Page 20 of A King So Savage

But my heart knows better

It twists and squirms

Excited by cruelty

Ruled by the savage

After bathing her,washing her hair, rinsing her clean, and drying her off, her captor unceremoniously and with a great show of detachment, dressed Ava.

Now curled into a ball on the cot, Ava’s good hand tightened into a fist. Pulling the virginal white nightgown closer around her body, a tear slipped down her cheek when she remembered how Kingston bathed her.

It was an unimaginable violation. Made worse by the way her skin warmed beneath his hands. The sponge glided over every inch of her body. He never broke eye contact with her while forcing her legs apart so he could cleanse her even there.

Her thighs clenched at the memory of the sponge passing so carefully over those private areas. A shameful tingle shuddered through her. Why the violation affected her like this was a confusing tangle. Shehatedhim. Hated how effortlessly he controlled her. Hated how weak she became when he touched her. The man was a sociopath. It sickened her that even a hint of attraction existed between them.

He tidied up the cell while she huddled on the cot, her knees drawn up to her chest. Why lower himself to such menial tasks? The man was as rich as the devil himself and just as cruel. He could afford a hundred servants to clean up. He probably had dozens upon dozens just waiting to be told what to do.

Maybe he didn’t trust any of them around her. Her jaw tightened. Kingston was smart. He wouldn’t chance letting her slip through his fingers now that he had her.

“Sit up.”

His rough voice startled her. She’d become so lost in her thoughts she hadn’t realized Kingston’s attention had turned to her once more.

“No,” she said in soft defiance. It was foolish, provoking him like this. But she could not be an obedient little toy. She wouldn’t make this easier for him. Nibbling on a fingernail, she watched him warily.

Kingston sighed heavily. Her refusal was obviously a disappointment but one he must have expected.

“I welcome the opportunity to make you obey, Ava. It excites me, if you must know the truth.” He spoke so casually he might have been discussing the weather. “Making you do the things you don’t want to do. Forcing my will upon you. Even when you fight me, I find myself intrigued. Every bit of it makes my dick hard.” He was close enough to touch her now. A huge palm stroked her hair although she tried ducking away. “So, keep defying me. I want you to. Because I will likely give in and fuck you. I’ll risk losing the money, but having you force my hand will make that loss easier to bear.”

Ava sat up as he commanded. “What do you expect? That I will smile pretty and act like we’re dating? Ignore the fact you abducted me? Drugged me. Injured me. Violated…” her voice cracked. “I’m not a little doll. Or a puppet you can control. You may have me trapped at the moment, but I will escape.” Her eyes narrowed. “Even if I must kill someone to make that happen.”

Kingston’s head tilted.

“That fire right there—that sweet, little flame beneath an otherwise meek exterior. That will certainly be your downfall,” he mused, sitting on the edge of the cot. Capturing her chin in his palm, he studied her. “It’s absolutely fascinating. Mostly because I don’t recall ever seeing you so bratty and defiant. Never knew you to stand up for yourself. Or to fight back.”

“It was ten years ago that my father worked for you,” Ava replied sullenly. “And even if you were Carson’s friend, our own paths rarely crossed.”

“If you want me to admit I watched you, I did, indeed.” He grinned. A Devil’s grin containing zero shame. “All the time, although I shouldn’t have. I wondered what you would do if I kissed you. Made those virginal white panties of yours wet for me. I wondered if you would push me away or pull me close.”

Ava’s thighs quivered at the thought of Kingston touching her. “My dad would have had you arrested. Heshouldhave had you arrested. My parents could not have known how much of a monster you were. What an animal you would turn out to be.”

“They liked me well enough. If anything, they should have paid more attention to their own son’s activities and his treatment of you.” Kingston tilted his head to indicate the tray of food still waiting for her. “I want you to eat something now.” A twist of a smile transformed his lips. “Other than your own fingernails, that is.”

“I cannot eat.” Ava grimaced at the mention of her nervous habit. “I don’t expect you to care, but the thought of food is nauseating.”

“A side effect of the drugs. You need something in your stomach.” He pulled the tray onto the cot until it was between them. “Shall I feed you?”

“Shall I bite your fingers off if you dare try?” Ava replied in a sweetly acidic tone.

Kingston chuckled. “Didn’t you get a big enough piece of me earlier? And have you forgotten what I’ll do if you attempt it again?” He wiggled the index finger marked by her teeth. It was a wound much worse than the nip along the inside of his wrist. “Should I worry about rabies, my fierce little lamb?”

Ava did not answer. The reluctant admiration in his tone confused her. Why did it sound as though he were inordinately proud she’d injured him? Her thoughtless actions should have resulted in rage. Not approval.

He reached out with that same hand, blunt fingers stroking the bruise now forming along the crook of her neck. Marks in the shape of his teeth. “Now, eat.”

Ava snatched up one half of the sandwich and took a bite. Her stomach roiled in protest, but she swallowed it down and took another.

“How long have I been here?” Ava asked around bites of the sandwich. She hated to admit he was right about the nausea subsiding.

---