Page 30 of His Dark Purpose

“Shhh,” he soothed, shrugging out of his clothes before tugging back the covers to join her. His body and mind were replete but weary. “We both need to rest, little girl. Here.” He lifted the blankets over her as she shuffled closer. “Let me hold you.”

The solace between them was strange. After so much anger and so many crossed words, he might have expected the bad feeling to linger, but it wasn’t like that with his little girl.

He hadn’t forgotten the way she’d gone snooping and how she’d reacted to what she’d found, but bringing her down a notch or two had helped quell his desire for retaliation. She’d poked the tiger, and it had bitten her right back.

He knew it wasn’t right to want to degrade her, to make her use a bucket instead of a toilet and keep her bound, but he equally realized how much she adored the rough treatment. An odd equilibrium was reached between them when she pushed, and he pushed back harder.

It was as though there was comfort in the conflict.

He didn’t have an answer for the feelings swirling between them as he held her or the effect that sentiment seemed able to have on them both, but he didn’t have a single regret. If he hadn’t pursued Kendal for rent all those years before, he would never have laid eyes on her, and if he’d never seen her, he would never have conspired to meet her—to get her into his life.

How different would both their lives have been if they’d never met? The gloomy scenario wasn’t even worth thinking about.

“What the hell’s happening between us, sir?” Her voice was raspy and weak as his arm tightened around her.

“Just teething problems,” he murmured into her soft skin. “Don’t worry. Go to sleep.”

“But the ropes?” she kicked her feet under the covers as if he’d have forgotten where he’d bound her.

“I saidsleep.”

He didn’t want to talk about the ropes anymore. Not when things were finally back on a gorgeous even keel between them. What he definitely didn’t want to mention was that the bondage offered him that insurance he’d referred to earlier—he could go to sleep without worrying about waking to find her half of the bed empty.

“Don’t make me spank you again, Amy. We’re both too tired.”

She laughed softly, sighing as she pulled the covers higher. “Okay, sir, but we have to talk about this sometime, and I’ll need to get in touch with Jonah and Seth, too.”

“I know.” The names of the people who he knew would interrupt their bubble of satiated bliss ricocheted in his head, but he pushed them away.

Time had twisted to bring them closer again, and he was grateful. Until the dial shifted, he intended to make the most of the succor.

Chapter Ten

The Brothers

Jonah

“Jonah!” His name was hollered along the hall, the sound growing louder until Carly, his new girlfriend, appeared in the doorway. “For God’s sake, Jonah. Can’t you take your damn phone with you when you go back to bed?” She thrust the device in his direction, its insistent ringtone splintering any remaining chance of sleep. “It keeps bloody ringing!”

Rousing from his nap, Jonah pulled himself upright.Back to bed?He’d only closed his eyes for a few moments and hadn’t intended to sleep. He must have been more exhausted than he realized.

“Sorry.” He turned to the woman who’d been putting a smile on his face since his exams had finished. Going back to bed was always more funwithher. “Who is it?”

“It’s your brother again.” She rolled her eyes as she threw the phone into his waiting hands. “And I’m not your secretary.” She winked at him, wriggling her sexy little ass as she wandered away.

“Got it!” he called after her, glancing down to confirm she was right—Seth’s name was lighting up on the screen.

“Seth?” Answering the call, he held the phone between his shoulder and ear as he climbed out of bed. It had been years since he’d spoken to his elder brother, but since Seth had got out of jail and got his hands on a phone, he’d managed to call Jonah more than once that day. “What’s up?”

“Thanks for the money you sent over.” Seth’s sudden gratitude might have been out of character, but it was owed. When Seth’s bank accounts had been unfrozen, Jonah had wired him what little cash he could afford. They hadn’t always seen eye-to-eye, but Seth was his brother, and he’d do whatever he could to help his transition back to liberty. “That’ll get me started.”

“You’re welcome. I know you couldn’t get a hold of Mum, and she wouldn’t want to see you starve.”

“Yeah, about that…” The sound of cars passing by in the background suggested Seth was somewhere outside. “Is there any news from Mum?”

Mum.Anxiety rippled in his chest at the thought of her.

Something hadn’t been right when he’d spoken to Kyle earlier, but he hadn’t been able to put his finger on the reason why. He’d tried to push the idea from his mind, but Seth’s question had reignited the old apprehension.

---