Page 89 of Among the Sins of my Father

“Are you trying to get rid of me, Miss Berkley?”

I follow her out of the bathroom and lean against the wall as she collects her things. She tries to act as though I’m not a distraction, but her eyes keep sliding to my body, which I’m unashamedly displaying. And this small shudder runs over her when I say Miss Berkley. I know what it does to her. And it’s a level I’m willing to lower myself to.

She licks her lips before speaking. “It just seems like you’ve been a little bored lately.” She tries unsuccessfully to pull her gaze up to my face.

“I can assure you I’ve been far from bored.” There’s no misunderstanding in what I’m saying. Even my cock stands taller at my words. I let my eyes scan over her brazenly. I know she won’t succumb. I know she needs to attend this class, but it’s still fun to try.

“My therapist thinks you’re just putting everything on hold simply to make sure I’m safe.”

There is some truth to her words. I barely want to let her out of my sight. I never want to be without her again. I never want to run the risk of someone taking her from me.

“Your therapist is a wise woman.” Pulling myself from my position against the wall, I walk over to where she’s stuffing extra tights into her bag. “Do you still have the flashes? Do I still do terrible things to you in your mind?”

She swallows and her gaze scans me slowly. “Jericho,” she says in a lower warning voice as she gets to her feet, her body dangerously close to mine

“What?” I tease.

She rises to her tiptoes, pressing her lips to my ear as she speaks. “The terrible things you do to me are no longer in my head. And now, thanks to you, all the time I’m going to be in class, I’m going to wonder which version of you I will come home to. Whether it will be the one who will bind me and torture me in the most delicious of ways, the one who will slap me, command me, consume me. Or the one who will hold me tenderly as he fucks me.”

Closing my eyes, I groan at her words, all the different scenarios of her suggestions running through my head. And when I open them again, she’s got this grin on her face, knowing how quickly she reversed the roles of our temptation.

Hoisting her bag over her shoulder, she walks toward the door. “You realize you pretty much killed everyone who wanted to hurt me? There’s no need to worry about me.”

“Didn’t you say your brother went missing from his hospital?”

She shrugs. “I haven’t heard anything more so they must have found him.” She waits in the doorway. “Speaking of brothers, did you see the email from Gideon?”

I glance toward my laptop sitting on the table. “Did you read it?”

“Only a quick scan. He seems happy. I think it was a good thing you did, setting him up as the manager of one of your clubs. It will give him a chance to grow up. A chance to make his own way. Sort of.”

“I’m nothing if not generous.”

She just lifts her brows in amusement.

“At least let me give you a ride.”

“It’s not far. I’ll be fine walking.” Her eyes dart up and down my body one last time before she shuts the door and leaves.

I wander over to the laptop and open the email from Gideon. Berkley is right. He seems happy. The last few months have been a big change for him. He discovered the truth about his father, his mother and his brother. And in doing so, he found out I’d been lying to him for years. He was angry at the start. Angry with me. Angry with Alice. It was Hope who helped him in the end. She was the only one who was able to get through to him and convince him to move forward, rather than look backward.

The amount of emails waiting to be read has greatly diminished ever since Berkley gained access to her father’s trust fund upon his death. She purchased the Sanctuary from me, allowing me to pay off all my debts. And now she’s established a trust, assigning my mother and Hope in charge of running it.

It gives us the freedom to pursue our dreams. Whatever they may be. For we have all the time in the world now. We could travel around the world, visiting each of my clubs. Or we could sell the whole lot and spend our lives living on a secluded beach. But whatever we choose, for now, I’m content to be where I am. With Berkley. Just soaking in the luxury of being together.

There’s a noise as a key slides into the lock. The door is pushed open and Berkley’s smiling face appears. “I forgot to say I love you,” she says, blowing me a kiss. She’s gone again before I can reply.

So much has changed since I first locked eyes with her at the dance studio. Back then, I saw her as a damaged doll, tattered and torn from life itself. I knew then and there that her broken parts would be a match for mine. But I didn’t know her strength. I didn’t realize her beauty. And I didn’t know just how much she would come to mean to me. There’s still a part of me that feels she’d be better off without me. I am nothing more than a monster and she deserves better. But I know I’d never have the strength to leave her. And she seems to want to stay.

In the beginning I wanted Berkley so I could exact revenge.

Now there is only one reason I want her.

Because I love her.

BERKLEY

The wrought-iron gates no longer groan when they open. I press my head to the window, peering up at the concrete pillars and twisted iron. The lanterns perched on top almost give off a cheery glow, as though welcoming us back to the estate we used to call home.

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