Page 31 of Master of Lies

“Too fucking bad,” I said. “That ship has sailed. Tonight, your ass belongs right over here, in this bed. It wasn’t a suggestion.”

My tone makes her lips tighten, but she does it, thank God. The last thing I wanted to do right now was muscle around some pissed off, emotional girl.

She approached reluctantly, and I gestured for her to get in between me and the wall. Clearly, she was not thrilled to be trapped there, but tough shit. I wanted her to be right next to me while I slept. This place was full of firearms, ordnance, electronic equipment, money, documents. I didn’t want her fucking with it while I was asleep.

So we were staying real cozy tonight, no matter how pissed she was at me.

“I’m turning out the light,” I said. “That cool with you?”

“You’re the big boss, right?” she asked, her voice sulky. “Why ask me?”

I shrugged. “You told me stuff in the letters. About those religious fanatics who locked you up in the dark when you were little. If that was me, I’d still be afraid of the dark. Just tell me, if that’s the case. I don’t want to have you falling apart on me with no warning.”

“Oh.” She wouldn’t meet my eyes, just chewed on her lip, which was shaking. “Um. Well, um, I usually do sleep with a light on. If you must know. But I won’t freak out if you want to turn it off. I’m not all twisted up about it. I don’t have a complex or anything. It’s just, you know. A preference.”

“I’ll leave it on, then.” I dragged her close, her back to my front. Her round, luscious ass pressed against my dick had the effect one would expect, but I ignored it.

I wound my arm around her body, flung my leg over her legs. If she moved a single muscle, I would know about it.

She smelled good. Something about the way her hair tickled my nose felt good. It made something unlock inside my chest. Letting more air in.

“Your arm is too heavy,” she complained. “I can’t breathe.”

I shifted my arm down a notch so it wasn’t resting on her ribs. “Better?”

She snorted. “I guess. You’re hot, though. Like a blast furnace.”

“Deal with it. Now shut up and let me sleep.”

She stopped talking, and I tried to calm myself down. But there was something about her that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. It kept eluding me.

Something out of place. I was angry at her for being so vulnerable, so broken. Wide open to abuse. Things that weren’t her fault. I, of all people, should know that.

But that didn’t jive with the clear, ringing tone in her voice when she called me out for being a hypocrite. Or the cool indignation in her eyes. Or her proud posture.

And when we came together, when I felt her soul, or some crazy fucking thing, she seemed so bright. She shone like a star in that magic place in my mind. Not broken, or damaged. Ragged around the edges, maybe. Desperate, stressed, pushed to the limit.

But not broken.

CHAPTER12

Freya

Itried for the tenth time to wiggle free of Jed’s tight embrace, and failed again. He just stretched, yawned in his sleep, and tightened his grip.

I had to call Holly today. Just had to. It was her ninth birthday, and no one was there to celebrate with her but Ethan’s staff. They loved her to distraction, and could be counted upon to make a birthday fuss, but even so. Poor Holly already suffered a huge blow when Shane, her dad, had disappeared. We were the only family she had left, and she needed her Uncle Ethan and me to be there for her in person in order to feel safe and whole and properly celebrated. It sucked that I wasn’t there today.

Plus, I was pissed at Ethan for skiving off on his own mysterious business without sharing it with me, or thinking of Holly’s birthday. He adored his little niece, but he left the organizational parenting tasks to me. Things like parent-teacher conferences, medical appointments, vaccinations, music and dance instruction, or planning for a birthday party. Those kinds of things just never occurred to him.

I needed to get my coat on, slip outside, reassemble my Freya Masters phone, call Holly, then swiftly break the phone down and hide it all again. The ideal thing would be to get back inside and in character as Sandee before Jed even woke up.

Ambitious, risky, but a girl could try. In fact, a girl had to try.

I tried again, pulling harder. This time, Jed stirred, murmuring in protest. “What the fuck?” he mumbled. “Stop wiggling.”

“Let me get up,” I insisted. “I have to pee.”

He made an impatient sound, but shifted his weight so I could extricate myself. My clothes were scattered around, so I scooped them up and brought them into the bathroom with me. I’d slept surprisingly well, considering everything. Maybe it was all those multiple orgasms. No matter how emotionally fraught and complicated the sex, I had never even imagined pleasure like that. I’d thought that what happened last night would make me feel bad about myself. Soiled. But it didn’t.

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