“Roman,” I seethe, my eyes squeezing shut. “I love you. But fuck off.”
I hang up abruptly and then drop the phone onto the bed next to me before shoving my fingers through my hair.
Dammit.
I endup having a four-day weekend off from the Zakharova—which Vaughn seems to know before I even tell him—so we decide to get out of the city and head up to Blackbriar Hall.
It ends up beingexactlywhat I need, because our first night there, Vaughn’s self-imposed celibacy comes to a crashing end.
With the whole place to ourselves, the first night is puremadness. The huge old house already feels haunted, but with Vaughn chasing me through the dark hallways, it’sexactlythe escapism I need.
Every pound of my pulse feels like fresh new blood is filling my veins. Every gasp wakes me up a little more. Every rough, claiming, stretching, filling stroke of his thick cock as he takes every single part of me is like a rush of life.
And when he’s finally done with me, and I crawl broken, bloodied, and shaking up between his legs to take his still hard, slick cock into my mouth, he groans deeply and tangles his fist in my hair, knowing I still need more.
I’ll always need more.
But the second night, our games get put on hold.
Sabinecomes to visit.
Freaking cock block.
Just the same, it’s great to see her. She’s got this biting, brutal sense of humor which I really enjoy. Before, it felt like she was weaponizing it on me—because shewas. But now, after our talk, it feels less personal and more just who she is.
And I really like that fire in her.
Vaughn must guess that I’m a little annoyed at her being here—or at least, my libido is. Because after dinner, he leads me outside, half-rips my dress off, and then chases me through the graveyard before bending me over the front steps of a faded, crumbling mausoleum and fucking thehellout of me from behind with both of his hands around my throat until I come, choking his name.
It’s dark when I wake up later, alone in his bed. My brow furrows as sleep fades and I try to figure out why I’m awake.
I glance at the bed next to me, reaching over to feel the sheets are cold. I fell asleep snuggled up to him earlier. But even as I was fading out, I had a feeling he’d keep his streak going by finding another bed somewhere. That seems to be exactly what happened.
I sigh heavily as I drop my head back to the pillow. Maybe I’m awake because I miss him.
I miss the man I’ve became so wrapped up with that I’m not sure anymore where I stop and he starts.
I close my eyes and try to regulate my breathing to fade back to sleep. But then I hear it.
Was that…yelling?
I sit upright in bed, my brows knitting. My heart jumps when I hear it again—faint, distant, muffled. Definitely yelling, or an argument.
I slip from the bed and then pull on some shorts and a hoodie. At the door to the bedroom I pause, trembling when I hear the faraway voice again. A chill skitters up my spine as I remember walking out onto the landing in Vaughn’s penthouse and seeing him arguing with himself.
…holding a knife to his own throat.
Fear ignites in my chest as I walk down the hallway and then up the stairs to the observatory. I think that's where the sound is coming from.
“Vaughn?” I say quietly as I step inside. I frown when I realize there’s no one in there. IknowI just heard yelling?—
“—what you have to do!”
I gasp, whirling at the muffled sound of a barked voice. Nobody there, just the bookshelves lining the wall next to the door, opposite the windows that look out over the mountains and forest.
What thehell?
I step closer, running my hands over the dusty books in the ancient wooden cases. Suddenly, my fingers catch an edge.
