Page 187 of Sinful Pleasure

Mikael’s fury was palpable, veins bulging on his neck, his hands clenched into fists. He took a few steps forward like a predator closing in on its prey.

But I stopped him, grabbing his arm.

“Stop,” I nearly choked on my words.

“It’s not his fault.”

Mikael clenched his jaw.

“I’ll find out who’s behind this,” Mikael promised, his voice laced with deadly intent. “And I will tear them apart. Slowly. Painfully.”

The words were on the tip of my tongue. I knew who was behind it. I knew his name all too well. And not just his name.

But still, I couldn’t say it. Why couldn’t I speak it? Why were the words stuck in my throat, refusing to leave?

“And you,” Mikael hissed, pointing a finger at Garrett’s chest, “put my daughter in danger one more time, and I’ll forget about our agreement. I’llkill you and leave your lifeless body lying next to Martin King once I’m done with him. You hear me?”

“It won’t happen again, Mikael” Garrett said. “You have my word.’’

*****

A few hours later, the ugly night finally came to an end.

I stayed while the ambulances came to the rescue, then we got back to our house. I was more than relieved to remove that tainted dress from my body as soon as I got back to my room.

The first thing I did was to take a long, hot shower, scrubbing my body with force trying to wipe awayhistouch from me, but it was impossible.

My body was defiled by him, my mind too, and no matter how much I tried to erase him, to fight against my need for him - it just doesn’t go away.He was everywhere, even if he was not here.

I walked out of the bathroom, clutching the towel to my body. The chill air filtered in through the open window of my room.

Wait —I didn’t leave the window open.

But my body froze the instant I looked to the side.

The temperature in the room dropped another ten degrees as my eyes locked on the dark figure lurking in the shadows, casually leaning against the window. The terror from earlier flooded back when he stepped into the moonlight, his form illuminated. I could see his deadly, pitch-black eyes clearly now.

My heart stopped for a moment as they bored into me, unwavering.

How the hell did he get in here? Our mansion is guarded by hundreds of men, especially after tonight. How did he do this again?

This time, his face wasn’t hidden behind a mask, and I saw it—clear as day. Fresh scars marred his features, making him even more frightening than before.

His black hair was messy, as though he’d run his hands through it over and over, and his dark suit had been replaced by simple clothing, making him even easier to recognize.

How the hell did no one see him sneaking into my room?

“Did you like my little surprise?” he said, his voice dripping with cocky pride, his grin widening. He sounded like he thought what he’d done was some kind of holy act. This man was truly deranged.

“I’ll call the guards.”

I pressed the towel tighter against my chest, trying to shield myself from his gaze, which felt like it was violating my very soul. I suddenly felt naked in front of him.

He shook his head, pushing himself away from the window. Instinctively, I took a step back.

“I’ll finish you off before you even have the chance to scream.”

“You won’t do it,” I said, my voice hard, though my heart raced.

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