Page 19 of His Dark Hunger

Jonah wanted reassurance that things would be okay as he continued to study remotely, but he also wanted answers. Why had Kyle paid the bail and allowed him to stay with no apparent demands, and what was it she did for the master of the house again?

Amy had spent hours of the last few days deflecting her son’s queries by reminding him of their good fortune. Kyle had been there when Jonah needed him, and he’d promised to house him until his court date. Jonah had reasons to be grateful.

Her enigmatic employer, meanwhile, was proving to be even more difficult to satisfy. Jonah’s presence inhibited Kyle’s ability to denigrate and display her—a fact that, in many ways, she was absurdly thankful for—but after dinner, when Jonah was upstairs in his room, Kyle only demanded more from her. Hours on her knees, cleaning his study or his dick, or even serving as his personal footrest had left her heady, tired, and confused. It was as though the time Kyle couldn’t have his own way with her had become bottled up inside him, and he used those long evenings in his office to let off steam—all over her.

The muscles at the apex of her thighs clenched as she recalled the wicked ways he chose to vent. There had been less and less sleep as she’d succumbed to his base needs and reveled in all his wondrous attention, yet even though she was tired, she couldn’t seem to regret it. She still couldn’t understand the way her body reacted to his perverse dominance, but she no longer sought to deny it. Kyle had given her everything she could ever have hoped for, and although there had been no further conversations about personal feelings after that first night Jonah had joined the household, she hung onto the thought.

This isn’t just about the money.

Clasping the polished wooden banister, the reassurance sent the butterflies in her belly flying in different directions.

He wants me… maybe cares for me.

But does he really?She closed her eyes as the unwelcome, nagging voice burst into her head.Who would really want me, my debts, and my delinquent sons?

The unanswered questions heightened the paranoia clawing at Amy’s insides. Why was Kyle doing all this? A wealthy, attractive, and charming man like him could get sex anywhere he wanted. He didn’t need her or her emotional and financial baggage.

Acting on reflex, her attention flitted to the room she knew Kyle and Jonah were in. Her gaze burned into the thick wooden door as she walked across the expanse of hall in its direction. The two men were currently ensconced in a meeting with the lawyer Kyle had recommended, a man who, it seemed, might be able to get Jonah off the charges if her son played his cards right.

Staring at the door, she instructed her feet to pause. What was going on in there? It seemed as though the three men had been talking for hours. A part of her had wished she’d insisted on being present at the meeting, but it was strange to demand it. Jonah was a grown man, perfectly capable of both getting into, and out of, trouble without his mother.

Although,hecalled me.She straightened at the reminder.He reached out when he was in trouble.

Amy was glad Jonah still needed her, but she also had to accept Kyle and his lawyer, Randall, were better placed to assist in the important matter of his retaining his liberty.

It will be all right.She forced the words around her head over and over like a child’s lullaby stuck on repeat.It has to be.

Smoothing down the skirt suit Kyle had bought her since Jonah’s arrival, she caught sight of herself in the mirror across the shadowy space. The cream-and-black ensemble was fitted and smart, showing off her curves in all the right places while still affording her dignity, but it was still peculiar to be dressed so formally around the place. The long hours she’d spent getting used to Kyle’s rules while dressed in the kinky maid’s outfit had normalized both the treatment and the attire, and oddly, she found herself almost missing the damn thing.

“I’ll wear it for him tonight.” She turned her face toward the waning sunlight. “If he allows it.”

“Ah, there you are, lassie.” Leonard, Kyle’s overbearing personal chef, stalked from the direction of the kitchen. “I was wondering where ya were.”

“I’m right here.” Her hands rose to her hips as she turned to face the rotund man. They’d gotten off to a fairly rocky start, but he’d seemed slightly more amenable since she’d stopped dressing to suit Kyle’s kinks, and unsurprisingly, it was easier to look him in the eyes in the more formal clothing. “What do you need, Mr. Leonard?”

“That delivery.” His thick Scottish accent almost swallowed the sentence completely, but Amy had gotten good at translation.

“Whatdelivery?”

“From the local farm.” He flailed his arms in the air as if she should have automatically known to what he referred.

Leonard was clearly unaware that she had more than a dozen deliveries due at Brock Hall in the next twenty-four hours. Being properly dressed had also meant she wassuddenly empowered to do the role Kyle had initially hired her for. She’d relished tackling the huge backlog of issues that had mounted while she’d been dusting his glassware in the nude.

“The farm will deliver by three o’clock.” Amy glanced at the grandfather clock to confirm the time. “It’s only half-past two.”

“But I need those eggs!” Leonard rolled his eyes. “How am I supposed to perform miracles without the basic ingredients?”

“I’ll let you know as soon the delivery arrives.” She’d grown used to the man’s amateur dramatics in the last few days. “I promise.”

“Oh, ya promise?” Leonard’s laughter was dark. “Now that he’s let ya son stay and you put on more than only panties, you’re making promises, are ya?”

“That’s enough!” She scowled, turning away from his mocking expression so he couldn’t see her rising blush. The chef was only another member of staff at Brock Hall. He had no right to speak to her that way, even if his insinuations might have been founded in truth. “Surely you have something to do in the kitchen?”

“Aye,” Leonard sneered. “There’s always something for me there, lassie.”

“Hurry along, then, Mr. Leonard.” She peered back at him. “We both know Mr. Kyle has guests tonight, and he won’t appreciate the menu being changed at the last minute.”

Her tummy churned at the unwelcome reminder of Kyle’s evening plans. He had been running her through ideaswhile she’d been on her knees during the last two evenings, but she was still unclear what her role in the proceedings would be. The fact that Kyle had persuaded Jonah to go out for the night, though, along with booking him and his friends a table at Worthington’s and arranging his transportation there and back, did make her wonder… What did her sexy boss have in mind?

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