Page 25 of Her Cruel Empire
“Beautiful,” she murmurs, and the approval in her voice makes dangerous warmth bloom in my chest. “You’re going to be such a delicious little plaything.”
The possessiveness in her tone only sends aftershocks of pleasure through my still-trembling body.
And then the combination of the intense orgasm, the warm fire, and the soft rug finally overtake me. My eyelids grow heavy, and despite being naked and exposed on the floor of a strange castle, I feel oddly safe.
Protected.
As I drift into a doze, I catch a glimpse of Eva’s face in the firelight. For just a moment, her expression seems to soften. Then my eyes close, and I’m floating in a haze of satisfaction and belonging.
When I wake, the fire has died down a little, though the room is still comfortably warm. The storm outside has blown itself out. The night is now a true black, thick and impenetrable.
And Eva is gone.
Reality crashes back over me and I shiver. What did I do? What didshedo? The memory of her touch, of the noises I made, the way I begged, makes my face burn with a mixture of shame and renewed arousal.
I scramble to my feet, legs still unsteady, and hurriedly pull my clothes back on. I hook up the bra, muscle memory kicking in even as my mind reels with the magnitude of what just happened.
I need to get back to my room. I need to think about this, about what it means. About the way my body is still humming with satisfaction and the way part of me is already wondering when Eva will touch me again. When she’llownme again.
She hasn’t even touched me with her hands, yet.
Hasn’t evenkissedme.
I slip out of the Great Hall as quietly as possible, padding through the dark corridors on bare feet. The castle feels different now—not so intimidating anymore, but alive with possibilities that both thrill and terrify me. Even the portraits of all those gruesome, bloodthirsty ancestors of hers can’t stop the excitement bubbling away inside me.
When I finally reach my room and close the door behind me, I lean against it and try to catch my breath. But even here, in the safety of my temporary sanctuary, I still feel that something fundamental has changed tonight.
The auction was one thing. But tonight? I crossed a line. I gave Eva a piece of myself that I can never take back. I let herclaima part of me.
And the most terrifying thing?
I think I want to give her more.
Chapter 9
Eva
Robin Rivers fell asleep on the rug.
Not in the grand bed I had prepared for her. Not even curled up in one of the many velvet lounges scattered throughout the castle. No. The rug. Still warm from the fire, flushed from her orgasm, in the lazy aftermath of surrender.
I left her there. Not because I don’t want to touch her again—but because Ido. Rather too much. It took a great deal of effort to pull away, to let her sleep instead of waking her once more with my mouth between her thighs.
I left instructions that no one was to enter the Great Hall, and I went back to work.
The work never stops. I don’t sleep much, so my study is really my sanctuary. The door clicks shut behind me and I sink into the chair behind my desk. Usually after I’ve introduced my new toy to her new environment, she goes off to her room and thinks about how goddamn lucky she is.
Robin just fell asleep. And I find it so utterly charming it’s unnerving.
My laptop screen glows with unread emails. Logistics. Weapons manifests. Transfer requests. The usual chaos of running a multinational empire.
And I can’t focus on a single damn thing.
Instead, I seeher. Robin. Face tilted back, lips parted. Her pupils blown wide, swallowing the blue. Her breath hitching as she waited patiently for me to give what she so desired. She didn’t perform, didn’t fake anything. No scripted moans, no arched-back theatrics. Just heat and awe and the raw, unfiltered realness of it.
I’ve fucked actresses. Models. Diplomats’ wives. Every single one tried to impress me with their writhings and athleticism before I overwhelmed them so much that they gave way.
But Robin—my blush-reddened Robin—she was sweet and obedient and giving from the start.
