Page 78 of Claim

Dead or not, her specter haunted what Damon and I had. He’d made too many decisions about us based on the tragedy of her death.

Now or never, Sophia.

“I want to know about Maria. I want to know your side, all of it.”

He stiffened. His eyes darkened to almost a deep emerald, and then he nodded. He freed his grip on my hair and lifted his arm, and I settled more comfortably along his body.

“It’s true. I killed her.”

Without thought, I sat up and said, “Bullshit. She took her own life. That does not make you her killer.”

“So fierce to defend me, even from me.”

I scowled at him. “I’m giving you a reality check.”

“Is that what you’re calling it?” He shook his head and then jerked me back against him. “You don’t even have a clue as to the type of man who’s claimed you. Listen to the tale and then decide.”

“Decide what exactly?”

“Whether or not you’ve bound yourself to the villain of the story.”

The way he’d spoken, he truly believed he was responsible for Maria’s death.

“Tell me, and then I’ll make the call. I know villains firsthand. In some senses, I am one.”

His arms tightened around me. “Oh, My Sophia, that incident at the prick designer’s place was child’s play. Maybe one day, I’ll divulge some of the antics Lucian and I engaged in during our younger years.”

“First, I want to hear about Maria.”

“I guess there is no diverting you from a mission.”

“Nope.”

He released a deep breath and started talking, “My dynamic with Maria wasn’t a basic level of power exchange, but absolute power exchange.”

He paused, waiting for me to ask questions, but I remained quiet.

“She devoted herself completely to me and relied on me for everything. Love wasn’t a factor in our relationship. It went along the lines of ownership. She wanted me to control every aspect of her life. She expected it, craved it. She’d flounder when I couldn’t provide that extreme level of control. I was responsible for her twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.”

A pang of jealousy coursed through me, knowing he’d been with someone who’d been at his beck and call for anything he wanted.

I understood some women needed that release from making any decisions. They felt safer having someone protect them, make all their decisions, and keep them as pets or slaves. But that wasn’t me. I could never be someone like that. My DNA made me a brat and mouthy by nature.

I loved the sparring game of back and forth and skating the line of going too far. The thought of being under anyone’s thumb to that level pushed every one of my buttons to run.

If this was what he’d had, I’d never match up. Could he live with what came with me long-term?

“I know what you are thinking.” I opened my mouth, ready to argue, but he commanded, “Stop. Listen to the rest of it.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Very funny,” he muttered before continuing. “I enjoyed the control, I loved her submission, but I knew I wasn’t the right Dom for her. The level of devotion she needed wasn’t something I had the ability to give her. I enjoy complete submission. I live for it. However, I do not want to live it at every moment of every day. She deserved someone better than me.

“I explained it to her, and she said she understood, but she hadn’t. And it was my fault for continuing our dynamic even after I realized we weren’t a good fit for each other. Our scenes together should tell you how intense I am.”

Yeah, he overwhelmed the senses and made a girl feel like she was the only woman on earth.

“In Maria’s mind, she believed my passion for her was love, and all she had to do was convince me of what I felt. She couldn’t separate the physical aspect of our lives from the emotional.

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