Page 29 of Cruel Master

“Turn.” One word. An order. A command.

I followed, turning slowly until my back was to him. He reached around my body and gathered up the strips of fabric before sliding them up my arms. I glanced down as the upper folds of the gown came together and then I felt them tighten around my spine, crisscrossing over my shoulders and down my biceps—almost pinning my upper arms to my body. With a quick jerk, I gasped and nearly stumbled backwards into the hard body at my back.

“There,” Gaven said, his voice low and full of gravel. “Now, turn back and let me look at you.”

Pivoting on the heels I’d chosen—something I’d certainly gotten more used to in the last few years—I tipped my face upward. Pleasure filled Gaven’s dark face. His eyes were locked on the way the strips of fabric cupped my breasts and pushed them up, creating a dip of cleavage.

My insides trembled as he leaned around me and looked across the mattress where the rest of the unused jewelry lay. “Just a few more details,” he said, picking up something.

Cold metal touched my back, making me arch against him as he slipped what looked like a delicate-looking chain around my waist and then fastened a diamond broach into the middle of the dress, where the strips came together before the bottom half flowed down to the cutout sides at my hips. He clipped it into place before reaching for something else and holding it up to my neck.

Unable to look away from his eyes, I held perfectly still as he slid the choker necklace around my throat. “There, now you’re perfect,” he stated. “Go take a look.”

Blinking as he moved away from me, I took wobbly steps towards the bathroom and entered to look at myself in the floor-to-ceiling mirror there. The sight of me made my mind catapult back in time. With my hair raised up into a messy, unsophisticated chignon—the best I could do with my limited supplies—it made the diamond choker against my throat stand out even more.

I had chosen not to wear a necklace simply because it reminded me of the first gift he’d ever given me. This necklace was … strikingly similar. I reached up and touched it as a shadow appeared in the doorway behind me.

I loathed to admit it—even to myself—but the necklace felt right against my throat. It felt like coming home. Strange considering that I’d only known Gaven for a short time, had only been considered his wife for a single night, before it’d all blown up in my face.

As if he could sense the dark turn of my thoughts, Gaven approached and settled a hand on my shoulder. The contrast of his broad, scarred palm on my skin was evident. He maintained the same air as he had five years ago. Strong. Competent. Intimidating.

My eyes met Gaven’s in the mirror, and my heartbeat thundered in my ears. His hungry gaze moved down my body in the reflection. Heat rose to my skin. I swallowed roughly. He was a formidable figure at my back.

“Do you think you’re ready?” he asked.

I doubted I’d ever be ready for the insanity he constantly pushed me into, but I had to play by his rules if I had any chance of surviving. Turning to face him, I lifted a hand and he took it.

My answer, when it came, was just as much a lie as it had been the night we married. “I do.”

14

ANGEL

“Where are you taking me?” I had gained very little information from the walk from the bedroom out to the limo. I turned my head up to the sky, noting that the sun was already falling behind a long line of trees. Warm air touched my skin, a gentle breeze lifting the strands of my hair as I was hurried along. The first breath of fresh air felt like a Godsend, but at the same time, I felt too rushed to actually fucking enjoy it.

Glancing back over my shoulder, I finally got an actual look at where I’d been imprisoned for the last several days. The place that I’d been kept in was obviously a large manor house—not unlike the one where I’d been raised. The face of the mansion had four large columns at the entrance, each one wrapped with what looked like perfectly gardened ivy. There were even flowers. A strange detail, in my opinion, considering I didn’t expect Gaven to have a gardener. How long was he planning on keeping me here? Did he expect that it was something I would like?

Gaven stopped at the back of the limo and opened the door without waiting for one of the men who trailed out after us. They were all in black suits, but surprisingly, they hung back. In the past, whenever I’d gone anywhere with my father, they’d been practically on top of us. These realizations, however, didn’t have much time to percolate in my head as I was urged into the vehicle and, soon after, joined by Gaven. The door shut, and the car pulled away from the building.

As the man in the front drove down a long, winding pathway, I peered out of the tinted backseat windows, watching trees pass by until we slowed at a set of iron gates. The limo paused and after a few moments, the gates opened and we were on our way once again.

“Would you like a drink?” Gaven offered instead of answering my question. He reached down into the side of the back of the limo and pressed a button. The soft whirr of a secret compartment opening and raising up sounded in the otherwise quiet interior of the vehicle. I silently watched as Gaven pulled two crystal glasses out of the revealed compartment and uncapped a matching decanter full of amber liquid.

“I’ll take a drink if you tell me where we’re going,” I replied.

Gaven didn’t immediately respond as he filled the glasses and then passed one to me. A large part of me didn’t expect an answer, but surprisingly, Gaven gave me something. “A club opening,” he finally said.

“A club opening?” I repeated his words as I put the glass to my lips and took a long sip. The spicy brandy seared over my tongue and I winced as I swallowed. Contrarily, however, Gaven gulped down half of the glass without batting an eyelash.

“Yes.” Even though his glass wasn’t empty, he took the decanter again and refilled it nearly to the brim.

I nodded to it. “Are you feeling stressed about something?” I prompted.

Cool, steel blue eyes met mine. “If I am, will you offer to relax me?”

My fingers clenched around the glass in my hand. “Perhaps.” Being the object of his obsession and the craving for his relaxation and release would be good, I told myself. Getting close to him was a good goal because it would soon have him letting his guard down just enough for me to actually get away.

My offer had nothing to do with the pulse of heat between my legs. Nothing at all.

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