Page 53 of Emperor of Lust

“This isn’treal, Damian,” I say quietly, a reminder to myself as much as to him.

“I’m well aware our engagement isn’t real, Hana,” he grunts. It’s weirdly foreign to hear him use my name instead of Kitsune or princess. “But ourarrangementis.”

My brow furrows. “Arrangement?”

His lips curl dangerously. “The one where Iown youand you do as I say.”

I bristle. The commanding tone in bed—or on the bench, if we’re splitting hairs—is one thing. Bossiness outside of that—forbidding me to cover up, telling me where to sleep—feels too much.

Plus…and I have no interest in sharing this with him…

…I’ve never actually slept in a bed with anyone.

Ever.

Much like being pinned or held down, being in a bed with a man has always felt…not great. Triggering.

I shake my head. “I’m… I’ll just sleep on the couch.”

Damian’s gaze darkens. “No, you won’t,” he growls. He points to the bed next to him. “You’ll sleep here.”

“Why—”

“Because I said so,” he snaps. “Now get. In.”

His piercing violet gaze is unrelenting, and my resolve wavers under its intensity. I don’t want to surrender—I don’t want the gnawing sensation of climbing into a bed with him.

But telling him why I don’t want to feels dangerous. At the end of the day, despite everything we just did, thereisan element of danger with Damian.

So I shudder as I quietly make my way to the other side of the bed and climb in.

“Happy?” I whisper, feeling a clawing sensation at the back of my neck, dragging me back to that night in school.

“Ecstatic,” Damian mutters. “Glad you remembered our arrangement.” He tosses and punches his pillow a few times before he settles and closes his eyes. “Night.”

“Night,” I mumble back, the pressure on my neck beginning to choke off my breath and the clawing feeling in my chest starting to slice away at me.

Somehow I stay where I am, sitting up in bed and counting to higher and higher numbers to distract myself—an exercise one shrink taught me years ago. By the time I hit four hundred, Damian is fast asleep next to me, his breathing deep and even.

I almost trip over myself jumping out of bed. Instantly it’s like I can breathe again, and the whining, gnawing sensation inside of me quiets.

I take a deep breath and head for the door. Then I spot something on the floor, and I stop.

It’s the ropes from earlier, now lying coiled and discarded.

I glance at the door, then back at Damian, sleeping.

Then at the ropes.

Then at Damian.

My lips curl devilishly.

16

HANA

I’m grinning smuglyas I wait for the elevator. I scroll through my calendar on my phone, glancing at the day’s agenda of meetings. Today is all about the legitimate side of things—a slew of acquisitions that will bring Mori Holdings’ reach into Tokyo before Kenzo expands operations of the Mori-kai into the city.

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