Page 155 of To Catch a Sub

“Damien,” she said softly, adopting the Irish accent that went with her Colline identity.

He sat on the side of the bed, one arm stretched towards her, hand flat on the mattress, fingers nearly touching her toes.

Colette pulled her legs in tighter.

He smiled while shaking his head. “No, wife. Do not be afraid of me.”

“But I am afraid of you.” She kept her voice soft and neutral. Though she said she was afraid, and that was certainly true, there was no fear in her voice. She was stating a fact, nothing more.

“Why? Why would you be afraid?” He was no longer smiling. “Did I rape you? No. Did I beat you? Only once.”

He grabbed her ankle, big hands nearly wrapping all the way around. Colette relaxed her legs a bit, because tucked up like this, her ankles were close to her sex, and she didn’t want his hand near that part of her.

“You’re smart. I only had to beat you once.” He rubbed her ankle with his thumb, a tender caress that made her skin crawl. How long until he put a chain around her ankle again?

She had no idea how he wanted her to behave. He clearly had an image of her in his mind, and she had no idea what words or actions would keep her body and soul safe just a little bit longer. Colette looked down at her knees.

“It doesn’t matter. You’re back now.” He tightened his grip on her ankle and pulled, slowly straightening that leg.

Colette focused on taking steady, measured breaths as fear tried to choke her.

“What if I promise this? A promise from husband to wife, that I won’t beat you tonight? Even though you ran away from me.” He leaned in, his hand sliding from her ankle to knee to thigh. “Even though you went to Interpol to try and get protection from me.”

At that Colette looked up, shocked.

“Did you think I wouldn’t know?” He laughed and grabbed her other ankle, yanking that leg straight too. “How do you think I found you?”

“I heard you hired bounty hunters.” Colette let her hands casually drop onto her lap, hiding her sex from his view. It was foolish, she knew, because she was only delaying the inevitable.

He frowned, staring at her breasts, and she wondered if he understood the term “bounty hunter” in English. But then he nodded. “Yes. I did. And they failed me. I had to find you myself.”

Damien rose from the bed, circling to stand at the low foot board.

She knew what he’d do next, and steeled herself, managing not to scream when he leaned forward, grabbed her ankles, and yanked.

Her ass and legs slid across the mattress, her head and shoulders falling back with a soft thump. He kept pulling, forcing her body into a straight line, the cuffs digging painfully into her wrists.

He stopped pulling, releasing her ankles.

“I need to look at you. Make sure no one has touched what is mine.”

Colette closed her eyes, biting the inside of her cheek to stop her lower lip from trembling. Would he be able to tell that she and Landon had marathon-fucked earlier today?

…Or maybe it was yesterday.

What would he do to her when he decided she was no longer a virgin, and therefore not his wife?

“I cannot see,” he snapped.

She opened her eyes. He was bent over her, frowning.

“I need more light.” He straightened up. “I said more light!” He was looking at her as he yelled. Colette twisted, trying to spot a light switch. Not that she was in any position to flick it on.

Damien whirled, yelling about lights to the empty room. He whipped back to her.

“I will let you pee, while we wait.” The flip from yelling at nothing to solicitous made her nauseous.

Damien unlocked the padlock holding the cuffs to the short length of chain. When he held out his hand, she accepted it, her fingers in his as she gingerly slid to the edge of the bed and stood.