Page 6 of Tarnished Reign

“Except for the bit where we have to party on the yacht for a while and show that we’ve taken the spoils.” I sigh, exhausted by the idea, and scrub a hand over my heavy stubble. Then again, if the spoils include the angel on the bed, it might be worth it.

“Boss, can I have this one? She’s incredible.” Jinx grabs my attention from the offensive nightmare that is this yacht’s interior design and back to the woman.

Grinding my teeth, I ignore him. I walk to the bed and flick on a light. Then, I still as I take in her features.

I look at her face for the first time, and the world stops.

The sounds of the men joking fade out. The swell of the ocean becomes nothing. The tacky décor recedes into the distance.

Everything stills and quiets as I look into the face of the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen.

Her eyes are huge pools of clear ocean blue, and I could drown in them. Her body is amazing, but that isn’t what has me frozen in her spotlight; it’s her face. It captured me instantly in a chokehold like I’ve never experienced before.

Well, fuck me. Dorian might have the worst taste in décor, but he has incredible taste in women. It’s her eyes that sucker punch me. Such deep blue it’s like drowning in the ocean looking into them.

Her gaze traps me, so scared and yet strangely bold. I stare right back at her, unable to tear myself away. My breathing increases, and hers does too. Her chest rises and falls faster as if we’re somehow in sync with each other. It makes her full breasts quiver in her tiny bra.

For a long beat it’s as if there’s nothing but me and her in the entire world.

It’s as if everything has stopped but this eternal, synchronized moment between us, stretching between oceans of time and space before collapsing into the reality of the here and now.

The urge to touch her rides me so hard I ball my hands, so I don’t do it. Not to touch her sexually, but just to feel a strand of her hair or brush my knuckles over her cheek. That would be weird as fuck, though. Everything I had hated about Jacob’s plan to keep Dorian’s girlfriend as my own is suddenly appealing if this is the girl.

It might be the most immoral thought I’ve ever had, but keeping her as mine for a few weeks would be delicious.

Shuffled footsteps and a groan have me glancing back at the door. Seb has a man in his arms. A half-dead man if the way he’s slumped forward with blood dripping from his nose is anything to go by.

“Who is she?” Yuri points to the angel on the bed as he glares at the bleeding man. “Is she your boss’ girl?”

Seb shakes the man he’s holding, but he only groans.

I’m about to tell them all to get out so I can take her gag off and ask her myself, when Yuri points at her again, brows raised. “Who is she?”

“She’s Dorian’s,” the man slurs. “She belongs to him. Cost him a lot. Almost a million in debts owed. She’s worth it. Untouched.”

My head swivels back to the girl. This puts a whole other spin on things. She’s not a working girl, but someone sold this beautiful woman for a million dollars.

Furthermore, Dorian paid a million dollars in debt write-offs to acquire her. That’s a fuck ton of money to waive.

I take her in again, as dispassionately as I can. I felt instant obsessive possession as soon as I saw her face, and it’s pushed to one side as I assess her as if I’m looking at a painting or a rare antique.

Is she worth a million dollars?

Insanely fuckable body, but wide, scared, innocent eyes. A cheap swimsuit, but expensive hair, which shines with the kind of gloss you only get from good nutrition and a high-end salon. Her nails are polished a delicate pale pink, very discreet and expensive looking.

She’s expensive skin, hair, and nails wrapped in cheap clothes.

She’s big eyes, and an innocent face atop the body of a temptress.

She’s a stunning contradiction, and it only makes her more interesting.

Untouched, he said.

A well-cared for virgin sold for a million dollars. What the actual fuck?

Seb mutters a disgusted curse and takes his knife from the holster on his thigh and plunges it into the man’s guts.

The woman screams around the gag, and I glance back to see her face drain of color. Shit, she’s going to tap out.

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