Page 136 of Chandelier Sin
A strand of hair tumbled over her face, her expression one of vulnerability. I reached out and tucked it behind her ear. “Eve.”
She slapped my hand away. “You’re just like them.”
I was unable to reach her. Eve’s trauma was burrowed too deep. I questioned whether anyone would be able to get through to her.
I curled my fingers and caressed her cheek. “Your husband is planning to punish you.”
She inhaled sharply as she shoved me away. “Who told you?”
“Jewel. She bragged about it.”
Eve gave a resigned nod proving she already knew. I swallowed hard at the bitterness of his cruelty.
Tears welled up in her eyes, but she blinked them away. “Aemon’s trying to scare me. He’ll change his mind.”
“Why?”
“I did something a while back that pissed him off.”
“He can’t make you do anything you don’t want to do.”
She stared at me. “That’s why you’re here? Because of that?”
“Of course.”
“You risked your life…for me?”
“Now do you believe I’m not using you?” I arched a brow. “But if you want me to…”
She shook her amusement off. “It’s too dangerous.”
“I can look after myself.”
“Why did you bring that submissive here?”
I gave a shrug. “I was hiding her.”
“From whom?”
“Everyone. Next thing we knew, the closet was rising.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“Why would I bring an innocent submissive up here?”
“To bargain.”
“I hope you’re not suggesting I’m that kind of man.”
She walked over to the long table and uncorked a silver stopper from a decanter of bourbon. Dragging two tumblers across the surface, she lifted the decanter, pouring two glasses of liquor.
She offered me one of the tumblers, acting serene despite the circling chaos.
I accepted the drink. “Why would he want to punish you?”
“He doesn’t know what we did.”
“Tell him to fuck off. Refuse to be part of a session like that.”
