"Exactly," he growled, pulling her hand away from her ear. "You need to shut the fuck up about what you think is love. You don't know me, Addison."
Addison shook her head, tears falling against her legs and purse. "You pursued me, Daniel. I didn't go after you. Why didn't you just let me go for good if you didn't want me to fall in love with you?"
His fist hit the dash again, causing the truck to shudder under the impact. "I only wanted to fuck you out of my system, woman!"
"Are you done yet?" she whispered painfully.
"Fuck, no. I wish to fuck I was, then I could be done with this bullshit. You and your goddam emotional bullshit fuck with my head, Addison. I can't take anymore," he said so coldly she believed him.
"What are you going to do?" she asked, her voice shaking.
"Normally I would kill it if it became a problem."
"Are you going to kill me?" she asked, her heart in her throat. Her blindness kept her from knowing exactly where he was taking her. Visions of the calls and letters she'd received from her stalker danced through her head along with thoughts of Daniel slowly murdering his victims. Had she so badly misjudged his feelings toward her?
"Never," he snarled.
"Then why did you say that?" she demanded, her teeth chattering from reaction.
He turned the heat on reached over to jerk her jacket closed over her chest. "You fuck with my head, Addison. Maybe I need to drive you away for good this time."
She felt the bump as they drove into the King Tower garage and onto the car elevator. This time she was prepared for their rapid ascent. She wished he would take her back to her place, but she knew better. She reluctantly allowed him to escort her through the garage, where he locked the keys in a box and then led her down the stairs and through the security floor to his apartment.
He let go of her arm the moment they were standing inside with the door closed. She dropped her purse on the desk and stood facing the room with her arms crossed protectively in front of her. She couldn't hear him, but she could feel him. She knew he was watching her intently, scrutinizing her every move like the predator he was. She lifted her chin and let him see her eyes and tear stained face.
"Please don't hurt me," she said, her voice clear but shaky.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Please don't hurt me, she'd begged him in that clear sweet voice, somehow piercing his heart and his intentions at the same time.
He reached for her, taking hold of her arms and causing her to cry out. He backed her up toward the bed, peeling her jacket down her arms as they went. Her breath came out in frightened puffs, fanning his neck, turning him on. He liked her under his hands, scared, wondering what he was going to do next. It’s why he knew deep in his gut that he was no good for her.
He yanked her shirt over her head and made short work of her skirt, unbuttoning the snaps and shoving it past her curvy hips. Reaching around her, he unclipped her bra and let it fall to the floor. She gasped and tried to reach for his shoulders when he lifted her by the waist and tossed her on the bed. With cold precision he pulled her arms up and locked them into leather restraints on the headboard. He’d put them there earlier so they could play, have fun. Now they would serve a more sinister purpose.
"Why are you doing this?" she begged, her unfocused eyes wide with apprehension.
"You have to know, Addison."
"Know what, Daniel?" she whispered with a shiver as he trailed his hand down her bare body.
"What kind of a broken, fucked up deviant I am," he said quietly. "Maybe once you know what I'm really capable of you'll leave this time and not come back."
He crouched over her body, his fists on either side of her shoulders, and leaned over to capture her lips in a kiss. It was a desperate kiss as he warred with himself. He knew he needed to hurt her, to drive her away for good this time. But god help him, it shattered his soul, the thought of crushing this beautiful, trusting creature that lay submissively beneath him. He was turned on too, he desperately wanted her with every fucked up part of his being.
"No," she whispered against his lips, when he released her long enough so she could draw breath. "Daniel, you aren't. It's not your fault. Please let my hands go, let me show you how it can be."
He shook his head and said, "No, it's too late, Addison."
"It's not!" she cried out before he took her lips in another searing kiss that silenced any further protest.
He took his time moving down her body. As he pulled the panties down her thighs, she gasped and clenched her hands into fists over her head. He glanced up and noticed her nails were chipped where they bit into her skin. It wasn’t him noticing that was so significant. He noticed everything about everyone. It was his job to see details and assess people for weaknesses. What bothered him about Addison was that he cared about her details. Why did she chew her nails? Was she stressed about something? Did it bother her that her nails were so short? Did it affect her playing? He would find out and then he would fix it for her before he disappeared from her life. He was starting to realize that this woman captivated him in a way that was inexplicable.
He dropped her panties on the floor and reached for her throat, wrapping his strong, blunt fingers around the delicate column. She looked up at him, her eyes almost seeming to focus for just a moment on his, her blank golden gaze pierced his soul, wrapping his body in familiar warmth and denying him the terrible wrath he needed to punish her body and drive her away.
"Fuck!" he snarled, his voice raw with fury and pain.
He punched the bed frame above Addison's prone body with a shout of rage, cracking the wood beneath his fist. She bit her lip hard and tried to stay as still as possible while he acted like a wild beast, inches from her vulnerable, naked body. She shook in fear and curled her legs up protectively. After a moment he looked down at her. He tried to feel gratified that he was frightening her, that he was succeeding in his original goal, even if this wasn't how he'd planned it. Instead, all he could feel was regret. He reached down and eased the leather cuffs off her wrists. Rolling off her, he sat on the edge of the bed.
