Page 83 of Captured

He took his time, alternating between rubbing my already heated skin and doling out strike after strike.

I was no longer shocked at his need to control me, realizing he was damn good at it. Was that because he’d learned so much about me or that he was right, and we were far too much alike? I had to think it was a little of both.

Dropping my head, I tried to focus but stars were floating in front of my eyes. I realized I was digging my nails into the gorgeous grand piano’s finish and was horrified, but I had to grip something.

Six more cracks were issued, two hitting my upper thighs. Moans escaped my lips, the sound almost unrecognizable. When the heat of his body was closer again, I managed to glance over my shoulder seconds before he rolled the end of the belt down my back to my legs. There was a glassy-eyed look about the man as he slipped it between my thighs. The moment he rolled the strap against my pussy, I threw my head back and whimpered.

“Pleasure and pain, little sparrow. You will covet both over the years, longing to feel my firm hand as well as the pleasure I’ll offer in return for your obedience.”

Just hearing him explain it calmly was so strange but also added to the deep yearning. I found myself bucking against his sensual actions, my scattered moans becoming louder as the explosive heat between us continued to burst at the seams.

His body was as tense as mine, his eyes more hooded than I’d seen before. He pressed the belt past my pussy lips, rubbing up and down as I continued bucking hard and fast. In the next few seconds, my mind went into a foggy mess, the rush of ecstasy entirely different. I no longer wanted to hold back from experiencing the joys of pleasure and the rush of agony.

The climax caught me off guard, only a strangled sound managing to sweep up from my throat. I was blown away by how incredible the sensations were from such a simple action. He drove the belt deeper into me and I was certain my legs would buckle.

As soon as the roar of rapture started to fade, he resumed the spanking, issuing one strike right after another. The round of discipline seemed to last forever, my body shaking all the way to my toes.

When it was finished, he placed the belt on the piano for my viewing pleasure, a reminder that rules were meant to be followed. He pulled me close as he’d done before, wrapping one hand around my throat, the other around my waist. As strange as it seemed, his possessive hold was more protective than before, his skipping breath an indication that he remained concerned for my wellbeing.

Once again, he kissed the top of my head. “Don’t forget, my darling girl. I own all of you. Every. Single. Inch. Now, try and get some rest. I’ll be leaving early in the morning.”

“I can’t replace your wife.”

He cocked his head, lightly brushing the tips of his fingers down the side of my face. “That’s not why you’re here or why I intend on spending the rest of my life with you. It’s all about you, Emily. The light burned so brightly inside you that it called to me from a significant distance. What we share is unusual, but it’s as resilient as it is full of passion, and eventually we’ll both be at peace. You just have to trust me.”

“I want to. Call me as crazy as I’ve thought you were, but that’s exactly what I want.” My words seemed to surprise and thrill him. “But I can’t live fearful of every day of my life, Styx. That’s not who I am or why I’ve worked so hard. I need joy, my music. And love. I hope that’s something you can still understand. I want a family. I want my career. I want it all.”

“And I want that more than you know, but make no mistake, Emily. Everything I’ve told you is true. Your father isn’t to be trusted. But neither is anyone else that’s crossed paths with him. He is as dangerous of a man as I am, only in slightly different regards. Liam is as well. I know trust isn’t on the table right now, but from the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew we’d been brought together for a reason. I am going to end this charade and remove a significant portion of the danger we both feel. But I will take your thoughts into consideration. It will take a little time but that is one of my promises to you.”

“What else do you promise?”

He pulled my hand to his lips, rolling them across my knuckles. “To love, honor, and cherish until death do us part.”

I shouldn’t be tingling all over, excitement drilling through me. But that was exactly what was happening.

To anyone else, what he’d said would sound insane, obsessive, but karma had a strange way of righting wrongs and putting pieces back together. Even if those pieces were little more than crushed shards. Maybe we’d been brought together to heal.

And to live.

Who was the crazy one now?

“I know who and what my father is and agree with you,” I said more easily than I’d been able to before. “Whether or not my dad got his hands dirty, he’d had my mother killed. The reason doesn’t matter.”

The way he sucked in his breath was an admittance that he knew something more than he was ready to tell me.

“It will in time, my sweet,” he said quietly, but the hushed syllables were as clear as a bell. I’d been right all these years, my fears finally coming to fruition. It was odd how a weight felt lifted.

Or maybe a noose removed from around my neck. Now I had a reason for my utter hatred of my dad. A justification.

“I want to say then kill him,” I said, certain in the heat of the moment I meant that. Maybe that would bring us both some peace.

“No, you don’t. That’s not you. You can’t have it both ways. You’re not the kind of girl to cross over the very line of good versus evil. I won’t allow you to ruin your life.”

“Maybe it’s not your choice.”

“Yes, it is. You’re my angel and you’re going to stay that way. Let me do the dirty work.”

The dirty work. He meant murder. I was certain of it.

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