Page 9 of Cruel Love
“This way,”he said, leading me to an open front door where asevere-looking woman waited.
Something about her reminded me of Ms. Milligan. Not necessarily inlooks, this woman was evidently a lot younger than Ms. Milligan, but in the way she held herself, and the scowl etched on her face.
She didn’t say a word as I passed by, and once I was inside, sheclosed the door, an ominous thud echoing through the cavernous house.Terror prevented me from taking in the interior. The only thing I could concentrate on was putting one foot in front of the other as I followed the man to meet my fate. Even breathing was a challenge.
He led me up a marble staircase, and with every step I took,the sense of impending doom washed through me. When we reached a door, he knocked on it, which was promptly met with a gruff, ‘Come in.’
Pushing the door, the man stepped aside to let me in. Doing mybest to steady my nerves, I crossed the threshold. My feet faltered as the door behind me closed, trapping me in what was obviously a bedroom, along with two men who were both watching me.
I recognized one of the men immediately. The man who’d stared atme when I delivered him a glass of scotch two weeks ago.
James Carter.
My stomach plummeted to the soles of my shoes.
“Come here, Willow,”he said, his voice deep and full of an unspokenthreat.
The last time I saw him, he was sitting. Now, he stood, tall anddominating. Broad shoulders were enclosed in a tight-fitted, light gray suit jacket, and it was obvious from the way his shirt clung to him that he was nothing but solid muscle underneath. Matching suit pants framed his muscular thighs, and it was easy to see why he had the nickname, The Executioner.
Like many of the men who came to Peartree House, he was devilishlyhandsome, with a strong jawline and smatterings of stubble, plump lips, and dark brown chocolate eyes that matched the short hair on his head.
When I reached him, my heart was racing faster than a speedingtrain, and my throat had dried up from the intensity of his scrutinizing gaze.
“Are you ready, Mr. Carter?”the other man said.
James tore his gaze away from me, nodding his head once. Whenthe man handed papers to James, he took them before pulling out a pen from the inside pocket of his jacket.
Bewildered, I watched as he signed his name.“Sign here, Willow,”hesaid, handing me the pen and pointing to a line under my name which had been typed out.
His tone left no room for argument. With a shaky hand, I took the penfrom him and as my fingers hovered over the paperwork, I quickly scanned my eyes over the document, but with chaotic thoughts spinning in my head, the words blurred into one.
“Now,”James barked, glaring at me.
Not wanting to risk his wrath, I wrote my name where he’d indicated,wondering what on earth I was signing. The second I lifted the pen from the paper, the man snatched it away.“Do you want to exchange rings?”
Rings?
“No, I’ll sort that later,”James said, ignoring the confusion I was surewas etched on my face.
“In that case, we’re done. Congratulations. You’re now married.”
Chapter 5
Willow
Blood rushed through my ears, and I swayed on the spot.
Married?
The slamming of the door broke me out of my stupor. I looked up tofind James alone, standing at the door, and staring at me, his face void of any emotion.
“Do you know who I am?”he said, loosening his tie.
My heart began to race.
“Yes, Sir,”I replied, somehow finding my voice and forcing the wordspast the lump of dread lodged in my throat.
He nodded once. After several seconds of staring, he took three slow steps toward me like a predator about to attack his prey. He pulled his tie completely off and threw it on a chair.“Do you understand whatjusthappened?”
