Betrayed by Truths: Truth or Lies Book 2

by Ella Miles

  Kai is gorgeous because of her piercing green-blue eyes. The color sucks me in every time she looks at me. And behind the eyes that trap me is her spirit. The part of her that signed the papers without surrendering, even though she knows her chances of winning are less than one percent.

  Her fight to not only survive, but find something better for herself. Something she deserves. I do not doubt that whatever the outcome, she will find what she’s looking for one day.

  And that will be the worst part of winning—losing her.

  I could offer her a job to keep her around, but she wouldn’t take it.

  Give her money and one of my many houses to keep her close to me, but she won’t be bought. No matter how poor she is.

  Kai Miller is the most independent, self-sufficient, kick-ass woman I’ve ever met. Even if she doesn’t realize it herself yet.

  For now, she’s mine.

  Trapped under my roof.

  For now, that’s enough.

  My cock hardens in my pants, reminding just how much it’s not enough. And how I need a new solution. I want her to be mine forever. Not because I love her and want to make her my wife. But because when I want something, it’s mine.

  I’m not a monster. I won’t take her body by force. She will give it to me willingly, or I won’t have her at all.

  I cringe thinking about what she’s been through. I should set her free of living in my house at least.

  But she wouldn’t be safe.

  Not until I figure out the truth. Because I have an inkling that someone is hunting her after I killed her previous master. Jarod may have been the one who got his hands dirty, but he wasn’t the one who owned her.

  I head toward the bedroom I’ve shared with Kai since I stole her for myself. Kai walks silently behind me.

  We should be headed to sleep; instead, we are headed out to work in the daylight.

  I’m used to going with no sleep—Kai is too. But I don’t like her missing any amount of sleep. She needs all the healing powers it can offer her to continue to grow stronger.

  I walk to the closet, deciding I’d rather wear jeans and a dark shirt in case whatever emergency we are dealing with is messy. I don’t like getting blood on my designer suits.

  “What should I wear?” Kai asks.

  I freeze and turn to her. “Whatever clothes you can handle.”

  She frowns crossing her arms. “I can handle wearing clothes.”

  I smirk. “Since when?”

  She huffs. “Since I realized you’re a complete asshole and I can’t rely on anyone but myself.”

  My head snaps around looking in her direction as she stomps to her side of the closet and begins pulling her shirt off over her head until her torso is naked like she prefers.

  “You think you’re tough now? Huh? You think you’re done healing?” I ask.

  “Yes.”

  My grin turns evil as I let my dick decide my actions instead of my brain.

  I move like a force of wind blowing through the closet. The only thing saving her from my grasp is that I’m so used to not touching her—not having her.

  Instead of touching her, the intimidation of my movements pushes her back against the wall, until I box her in with my hands.

  I was expecting fear under her pretty eyelashes. Or at least shock.

  Instead, she bites her plump lip. Stealing all of my control with one suck.

  Fuck.

  Her large eyes stare up at me as if waiting to see what I’ll do next.

  “I’m not afraid of you,” she whispers.

  “You should be.”

  “I’m not. I may hate you, but I’m not scared.”

  Hate.

  What does she know about hating me? Because I sold her? That’s why she hates me. But I’m keeping her here for her safety. Or at least that’s what I keep telling myself.

  I could change the hate-filled lust I see in her eyes with one truth. One truth would change her whole perspective on me.

  Her hatred for me would vanish with one sentence.

  But do I want her hatred gone?

  No, it’s better if she hates me.

  I lean in close, so close the stubble on my face lightly prickles against her cheek. “You’re not scared. And you might hate me, but your hatred doesn’t prevent you from wanting me. I gave you the best orgasm of your life, and now you want more. Your eyelids are getting heavy at the thought of my cock filling you.”

  “You will never fuck me,” she spits back.

  “Not without your permission, no. I’m the devil, but that doesn’t make me like him,” I say, referencing Jarod.

  She sucks in a breath.

  “You won’t fuck me,” she says again, to assure herself and me.

  I lick my lips and growl low and breathy against her ear, careful not to touch her with any part of me but my breath.

  “We’ll see,” I say as my eyes travel down to her pointed nipples.

  Her cheeks pink, but she doesn’t hide her breasts from me. She’s not embarrassed by her body. And this image of her will sit in my head, stealing my thoughts, the rest of the day.

  Damn her.

  I won’t be able to focus the rest of the day.

  She stares down at my cock pressing against my pants.

  “We will see,” she grins.

  I huff.

  “Get dressed, Miss Miller, if you would like to accompany me today. We leave in five minutes.”

  She snarks. “We will leave when I’m ready. As Archard said, you don’t get to go anywhere without me.”

  Fuck the contract. And fuck Archard.

  He doesn’t control me.

  No one does.

  Except the fiery woman standing in front of me half-naked. The woman who I could disarm with a brush of my hand because the touch alone would be too much for her. The woman who is the only person who has truly ever stood up to me. Only she is capable of taking me by the balls and leading me wherever she wants.

  Luckily for me, she doesn’t realize the full depth of her control of me—at least not yet.

  “Five minutes, Miss Miller. I’m leaving in five minutes. I extended to you the invitation to ride with me, but if you aren’t ready by then, then you are welcome to figure out how to drive yourself in any car you own. Or pay for an Uber with your own money. But if you want a ride from me, I leave in five.”

  I don’t give her a chance to respond.

  I leave.

  Down the stairs to wait for her.

  Sharing a room was a mistake.

  Bringing her here was worse.

  Letting her sign the contract will be my undoing.

  I pace at the bottom of the stairs while I wait for her and try to figure out what I’m going to do with her.

  I should have had a dungeon built as my father did; that way I could just lock her up when she pissed me off.

  I shake my head.

  I won’t be a monster.

  I will never be that cruel. Even though it’s in my blood.

  Six minutes later Kai descends the stairs as if to tempt me with leaving. Trying out her newfound power over me as if this is all a game.

  It is.

  But not one she should be playing. Because she will lose, and the consequences will devastate her.

  Kai is wearing dark black pants and a shimmering top that hugs to her skin tighter than anything I’ve seen on her. Her hair is up in a bun, no longer hiding her face. She must have decided to dress up a little to match me since I never changed out of my suit.

  “Is this acceptable to wear, Your Highness?” she asks snakily, knowing she looks hot as hell in this outfit. Men would do what she wants just for a chance to fuck her.

  I growl my disapproval in her wearing anything so revealing.

  She smiles.

  “I think I’ll take that as a yes,” she says.

  “Only if you keep calling me Your Highness. It has a nice ring to it. Maybe I’ll have other people start calling me that when I win
.”

  She glares at me. “Don’t count me out yet.”

  I won’t.

  I would never count Kai Miller out.

  “Besides, I did the best I could with limited clothing and no makeup.”

  I don’t want her wearing nice clothes. Or makeup. Or a stylish haircut. It will only make her more attractive to other men. But it’s not fair to her. And I’m also a selfish bastard, who wants to see what she would look like dolled up when she dresses to the nines.

  “Westcott,” I snap, knowing he is waiting down the hallway for any orders I have to give him.

  “Yes, Mr. Bla—” he starts and then catches himself as I glare at him.

  Kai giggles.

  I turn my glare to her, but it doesn’t stop her snickering.

  “What do you need me to do, sir?” Westcott says instead.

  “I need you to talk to Kai and ensure she has everything she needs. Clothing, makeup, a hair stylist. The best of everything on my credit card. Understood?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Kai’s mouth falls open.

  “I’ll have a stylist stop by later so Kai can choose herself,” Westcott says.

  I turn to Kai, waiting for her to give her approval, but she’s frozen as a statue.

  “Kai? Will that work for you? Or would you rather go to a store?” I ask.

  She nods instead of answering my questions.

  “That will be all, Westcott.”

  He leaves silently, knowing better than to ask any other questions.

  “Let’s go. Langston and Zeke already headed to Surrender. There is no telling what mess awaits us.” I start toward the driveway where I know Westcott had my car brought out from the garage.

  “Um…” she starts.

  “What?” I snap. I don’t have time for this.

  “I have a proposition for you.”

  I roll my eyes. “I can fuck you later. We need to go, now.”

  Her eyes darken in defiance. “Do you want to go to Surrender by yourself?”

  I stop.

  Of course, I do. I don’t want to have to babysit her or convince her why we need to do tasks my way.

  “What are you proposing?” I ask.

  “You go handle the crisis at Surrender.”

  “And?”

  “I go see my father.”

  My jaw twitches. I want to go to Surrender by myself. But I don’t want Kai to go see her father.

  It makes sense why she wants to. To find out why he never told her about the deal between the families. And see if she can get him to give her any hints of the tasks he chose.

  I understand why. I would want the same myself if I were in her situation.

  But I know my answer.

  I won’t trade or back down.

  I don’t know why I don’t want her going to see her father exactly. I don’t trust they will play by the rules, but honestly, I’d prefer it if she knew the first task. It might keep her safe if she was able to practice her skills for a couple of days first and have some sort of plan.

  But I don’t like sending her to a man who could barely provide her with food. A man who didn’t keep her safe. A man I don’t trust.

  And more importantly, Kai is mine. She lost our truth or lies game. She relinquished herself to me, even if she hasn’t let me have her body yet. But I won’t share any of the time I have with her. Even with her father. Even if it saves her.

  I’m sure I can do my own task efficiently while ensuring she is also safe. That she isn’t walking into a trap where another man would hurt her.

  “No deal.”

  “What?” she exclaims.

  I start walking to the door, and she scurries after me as we file outside.

  “Why not? You don’t want me to come. I just want to talk to him. You can send one of your bodyguards to ensure I come back. I just want to know why my father never told me the truth for years.”

  “No.”

  Anger flares on her face and despise pulses through her veins. “You don’t get to control me anymore. You’re not Black. You don’t have power over me. I can do what I want.”

  I snap toward her, reaching my hand out to grab her, unable to resist her skin against mine. I grab her wrist loosely in my hand. The gesture is kind and caring, not like she’s my enemy. But the movement is anything but kind. Because she’s not prepared for my touch.

  I’ve touched her before, but she’s still sensitive to it if she hasn’t prepared herself. If I’m being affectionate and lust is flowing through her making her clit throb for me, then she can ignore the panic inside.

  Right now she hates me. So she can’t escape me.

  The touch sends her spiraling to a place she thought she had left. The darkness covers her.

  It’s cruel.

  One of the cruelest things I’ve ever done to her.

  But I can’t let her have power.

  I can’t let her think she has control.

  Because if she does, she might think she is free. She might run.

  And she has no idea the danger she is in now that she’s signed the contract. Word will soon spread that she’s the girl who was supposed to be dead come back to life. And all of our enemies will descend thinking of her as a weakness instead of a strength.

  I will do my best to keep her hidden. To keep the truth hidden from our enemies. No one needs to know I’m no longer in control and I have to compete against Kai to keep what’s mine. But I can’t promise our enemies won’t find out the truth.

  And after what I made her endure before, I won’t let her get hurt again. I will protect her the only way I know how.

  By fear.

  By pain.

  By control.

  Kai jerks her hand out of my grasp, realizing I’m trying to control her with my touch. “You bastard.”

  She holds her hand against her chest, away from my reach.

  “You’re not in control, Kai. You never will be; I know you too well. And I won’t let you win—you’re mine. Accept it, and I will make your life so much easier.”

  “And if I don’t?”

  I pause, letting the wind rustle through us. When it calms, I speak.

  “Then you will continue to hate everyone, including yourself.”

  I beep the car fob and climb into the car, waiting for her to make up her mind. Go back inside or come with me. Because going to see her father isn’t an option.

  I have more security here than she could ever imagine. Westcott has more skills than she realizes for a fifty-year-old man; he’s more security guard than butler.

  She will never escape. Not until I determine it’s safe.

  I owe her that.

  She climbs into the passenger side.

  “You don’t scare me,” she repeats her words from earlier.

  “I know.”

  “You won’t fuck me.”

  “I know.”

  “Then what do you want with me?” she asks.

  I press my foot down on the gas, not being gentle as we speed off.

  Everything. I want fucking everything.

  3

  Kai

  I stride into Surrender like I own the place.

  And I guess technically I do—at least I own it as much as Enzo does. And he walks in like everything and everyone should bow to him as soon as he enters. So I mimic his behavior.

  I am strong.

  I am fearless.

  I am losing my fucking balance in these heels.

  Why is it heels are what women are supposed to wear to feel powerful and in control? Why didn’t society pick something like tennis shoes, or better yet, furry slippers for women to wear?

  But no, society decided women only look hot when balancing on six-inch spikes.

  Instead of following Enzo, I walk next to him. Trying my best to look like an equal, instead of his pawn. I don’t know where we are going, but I assume Enzo’s office.

  I was right.

  We enter his office and almost immediately t
here is a knock on the door. We don’t even have a chance to speak to each other privately about what our game plan is in dealing with whatever the crisis is.

  “Dallas Fell is here to talk about his security. He claims he lost five million dollars because our security entail didn’t protect him. He’s threatening to kill you and everyone you sent to protect his assets,” Langston says poking his head in.

  Langston glances from Enzo to me, and it’s clear he’s worried. This man must be dangerous and pissed at Enzo for failing him.

  Enzo just nods like he deals with this every day. He probably does.

  “I’m sure he does. Five million is a lot of money to a man like him,” Enzo continues.

  “Should I send him in?” Langston asks.

  “No, we need a few minutes to discuss our game plan first,” Enzo says.

  “Really? He’s irate and causing havoc—flipping tables and shit. I don’t think leaving him alone is a good idea,” Langston says.

  Enzo ignores him as he stares at me. His wheels are obviously turning in a different direction.

  “Take him to your office and offer him our best liquor while he waits. Assure Dallas he will have ten million added to his account, and that’s what I’m handling while he waits. Then bring him to my office in fifteen minutes,” Enzo says, his voice calm and collected.

  Ten million! He’s going to give this man ten million dollars because he fucked up.

  Langston rolls his eyes, and I suspect Enzo acts like this all the time, while Langston is less calm and collected.

  “You’ll owe me for any damage the asshole does to my office,” Langston says.

  Enzo smiles tightly. “I always do. Bring Zeke with you. He can rough him up if he gets too out of control.”

  Langston nods and then leaves.

  “Ten million dollars? Don’t you think if you are just going to throw that kind of money at someone to fix a problem you should run it by me? That’s a fuck ton of money,” I say.

  “No, it’s not a lot of money. Not to Black.”

  I scowl. “It’s a lot of money to me.”

  He shakes his head. “Not anymore.

  I sigh—he’s right. If I win, ten million dollars will be nothing. And if I lose, the money won’t be mine anyway.