Page 43 of Taming Seraphine

“I had a vasectomy,” he snarls. “We used a condom and you have an implant under your skin.”

My chest fills with triumph, and I suck in a sharp breath. Leroi needs to end this stalker before she escalates.

Rosalind’s mouth opens and closes like a fish. “But?—”

“Get the hell out of my apartment,” he snarls. “Don’t come back unless you want the next time to be your last.”

Her gaze shifts over his shoulder, and we lock eyes. When she holds my gaze for a second too long, I bare my teeth. She sees Leroi as her property, the same way Dad acted like I owed him something for doting on me under false pretenses.

Leroi turns around to see what Rosalind is looking at, and I shut the door before he can notice that I’ve disobeyed another of his orders.

Pressing my ear to the gap in the wood, I eavesdrop on the rest of the conversation.

Rosalind’s voice is thick with tears when she says, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know how else you’d listen when you blocked me?—”

“Next time I see you anywhere near this building, your head will take a bullet,” Leroi says, his voice cold.

Rosalind fills the apartment with desperate sobs. I crack open the door half an inch to witness him throwing her out into the hallway. He slams the door and turns the lock, then picks up the phone.

“Carl,” he says into the receiver. “A dark-haired woman in a red dress is leaving the building. Make sure she never returns.”

The other person says something before Leroi hangs up.

I step out of my room, hoping he was talking to one of the clean-up crew. “Who’s Carl?”

His features sharpen. “I told you to stay in your room.”

“But she’s gone.”

His gaze drops to my hand. “I also told you there would be consequences if you lied to me about having more weapons.”

I glance down at the gun. “You said knives.”

Leroi bares his teeth. “Do you remember accepting the consequences of disobedience and being a brat?”

Blood drains from my face and gathers between my thighs, making my core tingle. Even my pulse dials up several notches. I sway on my feet, dizzy with excitement.

I didn’t think we’d get to use the toys so soon.

SIXTEEN

SERAPHINE

Leroi advances on me, his eyes hard. Raising my chin, I meet his gaze, trying to contain the surge of anticipation and desire. This is madness. I should be terrified after seeing how he slammed Rosalind against the wall and ran the tip of his gun over her face, but heat slams into me as he grips my chin.

“You disobeyed a direct order.” His voice is so cold that a shiver runs down my spine. “And you lied to me about having a gun.”

“I didn’t?—”

“I asked if you had handed over all the hidden weapons, and you nodded, knowing there would be consequences for not telling the truth.” He strokes my chin with his thumb, infusing me with a delicious tingle.

My stomach flutters, and my heart rate ratchets to its maximum capacity. I take a deep breath, trying to remain composed, but the intensity of his stare makes my skin flush.

His gaze drops to my lips, and my brow breaks out into a sweat. My arms twitch, but I hold them at my side, resisting the urge to kiss him.

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lie.”

“It’s too late for apologies,” he says, his pupils dilating. “But I will give you a choice of punishment.”

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