Page 30 of A Murderous Crow
“You’re not getting away that easily,” he murmured, and I swallowed hard. “Take off your dress,” he said, and the heat in his gaze very nearly burned me.
I pursed my lips, and he cocked his head. My face flamed, and I said, “I’d rather not if it’s all the same.” I twisted my hands together nervously in front of myself, and he smirked.
“Need a little bit of what I gave you last week to loosen you up?” he asked.
“What? No!”
“Surely you haven’t had enough.” He arched one brow as though challenging me, and I felt myself straighten.
“There is such a thing as too much of a good thing,” I countered.
He chuckled, and it was a dark sound.
“Tell you what… I’ll give you some grace and a head start. Go upstairs. I’m sure you remember which room is mine. Take off your dress, take a shower if you’d like, but, Bright Eyes, you’re not leaving until I’ve buried my cock inside you and made you come, screaming my name.”
I stood frozen, eyes locked with his, unable to move.
“Those are your choices,” he said. “Either get naked right here, right now, or get naked upstairs. Either way, you’re getting naked and I’m getting what I want.”
He was dead serious, and I thought back to what he’d said at dinner – about it being my choice to make this as pleasant or unpleasant as I wanted. I stood up a little straighter and said, “Give me twenty minutes to freshen up.”
“You have ten, now go,” he said, looking at his watch.
Oh, shit.
I didn’t waste any time. I went upstairs, padding quietly through his home, and feeling like a ghost of myself.
I was torn between two clashing sides of my psyche. On the one side, I wanted to be the girl my family believed in. The good girl. The doting daughter and granddaughter. On the other hand,Jesus Christ –this was hot – and I wanted to throw caution to the wind and indulge in everything this wicked man had to offer.
I just didn’t know how both facets of my personality could exist in one body… I mean, was that even possible?
I found myself staring into the mirror above his bathroom sink, as I reached behind my hair and undid the clasp behind my neck, holding up my dress. I let it fall to the floor, the silk pooling at my feet, and stared at the ugly, healing bruise that was just starting to fade from purple to that sickly brown with yellow and green.
It was putrid in color, and I hated it. I couldn’t wait for it to fade completely.
I swallowed hard, and unclasped the barrette holding up half my hair, and set it aside, letting my hair foam and froth around my face. All I could say is I felt vulnerable, exposed, and I didn’t know if I was ready, no matter that my pussy grew wet all over again at the thought of his hands on me.
I braced my hands against the cool marble of the counter around the copper sink, and stared into the bright metal, willing myself not to stress or cry.
His hands, warm at my hips, his lips brushing my shoulder, very nearly had me coming out of my skin! I jumped and made an inarticulate and terrified sound, and his arms slid around my stomach, pulling me back against him.
He’d lost the coat and had rolled his sleeves back over his muscular forearms. I stood, staring at our reflection in the mirror as his eyes searched my face carefully in the looking glass.
“Close your eyes, baby,” he muttered against the side of my neck, and I was still scared.
I asked him, “Why?”
“Have I hurt you?” he asked me, raising his eyebrows.
“N-no,” the confession stammered. He hadn’t physically hurt me, no – honestly, he hadn’t emotionally hurt me, either. The things he had done thus far were definitely dubious and questionable… but pain had not been part of the equation.
“Close your eyes,” he tried again firmly.
I closed my eyes, and he moved. I could feel his arms drop from around my waist, and he reached into his pocket. My eyes flew open to find him clutching the white satin ribbon from the box my grandmother’s watch had been contained in.
“Trust,” he urged quietly, and I swallowed hard and closed my eyes again. Everything with him had suddenly become sotenseandintense.
I was normally very good at pretending I was so sure of myself, and in certain arenas, I was very sure of myself! But this… this left me no room for certainty or surety, and I really didn’t know what to do with that.
