Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 64885 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64885 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
There was something oddly comforting about those gates slamming home as the car pulled through them, and I couldn't help but marvel at how large and beautifully crafted Gareth’s home was.
The mansion had to be over one hundred years old, but its updates were extensive, and as he led me through the doors, giving me a brief tour, I was able to make out every edition that was purely Gareth—from the rich dark furniture and the lounge areas to his private offices that were lined wall-to-wall with books.
The tension in my body mounted when we made it to his bedroom, where he sat his suitcases in a giant closet in the farthest corner of the room. It was simple and clean, with personal touches that matched Gareth’s dark and brooding style—a gilded oil painting of a raven here, a black focal wall there.
I lingered in the main area, my eyes widening when I spotted a pair of hooks on his four-poster mahogany bed frame. I stared at them curiously, wondering what purpose they could serve before my mind finally leaped to the right conclusion.
The only conclusion.
I didn’t know much about sex, but I highly doubted Gareth was chaining himself up at night due to any physical ailment that would require him to do so. My heart skipped in my chest. He tied women up in here. I’m sure the waiting list was expansive. I wonder if that would change now? No, likely not. Why would it? This was a favor, nothing real. Still, I couldn’t stop myself from wondering what it would be like, to be wholly under Gareth’s control? Tied up with no choice to let him do whatever he wanted to me.
Heat streaked through me, but I quickly killed the fantasy.
I'd never even been kissed before, not consensually, anyway. The son of an allying family had cornered me and kissed me when I was fourteen. It had been rough and quick and unpleasant. My guards beat him to a pulp when they caught him.
I trailed my fingers over one of the hooks, unable to quell the curiosity. “Are you planning to hold me prisoner?” I asked, trying to make a joke. It didn’t work, not with the reality I’d lived my entire life.
“I said I’d keep you safe,” he said, sliding his hands into his pants pockets.
“My hero,” I whispered.
“I’m no hero,” he said, nodding toward the hooks. “You don't need to worry about those.”
“Who said I was?”
“The tremble that just made you shiver.”
I swallowed hard, holding his gaze as he crossed the room to come within an arm’s reach of me.
“I said I’d keep you safe,” he said again. “But let’s get one thing clear, angel. I’m not your hero.” He tugged my hand away from the hook, and I swear electricity crackled beneath my skin. “You merely traded one monster for another.”
CHAPTER 3
Gareth
Dawn had just broken across the sky as I looked out the window from my home office. I'd already gotten in a workout and a shower and answered a few emails. But as I took a sip of my morning coffee, I got an alert that someone was at my front gates.
I headed over to my computer, checking the security system, adrenaline already slicing through my veins at the thought of it being Doyle or one of his employees.
It was only a slight relief to see that it was my older brother, Dante, eyeing the camera with a disappointed look only he could muster. I briefly considered not allowing him in, not wanting visitors to rattle the still-adjusting Serenity.
She'd always been quiet, only speaking to me in hushed tones a few times during the poker games, but there was something about her now, a listless sort of demeanor that had anxiety clawing up my throat every time I spotted her around the house. I’d been trying to give her as much space as possible. Space to grieve her past life, if there was anything to grieve, and space to sort out the move we'd made when she’d called in her favor.
I couldn't help but think about her original request. I’d thought about little else since, especially when I saw her around my home, wearing nothing but my big T-shirts and shorts.
It didn't matter what she wore, really. I was always thinking about her. She had this intrinsic sort of allure, something I'd never felt before, and had tried very hard to deny every day since she came into my life.
And it wasn't just her gorgeous blue eyes or delicate curves, but it was the flashes of her real personality that I saw whenever her father left the room. She was brave, courageous, and funny. It was a lethal combination. I had this innate need to protect her, and it was a recipe that ensured Serenity haunted my every thought.