Page 73 of He Will Come for Me

“Of course. I have a KitchenAid mixer, but we can get your own, since I use it a lot. But you can use it today. I’m sure we have the ingredients. I don’t let us run out of things.” I smile. It’s the first real smile I’ve had in weeks. Telling him the list of ingredients he confirms he does have everything and shows me where it’s all at.

I turn the second oven on so it’ll begin to warm and start mixing everything. Just as I’m about to scoop the dough onto the cookie sheet, Phoenix walks in wearing a black suit and a black mask. He stops when he sees me. My heart drops then begins beating rapidly. It hasn’t been three months. Is he going to another auction? Without me. And he’s wearing a black mask. He was wearing a black mask when he bought me. Is he buying someone else?

My stomach dips in disappointment at the thought. “McKenzie,” he greets me and I hate how I respond to him acknowledging me. I mentally berate myself. I know we haven’t been on the best of terms since the last auction, but Iwant to know why he’s going to an auction without me. And why is he wearing a black mask?

“I’m making chocolate chip cookies.” He removes his mask, walks across the kitchen, and stops next to me. My heart stops with him. I inhale sharply, placing the cookie sheet in the oven.

“How long do they have to cook for?” he asks, standing too close to me.

“About ten minutes.” I don’t want him to go; I want him to stay home.

“Good, I’d like to try them.” Why do I feel like I’m going to cry? I want to hate him so much, but it’s not coming as easy as I’d like for it to. After the auction, he didn’t acknowledge me or what we had done. He’s tried to speak to me a few times, but he shattered my heart so he doesn’t deserve my words. I’m no longer just his property. I’m his wife, but it’s not different. It’s not good like he promised me it would be.

There’s an awkward silence that stretches between us as I watch the timer on the oven countdown. Why is he going to an auction without me? Is he going to buy someone else? Will he have sex with them in front of people too? Technically, he can do whatever he wants to do. But the thought of him being unfaithful shatters my heart even if our marriage is a sham.

The longer I think about it, the more my throat closes up and the harder I have to fight to not cry. I can’t do this. I don’t want to do this. For four years, I was infatuated with him, but it’s never going to happen. Not the way I want it to happen. He stirs next to me, his arm brushing mine. I jerk away, giving him my back.

“Kenz?” He sounds like he’s concerned, but it’s a lie. I have to get away. It’s the only solution. If he’s going to an auction, I can use that time to try to create an escape plan. Married or not, I can’t stay here any longer. His fingers trail down my spine and I pull away again, but turn back to face him.

“Don’t touch me. And don’t call me Kenz.” He steps back, leaning against the counter and crossing his arms over his chest. His eyes turn to slits as he studies me.

“I think you’ve misinterpreted what is going on here.” His voice is a deadly whisper.

“No. I know where I stand with you. I’m your plaything when you want me to be, but you ignore me when you don’t. And apparently you go to auctions and buy other girls. It hasn’t even been three months since the last one.” His lips tip up into a smirk as he pushes away from the counter and stalks toward me. I want to be brave and stay where I am, but I walk back until I’m against the kitchen table.

“Are you jealous?” he asks as he puts his hands on the table, caging me in.

“No. Why would I be jealous?” My fingers grip the edge of the table as he steps even closer to me. He trails his index finger from my hand to the inside of my elbow, up to my shoulder, leaving goosebumps in his wake.

“So, would you be okay if I went to an auction and bought another girl? Then had sex with her in front of a room full of people?” The image that provokes crushes my soul. I’m not dumb. I know he’s slept with other women, but I don’t want him to be sleeping with them now. I shrug, unable to answer, because I know my voice will give me away. “I don’t like liars, McKenzie.”

“Neither do I, Phoenix. You said I was the only woman you’ve done this with. And I thought they only happened every three months.” His finger trails up the column of my neck and traces along my jaw. I pull back slightly, but there’s nowhere for me to go. I’m at his mercy. I hate it.

“You are the only woman I’ve done this with.” His thumb rubs along my bottom lip. “And you’ll be the only woman I’ll ever do this with.” My eyes brim with tears. I want it to betrue so badly. “And it’s happening a month earlier because the man who is hosting this time will be out of the country next month, so it was agreed he could move it up.” I suck in a breath, trying to hold my tears at bay. He runs his thumb along my cheekbone. “Let them fall, darling.” I shake my head as I hiccup.

I’m fighting so hard to keep them in, but one finally escapes. Tipping my chin down in shame, I know I won’t be able to stop them now. He grips my chin with his thumb and index finger, lifting it. He leans forward and licks my cheek.

“They belong to me,” he whispers. Then he’s capturing my lips with his. I try to resist, but he doesn’t give me a chance. He runs the back of his knuckles down my throat before he wraps his hand around it, holding me in place as he completely devours me. His tongue meets mine repeatedly as he wraps his other arm around my waist and lifts me onto the table.

“You belong to me,” he murmurs against my mouth. “And not just because I bought you at some auction. You’re my wife.” His hand slips under the back of my shirt and runs up my spine.

“You don’t act like I’m your wife,” I whisper.

He breaks the kiss and leans back slightly. I bring the palm of my hand up to his chest and push. He leans back more, giving me the space I need, but not completely moving away. “If I belong to you. If I’m your wife, why are you wearing a black mask?” Before he can answer, the oven timer begins to beep. He lets me slide out and take the cookies out, but as soon as they’re on the counter, he has me caged in again.

I simply stare at him, waiting for the answer to my question. “There’s a woman that needs rescuing and I’m going to attempt to do it.” My heart softens a little, but he was supposedly rescuing me too.

“You said you were rescuing me, too,” I remind him.

“Because of how much I paid for you and because we’re married now, I have certain privileges. One of them is that Ican purchase without doing with them what I did with you.” I grab a cookie off the cookie sheet and hand it to him. He chuckles. “Is this my reward for telling you the truth?”

“Did it work?” He takes a bite from the cookie and hums.

“These are delicious, so absolutely.” He pops the rest of the cookie in his mouth and takes another.

“Can I go with you?” My voice is low, but from his expression I can tell he heard me. He smiles lightly.

“Yes.” My mouth drops slightly. I wasn’t expecting that to be so easy. “You have some dresses. I’ll get Clara to meet you in your bedroom to help you get ready. We have to leave in thirty minutes.” Excitement stirs in my stomach, which is crazy, but I want to be included. I want him to prove I’m more to him than just his property. Maybe this is the beginning of that. That I can be a partner in whatever he has going on. That he can trust me.

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