Page 107 of Peasants and Kings
Hadrian laughed and then took a seat on the couch. He placed his arm on the cushion above me and draped his fingers so they grazed my shoulder.
“They really love you,” I said softly, gazing up at him.
He studied me for a long moment. “Why do you say that?”
“Just the way Ingrid talks about you. And how the kids hang on your every word.”
“She told you,” he stated. “About how she and her family came here.”
I nodded.
Something in my expression made his jaw clench and his eyes turn flinty. “Don’t look at me that way.”
“What way?”
“Like I’m some kind of savior. I’m not, Eden.”
I placed my hand on his muscular thigh and felt the coiled tension just waiting to be unleashed. “Who are you trying to convince? You know what I noticed when you were with Ingrid and her family?” I met his gaze. “You were relaxed in a way I’ve never seen.”
“What else did she tell you?” he demanded, his expression dark. “Aside from how she came here. I know she said more to you.”
I hesitated. I doubted he’d appreciate Ingrid’s honesty about what Hadrian needed. So I settled for a partial truth. “She mentioned Ramsey Buchanan. I had no idea you were actually friends.”
“Aye, we’re friends. Why does that matter?”
“Because he watched my interview with Genevieve,” I explained, my heart hammering in my temples. “Did he—tell you about me?”
“No. Ramsey wouldn’t do that. You’re a Rex girl, remember? They don’t bend the rules for anyone, not even me. Didn’t Ramsey tell you that?”
“He did, but I—”
“Don’t trust him?”
I nodded confirmation.
His smile was savage. “You don’t trust anyone, do you? You fall into the trap every time, Eden. The more you attempt to keep me at bay, the more I want to know everything. Every secret, every desire. And Eden?” He leaned forward, his lips a mere whisper from mine, “I always get what I want.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
It felt like I’d only just fallen asleep, sated and safe in Hadrian’s arms when a hand pressed tightly over my mouth, instantly jarring me from a deep slumber.
I didn’t relax, even when I realized it was Hadrian.
The storm that had threatened us in the afternoon had become an evening squall, and it continued to scream, battering the glass of the balcony doors with rain and wind.
It was almost completely dark in the bedroom, but there was enough glow from the moon beating its way through the storm clouds that I could see.
Hadrian loomed over me, and I could faintly detect the outline of him.
Without removing his hand from my mouth, he managed to drag me out of bed and then lowered me to the ground, shoving me beneath the raised platform.
No moonlight pierced the darkness under the bed. My naked body quickly chilled with fear even though I was pressed against the heated wooden floor.
The tempest raging outside had been muted due to the double paned balcony doors, but suddenly the storm became a near deafening roar as the doors were thrust open.
Through the scream of the wind and the onslaught of rain, I could hear the smack of a fist meeting flesh. There was a hiss of pain and then a grunt.
I quickly covered my mouth with my hand and forced my terror down, refusing to let it escape.
