eyes that undo me, twist me, unravel me at my core. Who is this man that seems to know my deepest, darkest secret, one I don’t even know myself?

I swallow. “I’m sorry.”

I don’t know why I say it. Or why I want him to hear it.

The smile of a gentle master appears on his face. “I’m proud of you, angel.”

And he cups my face and presses a kiss to my forehead. A kiss that warms my heart and makes me forget, just for a single moment in time, that I am not who he thinks I am.

He leans away and grabs my arms, pushing me back so he can look into my eyes. “I think you’re ready now.”

“Ready for what?” I ask.

“More.”

My cheeks turn crimson red. “More … of you?” I don’t know why my mind instantly goes there.

But he immediately snorts. “No, Amelia.” He tips up my chin. “But rest assured that I will take from you what I desire when necessary.”

I gulp, my body instantly flushing with heat. “I thought you didn’t want—”

“Oh, I want you. Make no mistake, I’ve wanted to bury my cock inside your sweet, wet pussy and make you mine since the very first day I saw you.”

The sheer filth of his words makes my jaw drop, and my eyes widen.

“But I didn’t bring you to this House for that. I brought you here to repent,” he says, and for some reason, the excitement in my body deflates a little. Still, the way he stares into my eyes as though he means business makes me forget. “And you’re well on your way.”

“How?” I mutter. All the ways he’s made me come flash through my mind again, and I cross my legs to stop my pussy from thumping. “Are you going to force me to put those panties on again?”

A wicked smile spreads on his lips. “I have plenty more in store for you …”

I gulp at the thought.

“But first, I think a reward is in store.”

My brows rise. “Reward?”

“For your courage. For trying to face the impossible,” he says.

“I don’t understa—”

His finger on my lips interrupts me. “You don’t know, but you will. Eventually, everything will click into place. And when it does, you’ll thank me for it.”

Thank him? I’m not so sure about that.

“What do you want more than anything?” he asks.

“Freedom.” The word slips out of my mouth before I realize it, and I almost want to slam my hand against my mouth. I shouldn’t have said that. What if he tries to punish me again?

But instead of rage, there is only kindness in his eyes, and it confuses me.

“I’m not the monster you think I am. And if you behave, I will let you explore.”

My lips part, but I can’t even form the words I want to say.

He’s letting me … out.

“Not the world.” He grabs my shoulders and makes me look at him again. “This House. And if you misbehave, you’ll lose that privilege. Do you understand?”