by Aria R. Blue
I do as he asks, and then stalk back to the bed. I can feel his gaze on my thong-covered ass, but I’m too far gone to care.
I sit down on top of the neat bedsheets, and keep my eyes glued to the view of rolling hills and forestland through the curtains.
This is my problem.
I’m a puppet on a string for him.
All he has to do is ask, and I’ll do it. No one man should have this much power over me.
Nobody should have this much ownership on my heart.
The bed sinks as he sits down on one corner.
I sneak a glance at him, and find him grinning. In the sunlight, the left side of his face looks raw.
But it just adds to his appeal.
Everything about him just…fits. His flaws aren’t really flaws…they’re just a part of what makes him him.
I’m mesmerized by the sheer male beauty of his body size.
From his boulder-like shoulders to the broad expanse of his chest, everything about him is extra-extra-large. I love that he takes up so much space.
“What’s so funny?” I ask, forcing myself to remember that I’m angry at him.
“Nothing,” he muses. “You look adorable when you’re jealous, that’s all.”
“So. This Luna,” I say, clearing my throat. “She visits often?”
I shouldn’t care about what he does in his free time.
It’s his life, and I wasn’t even a part of it until yesterday. But I can’t stop the sick feeling in my stomach.
“Luna visits every day,” he says slowly. “But that’s only because she works here.”
“She works for you?” I sit up straighter in bed. The day is suddenly seeming more optimistic.
“Yes.”
“What does she do?”
“That’s not the point, Belle,” he says, dodging my question. “As adorable as you look with that little frown on your face, I want you to know that there is no woman in my life. Save for my little sister. And now, you.”
You.
He says it delicately, as if testing the waters before taking a step.
I nod, embarrassment replacing all of the other ugly emotions from earlier. “Can we pretend this whole thing never happened?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he says, getting up.
His eyes dart down my body.
My legs are bare, and my panties highlight the cleft between my thighs. I know he wants to take his time looking at me, but he doesn’t.
He made a promise. And he’s keeping it.
“I thought that nobody else worked here,” I say.
“Not many people work inside the house,” he says. “But there are people for the estate’s general upkeep. Security team, gardeners, chefs.”
“Okay.”
“Your breakfast will be sent to your room every morning at seven o’clock. If you have any dietary preferences, you can let the chef know. She’ll be in charge of most of your meals.”
“Okay,” I swallow.
I have to keep my mouth shut to keep from saying what I really want to.
Stay a while. Talk to me.
But he already has one foot out the door.
“Leo?”
He turns his head to look at me.
“I’m sorry about last night,” I say.
His eyes are sincere as he says, “I’m sorry too.”
Less than an hour later, we’re back to being mortal enemies.
This time, he’s done something I can’t forgive.
He had the entire house cleaned.
Apparently, he forgot to mention yesterday that he gets housekeeping done on a monthly basis.
The whole estate is spotless now. Every surface is shiny. Not a single stain or cobweb in sight.
How dare he.
“Why didn’t you tell me that you had a secret cleaning crew?”
He glances at me, his jaw hard. “Would you have stayed if I told you?”
“Probably not,” I say. “But this is what we agreed to. I earn my keep, and you forgive my father.”
“I don’t understand why you’re complaining,” he says. “It’s impossible for one person to clean this whole house. It would’ve taken you weeks.”
“Yes, and I was looking forward to it,” I snap. “It’s not something I expect a man like you to understand.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I bet you’re used to just being given things. Girls like me, we work for our place in life.”
It’s all I have.
I work hard and I work diligently.
And even if it’s something like cleaning a house, I take pride in it. Which is probably something he will never understand.
“I say this with all due respect, Belle,” he says. “But you don’t know the first thing about me.”
This isn’t me.
I’m a patient person.
I know when to keep my mouth shut, and mind my own business. But when I’m around Leo, common sense seems to fly right out the window.
“Could you go put some clothes on at least?” he hisses, turning away from me.
That does it.
My jaw drops. I’m seething inside, but no words come out.
I’m still wearing the white tank top and red sweatpants from earlier. It’s a perfectly good outfit for cleaning.
“Excuse me for dressing for work,” I spit out. “I didn’t realize that it would be such an inconvenience to you.”
He looks at my lips, and drags his eyes all the way down my body.
“Belle. From your smart mouth to your sexy little body, everything about you is an inconvenience.” He says it like I’m supposed to take it as a compliment.
Probably the worst compliment in history.
He’s not done. “I meant what I said yesterday. You know, when you were grinding your pussy all over my face? If it were up to me, I would have you walking around naked. That would make my days so much sweeter. To see your eternally-wet pussy and your fat tits bouncing all over my house.”
“Leo. Stop,” I say, squeezing my eyes shut. “You can’t say things like that either.”
Technically, no dirty talk is not a part of his promise.
But it drives me crazy, and he knows it.
“There are people around, Belle,” he grinds out. “Please. I don’t like that you’re half-naked.”
All around us, men and women are moving about—security people who’re checking the locks on all the doors and windows.
He’s having the security system fortified because Papa was able to break in so easily.
“First of all, I’m not half-naked.”
Maybe the tight tank top shows more than it conceals, but so what? It’s my body. I get to dress it however I like.
He hangs his head, his hood throwing shadows over most of his face. “I just…I don’t want anybody else looking at you.”
I hear the unsaid words loud and clear.
He wants me all to himself. He wants to be the only one looking at me.
A flower blossoms in my heart. It’s big and lovely, just like the strange happiness filling up my head.
Leo is possessive of me.
I like the thought of that way more than I should.
“I’ll go change,” I say. “But not until you tell me what I’m supposed to do with my time now. You can’t just expect me to do nothing all day.”
He sighs, as if he’s dealing with a petulant child.
“I’ll find something for you to do,” he says. “Now, please.”
I’m not done talking just yet though. He can’t just dismiss me whenever he pleases.
He might own this house, and I might be his guest, but I refuse to be an obedient little doll.
I’m not his captive.
13
Leo
It takes everything in me to keep from groaning when she cocks her hips and says, “One more thing.”
“What?” I hiss.
“You’re having t
he security system fortified,” she states.
“So unwanted thieves can’t get in,” I say against my better judgment.
Her eyes flash. “And anybody who’s inside can’t leave.”
I raise my eyebrows. “What is it that you’re trying to say, Belle?”
“I’m living inside Blackwood Estate. I want my own set of keys.”
“You know that you can come and go as you please,” I sigh, fighting to not look down at her curves.
I don’t know if she realizes this, but her entire tank top is transparent in the sunlight. And the thought of other men being able to look at her makes me furious.
Which is why I’m shielding her body from the rest of the workers.
I swear to God, if anyone were to even breathe in her direction, I’m going to lose it.
“I want my own set of keys,” she says, glaring up at me defiantly.
“These locks aren’t operated with physical keys.”
“Fine, then I want the security code or whatever.”
I shake my head.
She tilts her head as she studies my face. Her luxurious dark hair drapes over one shoulder. “Then how did Papa enter?”
I knew she would ask that. “The door was accidentally left open by a staff member.”
“A staff member? Oh. Luna?”
“Yes.”
Before she gets the chance to ask me again about what kind of work Luna does for me, I whisk her away.
This little beauty has a stubborn streak.
If she thinks that I can’t handle it, then she’s sorely mistaken.
“Come with me,” I say, walking away from the foyer.
“Where are we going?” she asks, struggling to keep up with my brisk pace.
“I want to show you something.”
“You’re not going to tell me what it is?”
“You’re not going to stop annoying me with five thousand questions?” I say lightly.
Belle becomes quiet. I steal a glance at her to make sure I didn’t hurt her feelings.
But she’s smiling softly, staring out of the open windows.
“The gardens here are lovely,” she says, pausing to take a deep breath.
I stop to take in the view.
Not the view of the roses, orchids, hyacinths, and stargazer lilies, but of the girl admiring them.
The sunlight makes her eyes look like melting chocolate. Her full lips are curved up in the sweetest smile.
No earthly beauty can compete with that smile.
A rose-scented breeze flows in through the open windows, making her hair blow back.
My mouth waters as I take in the smooth skin of her neck. What I would give to mark that throat with my mouth again.
With unexpected clarity, I realize that she will be mine one day.
She might not want anything to do with me now, but I know that she’s capable of loving me.
We’re two halves of one part.
Destined to love.
I already know that she’s not going to make it easy for me. But I will fight with my dying breath if that’s what it takes to win her heart.
We’re more similar than we are different. That means that we share the same flaws too.
Like our stubbornness.
My little bird has a stubborn streak, but so do I. And that’s how I know that she will be mine.
I’ll make sure of it.
“The garden is in memory of my mother,” I say quietly.
Those bambi eyes land on me. Suddenly, I can’t bring myself to look at her.
I don’t think I’ve ever shared this with anybody before.
Even my sister doesn’t know why I’m so particular about the upkeep of the garden. The rest of the estate could be in shambles for all I care, but the garden is always immaculate.
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” she says, resting her hand on my arm.
“It was years ago,” I say, wondering why I’m telling her all of this. “I was a young boy when she passed away.”
“You still miss her.”
“Every day,” I whisper.
My mother was the only person who ever truly loved me. My father was never there. All he ever did was bring me misery.
I push back the rising anger.
Now is not the time.
“Do you want to talk about it?” she asks, sensing the shift in my energy.
I squeeze my eyes shut, and mentally count to ten. Somehow, I manage to focus. “No.”
She nods, smiling even as her eyes glisten.
“You were going to show me something?” she asks softly.
I can’t believe that this is the same girl I was bickering with just moments ago.
Belle knows how to put me in my place. But she also knows just what I need when I’m emotionally exhausted.
I guide her to the East Wing. The other area I never allow anybody to visit.
Even the cleaning crew.
They clean the North and South Wing, but the East and West are left untouched. These parts of the estate are far too private.
But Belle is no stranger.
She feels like someone I knew my entire life. She feels like home.
I might not be ready to show her the West Wing yet, but I can show her this.
Looking back at her one final time, I push open the carved doors.
Her eyes double in size as she stumbles forward. She takes a few steps inside before coming to a stop.
I try to see the library through her eyes.
The entire ceiling is covered with frescos, small red birds and brown branches painted with delicate strokes. The floor is black and white checkered marble.
The books steal the spotlight, of course.
Tens of thousands of books line the walls. Books from all sorts of genres, from classics to history to romance.
Something for everyone.
Tall east-facing windows pour sunlight into the open space, making it look like a slice of heaven. Comfortable reading nooks are carved out in front of the most scenic spots—the perfect hideaway.
“Leo, is this place- is this real?” she asks. “Pinch me.”
My eyes drop down to her full ass.
It’s covered by her red sweatpants, but her juicy ass cheeks still beckon for my attention.
I would love to pinch her, but then I don’t think I would be able to stop there.
I clear my throat. “If you like it so much, it’s yours.”
“Mine?” She whips around, eyes wide.
“To clean,” I explain. “You wanted something to do, right? I don’t let strangers into this library, so it’s all yours.”
“Are you saying that I’m not a stranger, Mr. Blackwood?” she asks, batting her eyelashes.
“You don’t feel like one.”
True. It’s all true.
My sincerity makes her smile fade. She blinks twice, and asks, “Did you know that I like to read?”
“I took a wild guess,” I say.
She was drawn to paintings and architecture when I gave her the tour of the estate yesterday. So I guessed that she would appreciate the library as well.
“You have no idea, Leo,” she whispers. “Reading is…my whole life. You just gave me the greatest gift of my life without even realizing it.”
She’s smiling so big that I’m dizzy.
It’s hilarious.
A five-foot-six girl bringing down a seven-foot-tall man with just a smile.
“You can read all you want,” I say, eager to keep that joy on her face. “You can spend your whole day here, if that’s what you wish.”
“Thank you. I’d like that,” she says, biting the inside of her lips.
My phone rings before I get distracted by her lips again.
It’s the security team. They’re probably done checking all the entry points.
“Will I be seeing you for dinner tonight?” she asks, folding her arms behind her back.
Regret makes my body go limp. “I’m sorry. No
t tonight.”
I might have let her into some parts of my life, but she’s not ready to see everything just yet.
14
Belle
1 week later
* * *
The golden lights flicker on one by one, making the whole library look like a giant glowing orb.
This is the best part.
Each of the bookshelves have tiny lights spaced out in a line, illuminating the books they hold in a warm glow.
They only turn on when it’s dark out, so I’m always here before dawn.
Right before sunrise, when the rest of the world is still dark, this place seems like another world. A place that’s better than the rest.
Worlds waiting to be discovered, stories whispering to be read.
It’s been a week since I was first introduced to this library. But it still takes my breath away every time I’m here.
The sheer opulence of it.
The undeniable elegance.
From the dark wooden shelves to the soft musty smell of ancient books, I love everything about it.
I love how I can throw my head back and admire the frescoed ceiling all day if I wished to. Tiny songbirds, dense forests, and canopy-filtered sunlight. It looks so real that I feel like I’m a part of it.
I love the way my bare feet sink into the rich rugs as I read.
I love how I can spend hours in here, and never wish to be anyplace else.
But my favorite part is when he visits.
Leo Blackwood.
With every day that passes, I find out something new about him. Something that makes me like him just a little bit more.
He’s creeping his way into my heart, and I’m doing nothing to stop it.
It feels right.
Like he has always belonged in my heart. Like my heart was made for loving him.
There are still things about him that remain a mystery.
Like why he only has dinner with me half the time. If he dines with me one night, he’s absent the next. No explanation is offered.
And my intuition is telling me that Leo has something he’s hiding from me.
Everybody has secrets.
I do too.
But that doesn’t stop me from wondering what his is.
There are parts of him that he hasn’t shown me yet. Maybe he’ll reveal them to me with time. Maybe he won’t.
