Page 50 of Seduced

Poppy could not look away. She wanted to, but she couldn’t.

She was studying the curve of his lips, the sharpness of his jaw, the ridiculously long eyelashes at the ends of those hooded, cold eyes.

“If I ever knew how to resist,” she said, “I have forgotten.”

“Who-who taught you—” He inhaled sharply. “Who made you like this?”

“Your lordship asks that in a tone that implies that it was a wrong done to me.”

“Itwas!” A little spit came out of the corner of his mouth, so violently did the words leave his lips. He licked it, swallowed. She watched, fascinated.

“My father, although a man of God, had been far too lenient with me,” Poppy said, half in a daze, watching his lips. “When he died, my brother took my education in hand and…and he discovered that I lacked in discipline.”

“Your brother then,” Hades appeared to be struggling with some fierce emotion. His teeth were so on edge he wasbiting his lips, and his words came out as a hiss. “What the hell did he do to you?”

“He just disciplined me,” she repeated. “He helped me learn…He taught me. For the good of my eternal soul. I had to kneel on rice, and do a few days of fasting, but I did learn humility and obedience, which are priceless, so it was a fair exchange. I am so grateful that he took the time to…”

There, she had to pause.

Because Hades, uttering a guttural growl and a heart-wrenching “God help me!”, had sunk to his knees in front of her. His legs literally folded under him, until he was prostrated on the floor before her.

He made no attempt to rise.

“Your brother,” he kept repeating.

Poppy had to look away; the sight was too much even for her. Something hot and sad burned behind her eyes, but she couldn’t explain it, so she ignored it, as she usually did. Her jaw worked with the effort to keep the tears in.

“All right,” Hades said, bracing one hand on the floor to pick himself up. “All right.”

His hand shook.

It seemed as if it took him a lot of effort to peel himself off the ground, and when he stood, it was on swaying, unsteady legs. He uttered a few oaths and turned his head away from hers, raking his hands down his long, black hair. His fingers were still shaking.

He turned towards the fireplace and busied himself with pulling his hair into a queue at the back of his head. Poppy watched his long, lean fingers tying the ribbon. That hair looked like a black river, it was so sleek and wavy. She wanted to run her fingers through it, she wanted to be the one to tie that velvet ribbon, and then to bury her…

“It doesn’t matter,” Hades said in a harsh, business-like voice, turning abruptly around.

It was the first time that she saw his face free of that waterfall of hair, and those cheekbones exposed were surely a weapon. Must be illegal, to say the least.

“I mean, it does,” he spat, “but it shall have to wait until I find the bastard and murder him twice over.”

“Wh—what?”

“Until then,” Hades continued, ignoring her terrified question, “we are here, now, in this room.” God, but his jaw was a piece of art.

“You will seduce me, as you said,” Poppy said, “and I shall…”

“Forget seducing,” Hades cut her off. “We have more important business to attend to. Listen, Persephone,” he dropped his voice to a lower, if not much gentler tone, and dropped his eyes too, so that they were on the same level as hers, “you need to learn how to refuse. It is of the utmost importance, do you understand? You must resist, refuse and fightanythingyou do not want. Anything, whether it is a gentleman’s attention, a kidnapping attempt, or someone starving you half to death.”

“Kidnapping? Like what you did?”

That hand raked through his hair again. His queue came apart, his hair falling down his shoulders like liquid ink.

He swore colorfully.

Don’t swear.

Shut up.

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