Page 119 of Auctioned

“Of anyone.” We’re seated in his wide leather chair, where he cradles me in his lap. He strokes my thighs, supporting me by bracing his arm around my back. “How are you?”

I’ve been asked this question numerous times over the years. Never like this. He truly cares, is truly curious, and it’s shocking. Tears spring from my eyes. I’m working hard on reining them in.

“I’m…I’m fine.”

A nod. “Your back?”

“You scarred me.”

“We discussed this.” He hugs me deeper into his warmth. “I branded you. You’re mine.”

“Then you patched me up.”

“In our bedroom.”

Our.

A chill runs up my spine. I don’t let it show. “You wiped me clean and dressed me up.”

“And bathed you before that.”

“You carried me into this room.”

“The den,” he confirms. “Yes.”

“You were about to tell me something about yourself when you called me over here.” I sneak a glance at the desk. At the neatly arranged folders spread on top of it. All of them are closed. “Right?”

“You’re right. And to…” He clears his throat, firming the mask of impassiveness on his face. “Hold you.”

It’s my turn to nod. To let him talk.

Anything but show how deeply it affects me.

I’m afraid that if I do, this moment could burst into flames.

I like this moment just fine.

“Opening up…I don’t do that.” He rearranges me so my shoulder burrows deeper into his chest, then brushes my hair behind my back. He’s hard beneath me. Violent, sexual energy bleeds from him, yet he remains stoic, glaring down at me. “I locked away parts of my past and haven’t allowed anyone near them.”

The way he emphasizes the word,anyone. My eyes widen. My eyebrows go up.

My heart is about to explode.

“Anyone,” he repeats. “But I’m sharing them with you. I want you to know.”

“I’m listening.” This is important. The pain in my back has subsided, and my entire attention is focused on James.

“First and foremost. I never raped a woman in my life.” His fingers trace paths along my arm. “You already know that I sent people to rescue the others. Well, not all of them. I couldn’t save Camden’s mother from Oliver. That one was beyond my reach, unfortunately.”

“But you tried? Even though she was locked up athisplace?” I stare. I blink. I dig my fingers into his neck. When did they get there?

“Yes. The man I sent was the best one out there, and he said it wasn’t possible. At least I had Topher’s mom nearby. I felt personally responsible for her, so I rescued her.” His eyes go somewhere inside him for a moment. “There were many side doors and hidden pathways in my father’s house. A few of them lead to underground tunnels. Just in case one of the people he extorted ever tried to get back at him. When he ordered me to kill her, I fired at the bed she delivered our son on. The blood from the birth was enough proof. After that, I smuggled her out through one of the tunnels and gave her a briefcase containing over two million dollars in cash. Money I’d collected throughout her pregnancy. Told her to run and never look back. Never tell me where she was and to forget about Topher. That I’d keep him safe.”

Jealousy, hot and humiliating, detonates inside of me. “You said you didn’t like her.”

“I also said you shouldn’t be jealous.” He shakes his head, moving his hand from beneath my thighs to grab my chin. “I felt nothing but sympathy for her. No love, no attraction. Nothing. She was the one who’d been chasing me. When my father told me it was time, I went for it. Once I told her what had to be done, she agreed. She begged me to go through with it, to choose her. She trusted that we would figure it out later. Oliver and I couldn’t go against our fathers before our sons were born. They had to come to this world so our fathers would give us thecombination to their safes. Where they hid their secrets. Their power. Without that, it would’ve been a free-for-all. Oliver and I would’ve been taken down. The wealthy and corrupt enjoyed the services our families offered. But we’ve been holding on to too many secrets for far too long. Take that away, and we’re as good as dead.”

A chill seeps beneath my clothes. I scoot closer to him.

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