Page 37 of Hideaway

“He’s in his study,”the older woman informed Jace, obviously apprised of their current situation and not at all at ease with it. Mrs. Hughes touched Kara on the shoulder kindly, an almost maternal gesture, as though she might impart some small measure of strength with which to weather the coming storm known as Caden Ashford.

Kara gave her a weak smile in return and trudged onward behind Jace. She hadn’t explored much of the monstrous house, so she considered it as an opportunity to familiarize herself with the many facets of her prison. Preoccupied with her mental mappings of twists and turns, Kara nearly ran into Jace as he stopped abruptly in front of double doors that seemed much like the others along the hall. Jace knocked twice to announce their arrival.

“Enter,”responded a decidedly ill-tempered voice from the other side.

Jace opened the door to reveal a visibly enraged Cade seated behind a large, mahogany desk, his arms splayed authoritatively across the smooth wooden surface as he continued a conversation on his phone. As Cade preferred to keep his work private, Kara had never had the opportunity to visit his study. The room suited him. Dark, emerald hued walls were transfixed with antique cabinets with glass panes exhibiting an eclectic variety of collectibles and artifacts on either side of the immense desk polished to perfection. A large, abstract painting hung directly above the desk, the sparse brushstrokes of white and grey evoking the bleakness of a winter night. Synchronizing with the decor of the rest of the manor, an ebony chandelier draped dramatically from the center of the ceiling. The pristinely organized, somber opulence of the space enveloped Cade’s personality perfectly.

It seemed rather foreboding that Kara had been taken directly to Cade’s inner sanctum upon their arrival. Whatever his feelings regarding her little excursion that afternoon, they were severe enough to warrant disrupting his work. How was he even at home when he had scheduled time with a client until the following morning? Had the client canceled? Or had Cade abandoned a client that he himself had described as undeniable for the sole purpose of rushing back home to deal with her transgressions himself?

Fuck, perhaps she was in more trouble than she thought. Kara fidgeted nervously, feeling awkwardly like a child awaiting chastisement, as Cade’s conversation drew to a close. She clung to the hope that he would listen to reason before rushing to judgment and fury and retaliation. Unfortunately, reasonability had yet to be his strongest attribute.

“Handle it,”Cade finished shortly as he ended the call, tossing the mobile on the desk in irritation.

An anxious chill washed over Kara as she realized she was next in line to receive Cade’s furious attentions. She shifted restlessly beside Jace, waiting for the anger she knew would come, pondering what form her punishment would take. Continuing to ignore her presence, Cade ran raked his fingers through his hair viciously. Noticing a disarray on his desk, Cade took a moment to tuck the papers into tidy stacks, the small, orderly task allowing him to regain a semblance of composure. Finally, he stood, fingers deftly closing the front buttons on his suit as he turned to look at Kara for the first time since he had bid her a tender farewell that morning when her promise to stay remained chaste and unbroken.

Cade’s eyes were darkened with the depths of icy ire, cold and fiercely unforgiving. Kara withered beneath the fury that encompassed his entire body like an aura, longing with every fiber of her being to look away. Refusing to give him the satisfaction of cowering, Kara ignored the instinctual impulses to beg or run and held his gaze with a steady bravery that hopefully masked her true terror.

“You may go, Jace,”Cade instructed his associate without releasing Kara from his violent gaze.

“I’ll apprise you of the details later, Ashford,”Jace replied as he turned to go.

“Shut the door on your way out.”

Jace gave Kara a suggestive wink before abandoning her to Cade’s mercy and shutting the door firmly behind him. Kara found herself alone in the room with Cade, trying unsuccessfully to avoid a tremble of apprehension.“Cade, I’m—”

“Stop,”he interrupted angrily, cutting off her attempt to offer excuses or apologies.“I didn’t give you permission to speak.”

Cade’s hands ached to throttle her or force her over the desk and deliver the thrashing she so desperately deserved for breaking her promise. He couldn’t trust himself to touch her, yet. The rage coursing through his veins demanded violence, and he couldn’t be sure of his ability to stop once the price justice demanded had been exacted. He didn’t want to hurt Kara to the point of ruin, so he would try his utmost to keep a safe distance between them until his anger had quelled enough to discipline her reasonably.

He moved to where a chair rested in the corner of the room and dragged it rather loudly across the floor until it stood in front of his desk.“Sit down, Kara,”he commanded, gesturing to the newly situated piece of furniture.

“I would prefer to stand, thank you,”Kara answered firmly, having no intention of allowing him to put her in a position of feeling small and powerless as he towered above her.

“It wasn’t a suggestion,”Cade responded darkly.

“Well, I’ve never been very good at following orders.”

“Clearly. If you were, we couldn’t be having this conversation.”

“How is it a conversation if I’m not allowed to speak?”Kara replied with determined defiance.

Cade slammed his fists on the desk in frustration. The aggression of the act shocked Kara, and she shrank back slightly. Cade was gratified to read the fear in her eyes. At least she had some notion of common sense. He intentionally used the desk as a barrier between his anger and her. Cade didn’t trust himself to handle her with the haze of fury clouding his judgment. She had broken her promise. She had run right into the precarious situation he had been trying to protect her from. She had risked his reputation, his business, his employees, and her personal safety, and the possible consequences of her reckless betrayal sent all gentleness and rationality out of his being.

“Why can you not follow even the simplest of instructions? Have you not an inkling of self-preservation?” Cade asked in exasperation.

“Is this still about sitting in the chair?”Kara asked, trying to make light of the situation.

“No, it’s not about the fucking chair,”he growled.“But yes, I would have a much easier time maintaining control if you could make some effort to cooperate.”

“Oh heaven forbid, Caden Ashford isn’t in fucking control! Do I have your parents to thank for your supremely inflated sense of self-importance, or are you a self-made asshole?”

Kara could see from his face that she had gone too far. His movements seemed almost feral as he strode toward her. Kara backed away in panic, trying to escape the line of fire, but his steps matched two of her own. Within an instant, Kara felt her back pressed up against the wall, Cade’s body holding her there. He grabbed her shoulders, unable to resist giving her a slight shake.

“Why are you so fucking reckless, Kara?”

“Let go of me, Cade,”she demanded as fiercely as possible, trying to ignore the sting of fear she felt beneath the strength of his hands.“You’re hurting me.”

He loosened his hold on her, unleashing his pent up frustration on the wall beside her head. His fist met the hard surface with a loudbam. Kara flinched. She sensed that only a thin tether of self-control had kept him from hitting her rather than the wall. His body physically quivered with rage, but he contained himself. Barely. The violence that lurked so close to the surface was beginning to burn through. Self-preservation demanded that she tread carefully. As usual, she ignored the instinct, fear spurring her toward fight rather than flight.

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