by Hart, Stella
I sighed and looked down, briefly chewing on my bottom lip. “So… nothing from Mom, right?” I asked, realizing he still hadn’t answered my initial question.
“No. Sorry.”
“Oh,” I murmured. I guess it made sense. My mother was still furious with me for blowing her life up.
“You’ve had a ton of messages from your dad, though,” Logan went on.
My eyes flew up to meet his. “Oh? What has he been saying?”
“Same shit every time. He keeps begging you to forgive him for what he did.”
“Right,” I muttered, shoulders stiffening.
My father could try to win me back all he wanted, but I would never forgive him for selling me to pay off his debts. There were certain lines a person should never, ever cross, and trading their child’s life for their own was definitely one of them.
“I didn’t reply to any of them,” Logan said, finally pulling his tie off and draping it over his jacket on the back of the chair. “I figured that’s what you’d prefer.”
“Yes. Thank you,” I replied, twisting my fingers in my lap. “How was your day at work, anyway?”
A faint expression of surprise crossed his face. He was probably wondering why I was suddenly being so civil toward him. Friendly, even. I cringed inwardly, hoping I wasn’t making my true intentions too obvious. I’d never been a good actor.
“It was fine, I guess,” he said with a shrug. His brows dipped in a small frown, and his arms and chest stiffened slightly as he unbuttoned the top of his shirt. “I hear you had a little chat with my mother while I was gone.”
My pulse suddenly picked up again. Black fear swirled around me, so stark I could taste it, smell it, feel its icy darkness seeping through every inch of me. Somehow, I’d forgotten the blindingly-obvious fact that Logan could hear every word I said via the recording device on my collar. I guess I was just so used to wearing it that it completely slipped my mind that it was even there. Still, it was an idiotic mistake.
Shit.
I racked my brains, trying to remember the exact wording of my conversation with Elizabeth earlier. I hadn’t said anything particularly bad about Logan, but I’d definitely made it pretty clear that I thought his mother should leave his father. If he’d listened to the rest of the conversation after that, he might’ve realized I was scheming and plotting yet another escape. That meant he might already know I was only faking my affability toward him right now.
I uttered a silent prayer and decided to test the waters to see how much he actually knew.
“Oh, yeah, I did talk to her,” I said in the most nonchalant tone I could muster up. “So you listened to us?”
He shook his head. “Not really. I got an alert saying you were talking to someone, so I listened to the first few seconds, but then I realized it was my mom.” His lips curled into a small smile. “I figured there was no point wasting my time with the rest. It’s not like you’d ever be able to convince one of my parents to help you leave me.”
His words sliced into me like a cold sliver of glass, reminding me that at the end of the day, no matter how nice he was to me, I was still nothing more than a prisoner in a gilded cage.
At least he wasn’t aware of my plan, though. That was a massive silver lining.
I swallowed hard, keeping my expression neutral and my voice pleasant. “She brought me some herbal tea, which was really nice, and we talked about our hobbies and college for a little while,” I said lightly. “She had to go to the city to get a manicure with some friends, though, so she wasn’t here for long.”
That was all technically true. I didn’t have to say any of it, but I figured if I made it seem like I was being as open as possible about my chat with his mother, Logan wouldn’t feel the need to go back and listen to the whole recorded conversation. Then I’d be safe to continue with my plan.
He raised a disdainful brow. “Well, I’m glad you both had such an amazingly productive day,” he said, voice dripping with condescension. He turned away, heading for the bathroom. “I’m going to take a shower. I’ll order something for dinner afterwards.”
I took a deep breath and called out toward his retreating back. “Logan… wait.”
He paused and turned to face me. “What?”
I stood up, face arranged into an expression of wide-eyed innocence. “I need to talk to you about something.”
He frowned and stepped toward me. “What?”
I bit my bottom lip before replying again. “It’s just… I’ve been thinking about what you said.”
Logan raised his brows. “You’ll have to be more specific than that.”
“The other day, you told me I need you for certain things. Physical things,” I said in a halting voice, looking up at him through my eyelashes. “You were right.”
“I know. I’ve been telling you that ever since I took you,” he said, eyes narrowing. “How are you only realizing this now?”
“I guess it finally hit me today,” I replied, minutely shaking my head. “If you’re tense or having a bad day, you can go to someone else to relieve that stress if you want. Or you can touch yourself. But… I can’t. I can’t do anything without you here. If I’m feeling bad and need something to make it go away, I just have to sit here waiting and hoping.”
He took two more steps toward me, eyes alight with interest. He was so close I could smell his spicy cologne and feel his warm breath on my skin.
“What are you trying to say, princess?” he asked in a low voice, one hand hovering near my side. The air between us was crackling. Electric.
I shifted and squirmed in my spot like I was desperately horny. It wasn’t hard for me put on such an act, because Logan’s deep voice and towering masculinity was always enough to cause a hot flush to race through me, scorching me from head to toe.
“I’m saying I’ve had a really rough time lately, with everything that’s been happening, and I need….” I purposefully trailed off and coyly averted my eyes, making it seem like I was too embarrassed to finish my sentence.
“Tell me what you need,” Logan said, voice husky as he slipped both arms around my waist. I felt the thick bar of his cock pressing into me as it strained against the black fabric of his pants. When he shifted slightly, grinding it up against my belly, hot tingles shot through me, radiating out from my core.
I licked my lips as my body reacted to his touch, to the hot tickle of his breath against my face. The very first stage of my plan was working. He thought I really wanted this.
Sure, maybe a part of me did, but a much bigger part of me was simply using the chemistry between us to get what I wanted. Logan was usually nicer to me after sex because of that sleepy, post-coital glow that seemed to wash over the two of us, and I needed him to be as nice as possible right now. I needed him to think our relationship was progressing and evolving in a positive way so I could slowly convince him to listen to his mother more often and get involved with her dream project.
If I couldn’t make that happen, I wouldn’t have any hope at escape.
“You,” I said, voice scarcely above a whisper. “I need you to make me feel better. I need you to—”
Logan cut me off with a finger pressed against my lips, clearly done with talking. He nipped one earlobe until I gasped, and then he tilted my head back and pressed his lips to mine. One hand stroked the back of my neck as his mouth devoured mine, and my whole body tingled with an electric charge as he deepened the kiss, crushing me with his urgency.
Lips still firmly on mine, he tore my robe off and tossed it aside, leaving me stark naked and trembling as goosebumps cropped up all over my skin. I reached up to finish unbuttoning his half-undone shirt before running my hands all over his powerful chest.
Every muscle in his body was coiled with tension. He groaned as I moved my hands lower, trailing one over his abdomen before reaching down to fumble with his belt and zipper. I pulled his cock out, and he inhaled sharply as I wrapped my trembling fingers around his girth.
He reached for my ass and squeezed it tight. In one quick movement, he lifted me right off the ground to impale me on his rock-hard shaft, forcing me to wrap my legs around his waist. With a grunt, he sank all the way inside me. I mewled at the immediate sensation of utter fullness.
“Yes,” I gasped, clinging to his back and shoulders as he gripped my ass, bouncing me up and down on his cock. “Fuck, yes… keep going. Keep fucking going.”
“Jesus, princess,” he grunted, digging his fingernails into me. “You always feel so good.”
“So do you,” I said breathlessly, closing my eyes. “Please… keep going. I need it so bad.”
Our foreheads pressed together as his cock pumped in and out of my aching pussy, roughly claiming it. Owning it. I moved one hand up, tangling my fingers in his hair and panting as my clit rubbed against his groin. Sparks were flying through me already, and my muscles were loosening and opening up, desperate for more. Desperate for him to go even deeper; desperate for him to get as close to me as possible.
Logan started moving even faster and harder, his body reading mine effortlessly. I gasped and cried out, a jumbled mess of pleas tumbling from my lips. “More,” I moaned. “Please… don’t stop.”
He knew exactly how to delay my pleasure as long as possible, just to torment me. Right when I was ready to burst, he stopped pumping deeply and slowed down, letting the sparks around my clit fade away. I hated and loved it at the same time. He was a maelstrom of sensuality, pushing me to the highest of highs and dragging me to the lowest of lows, teasing me until I screamed and begged, dripping all over him.
“Logan…” I whispered breathlessly. “I’m so close. Please let me come.”
While still holding me with one strong arm, he pulled the other away and deftly moved his hand around to my face, as if he wanted to stroke and caress my cheek while he watched the blinding pleasure overcome me.
His eyes suddenly darkened and narrowed, and he wrapped the hand around my throat instead, totally blindsiding me. Pain lanced through me from the collar digging into my skin as he tightened his grip until I struggled to draw breath. I clung to his left shoulder with one hand as the other tried desperately to pry his fingers off me.
“Logan… stop…” I whimpered. I usually loved the blend of pleasure and pain he brought me during sex, but this was too much.
He smirked and slowly moved to the bed behind us, briefly withdrawing from me as he dropped me on my back. His hand was still wrapped around my throat, nearly choking the life out of me as he positioned himself between my legs. He started pumping his hips furiously again, slamming into me deep and hard. Too hard.
“Logan. Please,” I choked out. Black spots appeared in front of my eyes as I stared up at him.
“When are you going to stop with these fucking games?” he growled, digging his fingers in even deeper.
“No… no games…”
He shook his head and slammed into me again, eliciting a torn, nasal cry from me. “Do you think I can’t see right through you?” he said, eyes burning with anger. “After all this time, you’re still trying to manipulate me. You think I didn’t know that the second I walked in today?”
I tasted blood in my mouth now. “I’m not.”
“Admit it,” he hissed. “Admit it and I’ll let you go.”
I twisted and thrashed, trying to free myself to no avail. “Please…”
“Admit it,” Logan repeated, eyes blazing. “You don’t really want me to make you feel better. You were just trying to manipulate me.”
Dizziness was overwhelming me now. I was about to use up my very last reserves of oxygen. With a weak nod, I rasped out one word. “Yes.”
Logan finally let go of my throat, letting my head fall back to the mattress as he slid inside me with a loud, final grunt. He pulled out and sprayed my chest with his cum, groaning and breathing hard as he coated me in the hot, sticky mess.
I rubbed my aching neck and frantically gulped down air, struggling to regain my composure. Logan stood up straight, staring down at me with a cold, flat look in his eyes.
“Stop trying to win,” he said. “It’ll never happen.”
With that, he turned and strode toward the bathroom, leaving me breathless and defeated.
But only for now.
I lay back and shut my eyes, refusing to let myself feel bad about what just happened. This was just a setback; one of many that would probably happen along my path to freedom. I couldn’t allow it to discourage me. Couldn’t allow it to dampen my spirit.
In the past, I might’ve cowered and given up, too overwhelmed by Logan’s dizzying power to keep going, but I wouldn’t let that happen anymore. No way. I had to keep trying, even if that meant failing again and again. Even if it took months. Years.
Logan might not believe it now, but one way or another, I would find a way to outsmart him.
I would win.
8
Willow
I remained flat on my back on the bed, breathing deeply and massaging my throat until the terrible ache wore down to a dull throb. Then I steeled my nerves and picked myself up.
I quietly padded into the bathroom. The shower was still running, and steam had filled the room.
My lips parted as I inhaled deeply, looking over at Logan. He was standing at the back of the shower enclosure, facing the left wall. One hand was pressed against the tiles, and his head was tilted downward. Water dripped over his hair, soaking his face. He didn’t make a single move to wipe any of it away.
I’d never seen him look so morose.
An unbidden pang of sympathy gnawed at my stomach. I abruptly pushed the feeling aside, remembering my earlier thoughts. He’s the enemy. Push out all feelings.
I understood why he hated me, and I felt bad for what I did to his sister, but that didn’t mean I had to feel sorry for him. Not after all the terrible things he’d done to me instead of letting the judicial system deal with me.
Still, I was struck by the sensation that I was intruding on a private moment, so I averted my eyes and quietly lowered myself onto the soft bathmat outside the shower. The position would work in my favor. Logan had always liked seeing me on my knees.
“Fucking Christ, Willow…”
When I heard Logan mutter my name, I glanced upward, assuming he’d finally noticed my presence.
He hadn’t. He was still completely engrossed in the shower, letting it beat over his body in steamy rivulets, and he hadn’t turned his head even a fraction of an inch. He was talking to himself.
About me, evidently.
I lowered my eyes to the floor again, waiting for him to finish.
The water finally switched off, and I peered up through my eyelashes, watching as Logan grabbed a white towel.
“How long have you been in here?” he asked, eyes narrowing in my direction as he wrapped the towel around his hips.
“Not long,” I murmured.
His eyes flashed over my body before returning to my face. “What are you doing down there?”
I remained on my hands and knees, feigning a contrite expression. “I came to say sorry,” I said. “I shouldn’t have tried to manipulate you earlier.”
“Get up,” he said sharply.
I did as he said. He stepped closer and cupped my cheek. “Are you really sorry?”
I swallowed hard and opted for the truth, knowing how easily he saw through my lies. “Not really,” I admitted.
A ghost of a smile crossed his face. “Didn’t think so,” he said. “But at least you’re being honest with me.”
I dropped my eyes to his chest, waiting for him to speak up again before I figured out what to say or do next.
“What was that all about, anyway?” he asked, nodding over my shoulder toward the bedroom beyond the door. “What did you want from me?”
I lifted my shoulders in a slight shrug. “I was just trying to get you to be nicer to me.”
“I have been nice to you lately. I’ve left you alone whil
e all this shit has been happening to your mother, haven’t I?”
I lifted my eyes to meet his cold gaze. “I know, and I appreciate that. But I always feel like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. Waiting for you to suddenly get mad and blow up at me over something. Anything. It’s like living with a bomb strapped to my chest.”
“So you thought you’d try to manipulate me with sex again.”
I nodded slowly. “Yes.”
“And you’re not sorry.”
I shook my head and briefly gnawed at the inside of my cheek. “I just think we need to find some sort of way to get along,” I murmured.
He crossed his arms. “What makes you say that?”
I raised one hand and waved it around us. “Well, is this what you want forever? This back and forth between us?” I said. “All we do is fight and stay mad at each other. I know it’s because we can’t stand each other, but according to that contract you take so seriously, we’re stuck together anyway. Forever.”
“I’m aware of that,” he muttered.
“So is that what you want? Fifty years from now, when we’re old and gray, do you want us to be acting like this? Always struggling to be around each other?” I said. “Because I don’t. Being scared and angry all the time is exhausting.”
He lifted one brow. “It seems to me like there’s an easy solution to that problem. One we’ve already discussed many times.”
“What?”
“If you want us to get along, you need to follow the rules,” he said, eyes narrowing again. “If you do exactly what I tell you and keep me happy, you don’t have to worry about anything happening to you. Haven’t I made that clear a hundred fucking times?”
I let out an exasperated sigh. “Yes, you have. But that’s the problem. I don’t think I can do it. Not forever.”
“Why?”
I nervously licked my lips again. “I just don’t think I’m a naturally-subservient kind of girl.”
“Really?” Logan cocked his head to the side. “I thought you liked it.”
