Page 30 of The Villain
“Please,” she whispered. “No more.”
His grip on her face startled her, and as she opened her eyes, he tightened his hold, stepping so close, she could feel the heat radiating from him like a tangible force. Her breath quickened, fear lancing through her as he held her chin and sneered at her.
“Do not close your eyes, little dove,” he growled. “For once in your pampered, sheltered life, you will know the truth, no matter how ugly. Would you like to know what the young man would do when he attempted to initiate intercourse, only to be spurned by his chosen debutante?”
No.
The word lodged in her throat, thick and heavy. She could only stand there and stare at him as he held her face, his fingers biting into her jaw.
“He forced them,” he rasped, his voice low and grating. “He ignored their pleas and cries … pinned them down … and forced himself inside them, ruining them, then tossing them aside when he’d finished.”
“No,” she sobbed, her chest panging as the agony of Adam’s revelation swept through him. “No … please.”
“Please, what, little dove?” he taunted, derision radiating from him so strongly, she could feel it to her core. “Please keep the truth from you, just as the men of your family have? Please lie to you, so you can feel better about selling yourself to me to save a man who forces women against their will?”
“Just as you have forced me?” she countered, her voice growing shrill and echoing through the air around them. “How is it any different for you to hold thirty thousand pounds over my head to coerce me into your bed?”
Releasing her face as if she’d burned him, he sneered. “Do you think Icareif you remain? That I’ll come running after you like a dog chasing a bitch in heat? I enjoyed the taste of you, little dove, but you are notthatgood.”
She flinched as if he’d physically struck her, the insult washing over her and filling her with shame. Of course, she meant nothing to him, and he’d never given her cause to believe otherwise. Yet, she had been foolish enough to think that perhaps he might respect her. They’d struck an agreement in the same way two men might have, agreeing on terms. However, he made his disdain for her clear every chance he got. As much as she hated to admit it to herself, it stung.
“Good enough for you to pay a small fortune to have,” she countered, tearing her gaze away from his.
Why should she care if he did not think her worth the paper his bank draft was printed on?
Stepping toward her again, he leaned down until they were nearly nose to nose, his jaw ticking with what appeared to be barely contained fury. “The money isn’t for the joy of taking your precious little cunt … though it certainly does sweeten the deal. But I would gladly pay that amount three times over for the pleasure of ruining the only female Bertram Fairchild seems to give a shite about.”
Daphne’s throat tightened until she could hardly draw breath, the edges of her vision growing hazy as her despair crumbled away, leaving nothing but rage. This man … this consciencelessbastardhad destroyed everything she held dear, and still, it was not enough. He must also destroy her pride, her love for her brother, her faith in the goodness of the people she loved.
A foreign, animalistic cry ripped from her throat, and she lunged at him, her body slamming into his unrelenting one. She swung, and her palm connected with his cheek, once, twice. He took hold of her wrist and spun her about—but not before her nails had raked down the side of his neck. Pulling her back against his front, he imprisoned her with his arms, the thick bands of muscle biting into her chest and stomach.
She screamed again, kicking and flailing as tears filled her eyes, her fury dissipating as he seemed to squeeze every ounce of it out of her. He bore it all in silence, keeping her against him until she sagged in his hold, her legs giving out.
Kneeling on the ground, he allowed her to sink into the grass, her hands shaking as she lifted them to swipe at her eyes. The almost comforting presence of his body against hers was taken away, and he moved to crouch beside her.
If she did not know any better, she might have thought she read pity in his gaze as he reached out to wipe away a stray tear with his thumb. She sat torn between slapping that expression right off his face and clinging to him and weeping until she could not weep any longer.
Sniffing, she reared away from his hand, angry with herself for finding relief in the touch of the man who had caused her pain.
“What have I ever done to you to deserve this?” she whispered, her voice hoarse and strained from screaming.
He shook his head slowly. “Nothing at all, little dove … the sins of the brother have fallen upon the head of the sister. But it is your own fault, is it not? You came here to confront me, to learn the truth, and to stand in Bertram’s place and receive his penance.”
“No,” she protested, shaking her head. “That isn’t what I thought this would be.”
“Is it not?” he challenged, his voice softer than she’d ever heard it as he studied her pensively. “I warned you it would hurt … that I would hurt you. Perhaps you thought I meant physically … which, I still might. But when you placed your hand in mine and agreed to thirty days and nights, you purposely stood in the place of the men of your family. How courageous you are, to want to save them, even though they are beyond saving.”
Narrowing her eyes at him, she wrapped her arms around herself to attempt to still the shudders wracking her body.
“Idespiseyou,” she spat, each word dripping venom.
He nodded, giving her a sad half-smile. “Aye, I gathered as much.”
“Have you always been such a relentless bastard?” she accused, tearing her gaze away from him and staring off across the countryside.
He laughed, the sound rough and sarcastic. “No, actually. You would have your precious brother, father, and uncle to thank for my present state … though, I suppose the blame cannot rest entirely upon them. We may as well throw my own father into the fire.”
Wrinkling her brow, she tried to make sense of his words. “What did my father do, Adam? What didyourfather do?”
