“No questions.” He snaps upright, voice sharp as a whip. I shrink back into the chair at the sudden shift, then inwardly scold myself for the reaction. “Tonight we’re going to get to know each other intimately. If at any point you find yourself too uncomfortable to proceed, you’ll let me know, and I’ll release you.”
A thick swallow passes through my throat. “Meaning ...”
“Meaning you’ll be sent home.” He lowers and leans closer, his arms dark shadows that cage me in as he grips the chair’s armrests. “Because if you can’t stomach tonight, you won’t last a week. Fun fact: my brothers don’t seem to think you’ll last ten minutes. However”—he bends his head until his nose is on my neck, and I shiver when he inhales deeply against my skin—“something tells me you’ll surprise them. Something tells me you’ll surprise us all.”
When he kneels before me and slides his large hands up my bare thighs, my knees snap together automatically. He lets out a dark chuckle. “Relax. All you need to do is relax. Can you do that for me?”
Relax?
His grip tightens, and my back stiffens. I don’t want to relax. Not while my wrists are bound, my surroundings are blind, and I have no idea what the Matthews have in store for me.
And yet, I do feel oddly ... warm? My eyes close as the new feeling sinks in. His cold palms are a strange contrast to the warm caress soothing my limbs.
Alarm bells ring in the back of my mind.
Taking a deep breath, I open my eyes again and target the figure before me.Focus, Emmy. The only thing I need to be thinking about is getting some semblance of control while in this toxic room. Except something tells me Raife won’t have that at all.
A man like him needs to be the one in control at all times. Or maybe ... maybe he just needs to feel like he is.
I slowly let out the breath I was holding, then soften my voice for him. “I can do that for you.”
“Excellent.” His thumbs brush small, circular strokes along the insides of my thighs, as though rewarding me for my response.
The subtle movement is so skillful I’m sure it’s had other women sighing, but I have to make a conscious effort to keep my body from tensing up.
The door opens again with a loud groan, and we both look to see Stella entering the room. Light seeps in from the hallway, illuminating her like a beautiful, blonde angel. She’s quiet, even demure, as she lowers a tray carrying two lit candles to the ground, just beside the wall.
When she stands, she sneaks a glance at Raife and holds it for a moment. I turn back to him, thankful I can finally see his sharp features even if we’re still shadowed, and I’m surprised to find him watching her just as closely. I don’t think I’ve seen this look in his eyes when they’re aimed at me. Twisted amusement, yes. A challenge, curiosity, and even raw hunger, yes. But never the pure possessiveness darkening his brown eyes now.
“Will this be all, Master?”
Master? A glint pulls my eyes to his right wrist, to a shiny watch I hadn’t noticed before. It’s gold, just like Stella’s scarf.
“For now,” he murmurs, his tone full of suggestion.
Ruby-red rises up her cheeks, and she flashes me a small but friendly smile before turning and closing the door behind her.
His thumbs continue their caress as he pulls his gaze back to mine. Just like that, the heated expression’s wiped away, replaced with the strange, devious curiosity I recognize. I’m not sure if I should be grateful or regretful for the candles’ subtle lighting.
I lift my chin, and he cocks an eyebrow. “Tell me something, lovely.” His tone is still. Deadly serious. “Have you ever wondered what it feels like to burn?”
Goose bumps race along the skin he continues to caress.
“No. I can’t say I have.” I clear my throat at the odd sound of my voice bouncing back in my eardrums. It’s muffled, like I’m speaking from under a blanket.
Raife removes both hands from my legs to loosen his tie. His movements are quick, almost rushed, yanking the material down and popping open the top buttons of his shirt.
I open my mouth to ask what he’s doing when he turns away. He takes a few steps toward the candles and raises the tray.
An orange glow dances along the sharp lines of his face as he returns to stand in front of me. The trick of the light makes his pale skin look almost olive, and it makes me think of Adam.
After pushing the uninvited image away, my eyes dart down to the flames. A spike of fear uncurls in my stomach. Raife wouldn’t really burn me, would he? When I slide my gaze back to his face, the fear tightens into knots. A crazed spark that feels somehow personal blooms in his eyes, and it’s fixed right on me. The look cuts straight past my skin, ripe with a desire I can’t comprehend, and it’s eerily similar to the way Griff stared me down earlier.
I suppress a flinch. It’s impossible, but it feels as though I’ve wronged him, and he’s out to get revenge. The thick material keeping my wrists captive feels tighter than ever, curling around me like a snake determined to suffocate.
“Shh,” he coos, lowering until he’s kneeling again. Setting the tray to rest on his knee, he keeps it steady with one hand and, with the other, runs a finger along the corner of my jaw. His touch is cold, and I shiver. “Don’t look so afraid, lovely. It’s just a little fire.”
His cool finger slips from my face as he lowers his lips toward the candles. With a single puff, darkness drenches us once again. Thin tendrils of smoke hit my nostrils, sweet currents of vanilla laced with a bitter spice.
