by K. L. Kreig
Because there was no phone in the room, she couldn’t even call for help and since they were in a wing of the house where only Rom was staying, the chances of anyone else coming to her rescue were slim to none.
Fucking hell. That bastard.
Her own supposed mate was keeping her prisoner. How could he do that to her after all that she’d been through? She’d been a hostage for thirty-three goddamned days, locked in a room she could never leave. They decided when she ate. They decided when she drank. They decided when she slept. They decided when they’d take her blood. They’d decided everything. She had no control over her decisions or her life or her body for over an entire month and she swore she’d never put herself in that position again.
She’d never forgive him. He could forget taking her to his house because that would happen when hell froze over. And if he tried against her will, she’d just call Kate or Analise and surely Dev or Damian would come to her rescue. Or if he didn’t let her call, which was the more likely scenario, they’d know she was missing within very short order and send the calvary. They wouldn’t let Rom do this to her.
And he could also forget accompanying her to her parents tomorrow too. The minute she got out of here, she was tracking down Thane to see if he would still be available. Screw what Rom wanted. Despite his prehistoric view of women, he did not own her.
She decided what she wanted, when she wanted and how she wanted. She was master of her own domain. Never again would she be a prisoner to what someone else wanted.
Hours later she knew he wasn’t coming back for her tonight, so she crawled on top of the plush bedding, gave into her exhaustion and fell into a fitful sleep. As always, the impenetrable shadow was there, hovering, watching, protecting. And while still in the dark, blending into the background, he was also more prominent. His stony, impassive face was still concealed, but she knew it was Rom.
Even in sleep she was pissed and tried to banish him from her thoughts, but he remained stubbornly still. And even through the darkness she could see the bastard even had a smirk on his face. She dreamt of several crazy things, like the fiery pits of hell icing over, before the mystery girl reappeared. All the while Romaric was there, following her from one bizarre scene to the other. Until she came. Then he was suddenly and conspicuously absent.
She was beautiful, but very young. Innocence and sincerity oozed from her and she made Sarah feel instantly at ease.
“He cares for you. I am glad,” said mystery girl.
“Who are you?” And why do you look so much like me, she wanted to ask, but didn’t.
“I am but a memory long passed. You are his future.”
“Why do I feel like I know you?”
“Because you know yourself.”
Huh?
“Romaric has been through more than you can imagine, Sarah.”
“What? Please tell me,” Sarah begged.
“It is not my story to tell. It is his. And he will tell you in his own time.”
“Who are you?”
Mystery girl simply smiled. “Give him a chance, Sarah. He is exactly what you need. And you are exactly who he’s been waiting for. Who he was always waiting for.” Then she vanished.
As soon as mystery girl evaporated into thin air, Sarah woke. She bolted up in bed, taking in her surroundings.
Ah yes, her very own prison.
This time she had fluffy pillows, a down comforter, and fresh air, but it was still a prison nonetheless.
It was early. Only a little after 6:00 a.m., but she was now wide awake, so she got up. Doing her business in the bathroom and finger brushing her teeth and hair, she smoothed the wrinkles out of her sundress as much as possible before heading out to the balcony.
She loved the crisp mornings of summer. It was July and the temperature didn’t get as cool in the evenings as she would like. This morning it was already sultry, the air heavy with unshed moisture. There would likely be a nice afternoon thunderstorm later and she dreaded thinking about having to be on the road in driving rain.
God, she wanted a coffee. With three heaps of sugar and half a cup of cream. Okay, so she wanted a little coffee with her cream and sugar.
Flopping on the dew-covered chaise, she thought about mystery girl’s even more mysterious words. What story had she been talking about? What had happened in Rom’s past? Was it with this girl? And who the hell was she? Was she a sister, a friend, a lover? That thought made her unreasonably jealous. So many questions and no one to ask.
One thing was certain. She wanted Sarah to give Rom a chance… but why? And should she after this little stunt he’d pulled? She wanted to tell him to take a hike off a tall mountain almost as much as she wanted to fix whatever was wrong with him. It was all so confusing.
A noise tore her from her thoughts. Even from outside she heard the door scrape open. A few moments later, she felt his presence in the doorway but didn’t turn. She was still very much full of piss and vinegar.
“Did you sleep well?”
What was it with him and her sleep?
She snorted. Very unladylike and unattractive, but tough shit. She got up and tried to brush past him without making eye contact, but he gently grabbed her arm with his steely hand.
Christ, every time he touched her, desire pooled in her stomach and headed south like a flash fire. Her breaths quickened and her pulse shot up so fast, it bordered on high blood pressure. Her body may be flashing slutty green, but her mind was a solid go-to-hell red.
“If the next words out of your mouth are not I’m sorry, then you can just fuck off.”
She wrenched her arm free, knowing that she only could because he allowed it. She walked quickly to the door, but stopped short when he called behind her.
“I went about things in the wrong manner.”
Sarah shook her head. Rom’s version of a mea culpa. An apology … yet noooot quite. Yep, he’d definitely taught Giselle a thing or two. Anger morphed quickly into hurt and she couldn’t help the tears that unwillingly stung her eyes.
With her back to him, her voice cracked. “How could you do that to me knowing what I’ve been through?” He may not know the details because she’d refused to talk about it, but he knew she’d been held against her will by savages.
Before she knew it, she was wrapped in his hard, sinewy arms. Pressed against his sculpted chest. Not willing to give in, she let her arms hang stiffly at her side, trying hard not to cling to the male who had caused her such pain, even though wrapping herself around him was stupidly all she wanted to do.
“Sarah, I reacted badly. I am truly regretful.”
Mystery girl’s words rang in her ears. “Romaric has been through more than you can imagine.”
Her arms moved of their own accord and wrapped around his thick waist. He stroked her back and whispered his apologies. She cried.
“Why?” she croaked, her voice muffled against his chest. She simply had to know why he’d done it. They’d had a fantastic night and he’d ruined it.
He stilled. “I …” He was quiet so long she didn’t think he’d answer. And so help him if he didn’t. “It … I don’t … I don’t suppose you’d accept that I’d gone temporarily insane?”
Laughing, she pulled away, mascara likely streaking her face. She probably looked like a raccoon.
“Well, insanity was a given. I was just wondering what triggered it.”
He cupped her face, wiping the tears and running makeup away. “Sarah … I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
Was this fear for her safety natural? She’d have to talk to Kate and Analise about it. It seemed to her it bordered on irrationally obsessive. Who keeps someone locked in a bedroom all night because they are afraid something will happen to them?
“What are you worried will happen to me?”
“Anything and everything. I can’t lose you before I even have you, my beauty.” His eyes were full of torment and sincerity and the fury she’d worn like a protective coat of arms al
most vanished. Almost.
“Don’t do it again or I can assure you, we’re through.” Saying those words sent a jolt of physical pain to her heart. She badly wanted to act on this magnetic pull to Rom, but she wouldn’t be at his mercy either. Moira or not.
He nodded tightly. His pained look quickly turned to one of hunger as he eyed her mouth. Every look from him like that felt like a physical caress and she couldn’t help the way her body responded, just like she couldn’t help breathing.
Yes, she was still mad. Yes, she was still hurt. And yes, she should punish him a bit longer, as he so rightfully deserved. But she didn’t want to. What she wanted was his lips on hers, tongues dueling, breaths mingling.
Don’t judge.
When his eyes drew back to hers, they couldn’t deny what she desired and his mouth descended. His kiss was soft, gentle and reverent. A physical and emotional apology, which she greedily accepted. He held her still as he switched angles, deepening the kiss, deepening the connection between them. Her hands roamed up his back over his broad, powerful shoulders and the low rasp in the back of his throat shot straight to her sex.
Their mouths continued to battle as a hand traveled down her torso, over her hip to the bottom of her wrinkled sundress. Cool air hit her butt when he bunched the fabric to her waist. She’d worn an ivory-colored thong, which matched her strapless bra. And yes, she’d selected them with only him in mind.
At the first touch of his palm to her bare ass, she felt a gush of liquid seep from her core. His fingers lightly traced the outline of her panties from the top of her bottom, down to the very inside of her cheeks and directly to her pussy before slipping underneath the flimsy material.
“Christ, Sarah,” he groaned as he slipped easily through her wet folds. His lips traveled the length of her neck, brushing her ear. “Let me make you feel good, beauty.”
“Yes,” she managed to choke through the lack of oxygen currently not circulating through her lungs.
He easily picked her up and carried her to the messy bed, laying her down gently. He stood to his full six and a half foot frame and feasted on her body with his starving eyes. He was so beautiful. A specimen of perfect, raw masculinity. And he was hers.
He wasn’t looking at her face, his eyes instead focused on his hands as they slowly made their way up her bare, splayed thighs. He silently reached underneath her dress, which was almost inappropriately around her waist now. Not that it mattered, for he was about to see far more than just her barely-there underwear.
As he drew down her panties, she felt the cool air hit her sex but it did little to ease the fire burning there. His blue eyes now locked on hers as his palms caressed her legs, slowly making their way back up to her aching flesh. His fingers spread her thighs as far apart as he could before the heat of his stare reverted south. He sucked in a breath and cursed low and soft.
“Rom.” His name was a breathy entreaty falling from her lips.
“Perfect,” he worshipfully whispered. “Jesus, you’re perfect, Sarah.”
His thumbs spread her wetness around, lightly grazing her engorged clit with each pass. He pulled her to the edge of the bed until her bottom nearly hung off. He knelt on the floor, grazing her inner thigh with his sharp teeth.
“You’re mine,” he rasped in between nips.
“Oh God,” she moaned. She was afraid of his bite but craved it all the same.
“Not today, beauty,” he uttered as he nipped and nuzzled her sex, inhaling deep. “But soon.”
Hot breath feathered across her skin, leaving goose bumps in its wake. At the first feel of his fiery tongue, her hips involuntarily bucked and he reached one arm up across them to hold her still. Two fingers slowly slipped into her tight sheath and she swore she’d died and gone to heaven. The pleasure ricocheting through her body was searing and fierce and unchartered.
Rom wasted no time devouring her like his next meal. His fingers curved, hitting just the right spot and pumped ruthlessly while his tongue lashed her clit furiously, bringing her to an almost embarrassingly quick and red-hot, mind-blowing orgasm.
“Rom,” she panted, holding him in place as if he would stop otherwise. Hot streaks of pleasure radiated throughout her body and she shook uncontrollably with her release. As her legs quivered and her body intermittently convulsed, he brought her down soft and slow, pressing gentle kisses on her inner thighs and lightly curled mound.
“I found my new favorite place to be,” he whispered against her sensitive flesh.
With one lingering kiss, he stood and climbed onto the bed with her, bringing them both to lie in the fluffy mound of pillows. Completely sated and boneless, she snuggled into his side. She loved the possessive feel of his arm around her. They were silent for several minutes, while her breathing regulated and she tried wrapping her mind around her uncharacteristic reaction to him. A half hour ago she’d been ready to rip his head off. Now she wanted his head other places. Wink.
He broke the silence first. “What time are we meeting your parents?”
“You still want to take me?” she asked, knowing full well what his answer would be since he wouldn’t even let her return to her own bedroom last night.
“Sarah …”
She had a feeling she’d better get used to him saying her name with exasperation. A. Lot.
“Just asking. Noon.” She looked at the clock and it was already past seven. “I need to shower and we should hit the road. It’s a long drive.”
“We’re not driving four hours, Sarah. That’s asinine.”
She sat up, looking down at his lounging, composed form, one arm flung underneath his head. He looked… relaxed. Well, except for the mammoth erection straining the front of his tan dress pants. Her fingers itched to run down its impressive length and take care of him the way he’d just taken care of her. God, he was a sexual menace to women everywhere.
Clearing her throat, she prompted, “And just how are we going to get there?”
A sly smile upturned the corners of his sensuous mouth, still shiny from her juices. Jesus, that’s hot.
“Surely you’re aware of flashing, aren’t you? And I’m not talking about a pervert in a tan trench coat jumping out from the bushes to show his junk to a bunch of school-aged kids.”
She couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her. She could fall hard and fast for this lightened up version of Rom.
“Yes, I’m well aware of the speedy way you vampires get around, but we can’t just pop out of thin air into Slade’s and nonchalantly make our way to a booth. I think that would arouse suspicion and my parents are already skeptical of why I’ve been away so long.”
He regarded her quietly and she could tell he wanted to argue. “We’ll compromise.” He sat against the headboard and pulled her astride his lap, settling her firmly against his hard shaft. “And so you know that I’m trying, that’s a new action for me.”
Squirming a bit, he grabbed her hips, holding her still. “Don’t tempt me, beauty. I want you with a voracious need that I am barely in control of right now. But I understand your need to wait and I’ll respect that. For now.” He winked and smiled.
Sarah couldn’t help leaning forward and placing a chaste kiss on his lips, tasting herself in the process. She may be tempting the beast, but it felt like the right response to his words. Sitting back, she ran her fingers lightly over his broad shoulders. “What sort of compromise?”
“The kind that involves me not entirely getting my way. That’s what kind.”
Her fingers halted. One step forward, two steps back. “You’re exasperating. Do you ever actually answer a question with a straight response?”
He sighed deeply, his hands tightening on her hips. “Sarah, understand I’m not used to answering to anyone about anything. Ever. I make the rules. I enforce the rules. I say jump and people not only ask how high, they ask what else they can do to fucking please me. It will take some time getting used to having to explain myself to someone. To you.”
She thought on his words for a moment, understanding his point of view but wanting to make hers heard. “I’m not a pushover, Rom. I’m not one of your lackeys that will do whatever you say, whenever you say it. I’ve had my control stripped from me before and I will not be in that place ever again. You need to understand that.”
He held her face in his strong, safe hands. “I’m so sorry, Sarah. And I do understand. Please allow me time to adjust my long-set ways.” Unwelcome tears sprang to her eyes and she nodded. He pulled her head to his shoulder and held her tightly.
“As much as it will pain me, I’d like to hear about it.” She knew what it he was referring to.
“Someday.”
“It’s a good thing all those who had a hand in your abduction and subsequent events are dead, or my first mission would be to wipe them from the face of this fucking earth. Xavier will soon no longer be a threat. Don’t doubt that. Then you’ll be completely out of any madman’s crosshairs, beauty. And we can live a long and happy life together.”
He pulled her back; his icy gaze bore into her eyes so she would feel every word he uttered. “After we bond, of course.”
It felt so very right to say the next two words. “Of course.”
Chapter 18
Rom
He’d fucked up. Colossally. The Titanic of all fuck ups. Last night did not end at all like he’d hoped, with Sarah writhing in passion underneath him. Instead, he’d spent it next door in the room Dev had made up for Sarah, listening to her scream and cry, feeling like a low-life piece of shit the entire time, but unwilling to come back and make it right. Unwilling to be no more than a few feet from her, even if Sheetrock and plywood separated them.
When Sarah said she was leaving, he’d lost control and reacted impulsively and irrationally. He was lucky that she’d forgiven him, because what he’d done was almost unforgivable. Her words stabbed him deep and piercing when she asked how he could have done it. He’d been asking himself the same exact question since the minute he’d walked out on her. It’s not like she was going to contract a deadly virus between the mansion and the shelter and be dead in the morning.
