Page 37 of Tower

“Yeah,” she whispered.

He turned her to face the mirror while he moved behind her. Pulling all of her hair into one thick ponytail, he separated the bundle and began braiding it. She watched him in the mirror, the intense concentration displayed on his features.

Although he was focused, he didn’t have the tense look she’d grown accustomed to seeing. He seemed more relaxed, more at peace.

When he reached the end, he held onto it with one hand and reached around her, opening drawers until he found a rubber band. She didn’t tell him that it was going to hurt like hell to take the band off in the morning. Disturbing him would change the atmosphere, and for the first time since she arrived, she felt the tension leaving her body.

“Let’s get you to bed.” He linked his fingers through hers and tugged her along.

Once she was beneath the covers, he leaned over her, staring into her eyes.

“I have a few things to see to and then I’ll be up. I want you to sleep, Azalea. No snooping around or leaving the bedroom, okay?”

“I’ll stay here,” she promised with a yawn.

He ran a finger across her brow. “You look so sweet after an orgasm. Maybe I should keep you in this state all the time.”

His lips pressed against hers, firmly.

“Good night, Peter,” she mumbled when he stood back to full height. Rolling over to her side, her back facing him, she squeezed her eyes shut and brought her knees up to her chest.

Another ache formed. Not quite loneliness. She had grown adept at fighting that away over the years, but of hope. Hope that when it was all over, when her mother returned and he allowed her freedom, that she would be able to piece together a life that included everything he’d given her and more.

Whatever that was.

Chapter 12

Peter walked into the Annex, his belly full of eggs and sausage, and his mind fully fixated on the beautiful blond he’d shared his breakfast with.

He hadn’t expected her to wake up so early, but when he’d come out of the shower, she was sitting in the bed with the covers pulled up to her chin.

After a short discussion on why she needed actual clothes to walk around in, he produced a pair of jeans and a sweater. He’d had Tommy go shopping with one of the girls from the Annex to pick out some items for Azalea. And it had been successful. She had thanked him for the clothes and jumped right into them.

He had helped her unbraid her long hair but let her handle the brushing of it. He’d simply leaned against the doorjamb and watched her.

But, now, he had to get to work. Dealing with Aubree couldn’t be put off any longer. He hadn’t brought it up during breakfast, and Azalea seemed to have forgotten. Not that anything she said would have changed his course of action, but he didn’t want to argue with her and have to punish her as well.

He hadn’t intended to punish her at all the previous night, but that little white lie had popped out of her mouth so freely, he couldn’t let it slide. Jerking off into her hands instead of plowing into that beautiful mouth of hers had been punishment for him as much as her. He had seen the desire in her eyes. She had wanted to suck him, and lick him, and he’d used the image of her doing so along with his thick belt tied around her mouth to find his release quickly.

He still needed to talk with her about honesty, but it wasn’t the punishment she probably thought was coming. Discipline and punishment weren’t always the same thing. She needed to learn the rules, and he found most submissive women learned them best bent over with a paddle in his hand.

Adjusting his hard cock in his slacks, he stopped outside the door to his office. He had been told Aubree was inside waiting for him, and he’d let her stew long enough. Hell, he probably owed her an apology for not completing the punishment in a timely fashion. He had, after all, caused her to lose an extra shift.

“Peter.” Tommy joined him at the door. “Azalea is looking for you.”

Peter looked past him, down the hall leading to the main house.

“I just left her. She’s supposed to be in Ash’s office.” He’d given her the code to his laptop so she could get online. She didn’t have any social media accounts from what his men had found, but she did play around with graphic design.

“Well, she’s not. She’s at the door.” Tommy jerked a thumb at the door separating the Annex from the main house.

He clenched his teeth and took a deep breath. Aubree shouldn’t have to keep waiting.

“Tell her I’ll be with her in an hour and to go back to the office like I told her,” he said grabbing the door handle to the office.

“I did tell her that,” Tommy argued. “She’s insisting.”

Peter narrowed his gaze. “Are you telling me you can’t get that slip of a woman to go back to the damn office?” She was beautiful, but she wasn’t a goddamn witch. What sort of spell did that woman cast over his men?

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