Page 45 of His Dark Purpose

“So, you used to be our landlord, and now, you’re fucking my mum.” Collecting the blade, Seth rose from the chair and strode back toward the picture that had stirred the initial recognition.

Skimming his fingers over the image of Kyle’s face, his voice was little more than a snarl.

“I don’t care how big your house is, Kyle, I still don’t trust you.”

Chapter Sixteen

Control

Kyle

“Is sex your answer to every problem, sir?” Amy’s gaze followed Kyle as he walked around the end of the bed, fastening the trousers he’d collected from the floor and tugged on while she remained bound.

Their latest round of sensual indulgence hadn’t been planned, but when she’d started to protest about the cuff, the simplest way to placate had been with his cock. Fortunately for Kyle, she’d ceded with little more than a few throaty groans, wrapping her legs around him and pulling him closer as he plowed into her slick sex.

Every time with Amy was magnificent, but there were moments like that when he still couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have her.

So damn lucky.

To have found a woman with brains and an amazing body he could worship was incredible. After all the wealth he’d acquired, he recognized a blessing when he saw one. All he needed to do to keep her was convince Amy his murky past wasn’t a deal breaker.

“Maybe.” Kyle chuckled. “It’s a good answer, though, don’t you think?”

Collecting his uneaten omelet from the end of the bed, he carried his plate with hers to the table behind him. After all the effort he’d put into making the dish, he hadn’t even tried his food. In the end, it was his appetite for Amy that had won out. Looking at her, still tangled in his sheets, he reckoned it always would be.

“Verygood, sir.” She sighed. “But that’s not really my point.”

He glanced back, watching her scowl at the cuff still restraining her. In one form or another, he’d kept her tied to that bed for hours, and she’d probably just about had enough of his excuses, but that didn’t mean he’d changed his mind. She was there for good reason. No matter how intense the passion they shared was, he still couldn’t trust her.

“I’m going to need to use the restroom again soon.”

He heard the tension in her voice.

“Please say I don’t have to use the bucket again, sir.”

“Of course, you still have to use the bucket.” Rising to his full height, his hands clung to his hips. “I love you, little girl, but nothing has changed.”

“But this is ridiculous.” She slumped to the edge of the bed, sniffing back her emotion. “You can’t just leave me here like this for the rest of time. I have a life!” She shot him an accusing look, tears burning in her eyes. “I thoughtwehad a life together?”

“We do.” He hesitated, her recrimination stinging more than he cared to admit. “But we both know you’ll only try to flee if I release you, little girl.”

“I won’t run.” She blew out a breath, her shoulders falling as far as the cuff allowed. “Iwantto be with you, sir, but we can’t pretend I didn’t find those files or what they mean.”

“What do you mean by that?” He edged closer, conscious that the low-lying anxiety, recently quelled by his orgasm, was reknotting in his stomach.

The ball of nerves had formed ever since he’d found her snooping in his study, and he’d been compelled to haul her pretty backside to his bedroom. Whatever he tried to do to alleviate the strain since never seemed to last.

“I mean, our trust issues go both ways, sir.” She wiped her tears with her free hand. “How can I trust you when you didn’t even tell me about Aspen Way?”

“Did we have to knoweverything about the other before we fell in love, little girl?” His shin brushed the end of his bed.

“No.” She met his eyes. “But something as fundamental as, ‘I used to be your landlord’ would have been a start.”

Pressing his lips into a hard line, he considered her words. He had kept the information from her on purpose—hadn’t dared tell her the real reason why he’d kept their historic tenancy to himself. If she’d taken the information about Aspen Way so badly, he couldn’t imagine how she’d receive the news that he’d effectively tracked her all the intervening years. All he knew was he couldn’t risk losing her.

I have to be honest with her, though, or what’s the point of any of this?

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” He forced the words out, knowing on some rudimentary level, he meant them. Hewassorry—about a lot of things. He wasn’t a good man, and much of his past would be hard to justify, but he couldn’t deny she warranted the truth. “You deserved to know, little girl, and I let fear stop me from telling you.”

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