Page 28 of Unhinged

My eyes widen. “You’re joking.”

He shakes his head. “No.”

I carefully slip it off, placing it on a chair nearby. When I turn around, Taren’s eyes are alight with pure fire. They drag down my body predatory and then back up slowly.

“In bed.”

I swallow hard at the edge of his tone. “What are you going to do to me?”

His jaw clenches. “In bed,” he repeats.

I climb into the bed, and he strips off, revealing his corded muscles covered in ink and scars. I melt at the sight of him. When I see him like that, I’m pretty sure he could do whatever the fuck he wanted to me.

Taren crosses the room, his muscular form a daunting silhouette against the hotel suite’s softly lit backdrop. He slides into the bed next to me, an electric current buzzing between us despite the distance he maintains. He settles in, his tattooed arm folded behind his head as he stares at the ceiling.

“Sleep,” he commands, his voice firm.

His word, simple as it may be, wreaks havoc with my mind. The anticipation, the uncertainty, it’s maddening. A thousand questions whir in my mind, but the silence in the room is deafening, punctuated only by the distant hum of the city outside.

“That’s it?” I blurt out.

He raises a brow but keeps staring at the ceiling, the whisper of a smirk on his lips. “What were you expecting, little bird?” He turns, and his piercing gaze catches mine, stealing the oxygen from my lungs. “Did you want me to violate you?” His eyes narrow and it feels like a taunt to what I told him earlier.

“Hey, that’s not fair.”

His jaw clenches. “You told me the truth about Michael. It confuses me. Especially after what you told me you fantasized about in my bedroom before we left.” He reaches out, dragging a finger across the swell of my breasts. “Make me understand.”

I shut my eyes hard. “I can’t because I don’t understand.”

“I’m not judging you, little bird.” His voice is reassuring, and I open my eyelids, looking into his coffee-colored eyes and wishing I could explain it. “I want to understand you. All of you.”

Silence passes before I gather my thoughts, my heart pounding against my chest. “I don’t know,” I admit, my voice barely above a whisper. “A part of me is drawn to you, to the danger and excitement. But there’s another terrified part that remembers what happened with Michael.” I pause, my eyes darting to his, searching for any sign of judgment and finding none. “It feels like if I act it out, and it’s my choice with you, then it’ll give me power over the situation.” I shake my head. “It makes no sense. I know.”

Taren remains silent, his gaze never leaving mine. He reaches out, tugging a loose strand of my hair behind my ear, his touch causing my breath to hitch. “That’s honest,” he murmurs, his voice soft in the dim light. “Such a good little bird.”

“Can you be honest with me?” I ask, biting my lip.

He nods.

“What’s going to happen to me and my friends?”

His jaw clenches. “Nothing, I hope.”

I arch a brow. “How’s that possible?”

“I have a plan.” He puts his arm behind his head again, gazing at the ceiling. “The details aren’t important. The plan has been on the sidelines for a long time, but your arrival has made its execution imperative.”

“But in the meantime, what’s our fate?” I push.

He turns again, looking at me. “Training to be sex slaves.”

I tense, my heart pounding erratically against my rib cage. “What?”

“Your training starts tomorrow. And I’m sorry, but I can’t stop it. If I’m going to get you and your friends out, she can’t know of our… connection.”

I don’t dare ask what the training entails.

“Have hope, little bird.” He leans over, kissing me. “I won’t let them hurt you if I can help it.”

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