Page 56 of Spark

“Jaden, come out of there, now,” came Darren’s muffled voice on the other side of the door. Shit, I’d been in here too long.

Quickly wiping my cheeks and airing out my eyes, I took a deep breath and opened the door to find Darren standing in front of me. His arms were crossed over his wide chest, his white button-down shirt open at the top, and allowing me to see some of the hard muscle underneath. With the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his tattoos only made him look more menacing as he glared at me. I felt my face blanch.

“Sorry. I needed a moment,” I said softly, trying to make my eyes as big as possible.

“Well, I hope you’re done. We have business to discuss,” he said sharply.

“Okay…” I said cautiously.

Darren then held out his hand for me to take. Biting the inside of my cheek, I placed my hand in his, the connection alerting my nerves as he clasped his big fingers around my hand and led me away from the door toward the back of the plane. He opened a door that led into a small bedroom and ushered me to sit on the bed. It was soft and plush and big enough to fit his length. Darren moved to a closet and pulled out a familiar briefcase, and my heart immediately shriveled into a tiny ball of despair. Darren unlatched the lid, confirming my worst suspicions, and I couldn’t help but look away, fighting more tears.

“Now that you’ve recovered and we’re returning to the estate, it’s time to get you back into your old routine,” he said, his back to me as he fiddled with the contents of the briefcase. “Starting with these…”

He turned to me, and I knew exactly what he was holding in his hands. He casually walked over to me, standing directly in front of me, but still I looked onward, taking deep breaths to get through the anxiety. Darren dipped down with a smile and kissed my temple.

“Give me your wrists, princess,” he commanded softly.

I held them up without protest or hesitation, my eyes still lingering off to the side. I felt Darren grip my right wrist, and I shuddered inside as I felt the cold metal latch around my skin. I bit my cheek harder as he placed the second cuff around my left wrist, and I suddenly felt compelled to claw off my own skin.

Darren stood to his full height, placing his hands in his pockets and smiling down at me.

“That was easier than expected. No complaints, no protests?”

“No point,” I replied dully.

“Someone’s finally learning,” he said and then pulled me up to his chest. My eyes still refused to meet his. “Look at me,” he ordered, taking my chin between his thumb and forefinger and forcing me to look up at him. I tried to blur my eyes so as not to focus on him, but I was caught off guard when I thought I almost saw concern wash over his face.

Releasing a breath, Darren’s lips formed into a tight line as he casually wiped the tears from my cheeks like they were nothing more than dust on a TV screen, clouding the picture.

“Why are you crying? You knew this was coming,” he said as he looked me over.

“Doesn’t make it any less difficult.”

“You’re the one who makes it difficult for yourself.”

I shrugged. “Sorry, I’m a human being with feelings and not a psychopath like you,” I snarled and then immediately winced with regret as I bit my lip.

Darren’s hands nonchalantly traveled to my hips then suddenly jerked me toward him while his lips found my ear. “If that’s the case, then I’d focus on trying to avoid pissing the psychopath off. You never know what he might do,” he warned, his voice low and dangerous.

“Good point,” I replied softly.

Darren then bit down on my earlobe, sending a jolt through my body. “Get on the bed,” he ordered, but there was no mistaking the lust in his voice. That simple order was all it took for my body to instantly ready itself for what was to come next, my core already beginning to heat up. A few words were all it took to flip the switch, and my body instantly remembered who commanded it.

Slowly, my eyes never leaving Darren’s, I sat down on the bed, planting my palms on the mattress and waited for his next command.

“Turn around. I want you on all fours.”

Without missing a beat, I turned my body away from him, crawled further onto the bed and positioned myself as he had asked. Knots tore at my stomach as I waited for his next move, my breathing becoming heavy with anticipation. After a moment, I felt his weight shift the mattress behind me and trembled when his hand whipped my dress up, exposing my ass and bare back. Biting my lip, I bit back the gasp ready to leave my mouth when Darren’s hands traveled over my skin, burning me in their wake. I could feel my core growing hotter by the second, ready for the onslaught that it knew so well… the same onslaught that it craved like fucking air.

“Who do you belong to, Jaden?”

“You,” I said softly.

And then I felt the harshest smack against my ass, the same ass that was still sore from the last beating it took. I cried out sharply as the pain radiated through my skin like glass.

“Who?” Darren shouted angrily as he ripped my thong from my hips.

“You!” I yelled desperately.

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