Page 19 of Cruel Secrets

“You and I still have unfinished business.”

CHAPTERSIX

ROYCE

I love my siblings,but at this moment, I want to burn every bridge.

The meeting is over, but the weight of it lingers, pressing down around me, sinking deep into my bones as I sit in the car and stare at the house. It’s been less than three days with Gia, and she’s iced me out. It’s better this way. The less we have to interact with each other, the better.

The only downside is that she hasn’t allowed me to spend any time with my daughter.

I scowl, gripping the leather wheel. This isn’t how the plan was supposed to go, and yet now that it is, I find Gia throwing another wrench into it.

After taking a deep breath, I get out of the car and head to the house, climbing up the steps, scanning my fingerprint, and listening for the whir of the door unlocking.

It’s dark as I step inside, the only light a warm white glow cast from the lamp in the living room.

Gia isn’t sitting there, but that doesn’t surprise me. I don’t think she leaves her room if she knows I’m home. It’s fine by me. The less I have to see her, the less I have to fight for control. I don’t mind the fight, but on days like today, I’m not sure I could keep myself from snapping and taking things too far.

Whether that means killing her or fucking her, I don’t know.

Unbuttoning the sleeves of my shirt, I roll them up my forearms. My shoulders sag as I turn off the light before climbing the stairs.

As soon as my foot hits the top step, soft moans echo down the hall.

Is she fucking someone else in my house?

Nails bite into the palms of my hands as they curl into fists. Like hell is she going to stay in my house and screw someone else. I’ll kill the bastard and then give her the lesson of her life for thinking that she belongs to another man.

I didn’t think I had to make a rule about not bringing men to the safe house, but apparently, I was wrong.

Taking a deep breath, I try to collect myself. It’s after midnight and Bianca is probably sleeping. I don’t want to wake her up and send her wailing for her mother.

Killing people in silence can be more thrilling than the screams. I might turn the man Gia is with loose outside and hunt him down. I could stalk him through the trees, taking my time as he runs, not knowing that there isn’t a way to escape my property.

Then when I found him, I would take my time slicing off his cock and feeding it to him. I would cut each ounce of flesh from his body, taking pictures along the way to show Gia the result of her actions. As I near the door to Gia’s room, my blood only boils faster. I don’t know who the hell she thinks she is or what she’s been allowed to get away with, but this is where it ends.

I’m not going to have her put our daughter in danger just because she wants a mediocre orgasm from some sniveling little shit who thinks it’s a good idea to fuck with what’s mine.

Not mine. She made her choice a long time ago.

Still mine. Mine to hold hostage. Mine to kill. Mine to fuck if I want to sink that far down into depravity.

Without a second thought, I grab the handle and turn it, slamming the door open just as my name falls from her lips.

“Well now,” I say, smirking as I cross my arms and lean against her doorframe, eyes narrowing in on where her finger slides against her bare pussy, “if you wanted me, all you had to do was ask. I’m not above a pity fuck.”

The scent of her arousal is thick in the air, making my cock ache as I watch her. My heart races with the thought of commanding her to keep going, bringing herself to the edge of another orgasm before forcing her to stop.

I could keep her wanting and waiting as a punishment for thinking that her fingers could fuck her better than I can.

Or I could use this chance while she’s vulnerable to make my point. I could start the torture slow, bringing her to tears before I ever touch her.

She jumps out of bed, almost falling over the side, but she manages to catch herself at the last minute. Her gaze drops to the bulge in my pants. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“I thought I was coming home to you being in bed with some poor guy you picked up off the side of the street. Had an entire plan for how I was going to kill him before punishing you. Turns out you were just fucking your fingers to the thought of me.”

Gia’s high cheekbones turn a deep shade of rose as she clutches the silk sheets closer to her body. They do little to hide the way her nipples pebble as she looks at me.

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