Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 69524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 348(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 348(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
I force my jaw to unclench and put the binoculars away. I’ll come back tomorrow night. I have to know more.
She’s back at her easel, but the canvas is darker tonight. I had to stay at work later than I would’ve liked, so she’s already deeply absorbed in her art by the time I finally settle into the rickety garden chair.
I’d anticipated watching her storm-tossed sea develop into a towering tempest, but she seems to have a different subject in mind tonight.
Heavy strokes of midnight black darken the edges of the canvas, and all of the light she captures with her paintbrush is focused on the center of her painting. Shadows cling to creamy flesh, as though they’re drawing her subject deeper into their forbidden embrace. They curl around a slender neck like tendrils of smoke, and the distinctly feminine chin is tipped back as though to welcome the dark claim.
The knife at her subject’s throat glints dully, a charcoal gray that’s almost forged from the shadows that caress their victim.
Rosebud lips are parted on a gasp that’s undeniably erotic. And just at the bottom edge of the painting, two peaked, pink nipples beg for attention.
My teeth clench hard enough to make my jaw ache, and my cock stiffens to the point of discomfort in the confines of my jeans.
I was right to think that Abigail’s desires are a perfect match for my own. She secretly fantasizes about being threatened and forced to experience transcendent pleasure.
I’ve never allowed myself to truly frighten a woman. There are certain parameters I have to operate within to fit social norms, even in more deviant subcultures. Those boundaries have irked me in the past, but now, they feel like the iron bars of a cage that’s far too small to contain me.
What would it be like to throw off those invisible constraints and truly unleash myself upon her? Would she welcome the thrill of this darkest game?
I have no desire to harm my pretty prey; on the contrary, I’ll do anything to shield her so that she’ll welcome me back into her body again and again.
I know now that a few nights with this woman won’t be enough.
The thought makes something slither down my spine.
Apprehension?
If I allow my mask to drop around Abigail, my secrets will be exposed. I’ll put myself at risk.
If I push her too far, she might scream in horror when I show her my true self. I could lose everything I’ve worked so hard for these last fifteen years: my wealth, my reputation, my freedom.
The temptation to indulge in this most forbidden connection is almost enough to drive me to madness, but I can’t give in. I can’t take on that risk.
Yet.
Until I know for sure that Abigail won’t be repulsed by my crueler advances, I have to be patient. I can watch her. Study her.
And when it comes to my studies, I’ve always excelled. I have an eye for detail and an excellent memory.
Abigail will be my greatest conquest, and I’ll devote the time and effort necessary to get what I want: her, in my bed, screaming my name.
I’ve never faced such a thrilling challenge in my life, and the prospect makes intense pleasure gather at the base of my spine. The temptation of her sensual painting is almost enough to make me come undone without the touch of her delicate hand.
I take a breath and master the bizarre urge to surrender to the insistent pleasure. I’m not going to come in my pants when Abigail is out of my reach.
She’s not in control of this seduction. I am.
She just doesn’t know it yet.
7
ABIGAIL
Now
You’re perfect for me.
I press my lips together to hold back the defiant words that burn my tongue. Or maybe that’s the bile that’s creeping up my throat.
I swallow hard against my rising nausea and wrench my gaze from his burning green stare. The possessiveness in his eyes is terrifyingly potent, and I can’t bear to maintain the intense connection for one second longer. He truly believes what he’s saying. I’m not sure if it’ll be possible to convince him that he’s completely delusional.
He’s decided that I belong to him.
When I look into his fiercely handsome face, I see the man I fell in love with. It’s beyond horrific to know that man was never real. Everything moment we’ve shared has been a manipulation.
I hug my arms around my aching chest, as though I can hold the shattered pieces of my heart together.
“You must be hungry,” he says, voice warm with concern.
I can’t trust in that warmth. I’ve seen his cold, merciless soul now. Any display of tenderness must be just another lie to lure me in.
I’ve always known that Dane is wickedly intelligent. I just didn’t realize that he was using that razor sharp mind against me. He’s a convincing enough actor that he tricked me into falling in love with him.