He lets the silence draw out, then says, “You get to see how the other half lives.”
My mind runs through a thousand scenarios, none of them ending well, but I’m too stubborn to quit. “Fine,” I say. “Option one it is.”
“Excellent choice. Let’s celebrate, pet.”
He leads me to the far side of the balcony, where there’s a small table set with a bottle of wine and two glasses. He uncorks the bottle with a flick of his wrist, pours us both a measure. The wine is almost black, and the glass is thin enough that I’m afraid to touch it.
He raises his glass, and I follow suit.
“To the people who don’t break,” he says.
We drink. The wine is expensive and tastes like nothing I’ve ever had. I want to say something witty, but my mouth is dry.Instead I watch him, the way his lips curve around the glass, the way his eyes never leave mine.
He sets his glass down, steps around the table, and stands behind me. His hands land on my shoulders, gentle at first, then more insistent. He’s not hurting me, but there’s no mistaking who’s in control.
“Why are you giving me a choice?” I ask, voice barely above the wind.
He squeezes my shoulders, then lets his hands slide down my arms. “Because your weakness makes me want to protect you. Maybe because you’re not even trying to hide the fact that you’re a little lamb in a den of wolves. Maybe because you didn’t even try to lie. I appreciate honesty. I can’t explain the pull because I don’t even understand it. You’re not my usual type, and yet… I keep picturing you bent over this railing.”
I turn, and we’re so close I can see the flecks of silver in his eyes.
He says, “You remind me of something fragile. Something worth preserving.”
I don’t know if that’s a compliment, or a warning.
He steps back, gives me space. “Come inside,” he says, and I do.
We leave the balcony behind, but the cold air follows us in, tingling across my skin. The lights are lower here, the furniture arranged like a set for an interrogation. Briar sits, and I sit opposite him.
He cocks his head, watching me. “Since you agreed to be mine, I want you to understand the rules. I want you to respect them.”
“And if I can’t?”
He sighs, like I’m a slow student. “Then we’ll do things my way.”
My mouth is dry. “Which is?”
He leans in, nose brushing my cheek, and says, “I’ll break you so clean, you won’t even remember you wanted to fight.”
I believe him.
“You will stay here, in my penthouse, until such a time as it’s safe to move you to my permanent residence. Once there, we will set up the boundaries of our relationship.”
“Relationship?” I swallow around my Adam’s apple, fear suddenly curling in my gut. Death would have been an easier choice and suddenly I regret not choosing option two.
He chuckles and the sound rumbles. “Yes, my little nerd, relationship. But for tonight… it’s Valentine’s, and I intend to intoxicate you until you can’t think straight. And then I intend to fuck you until you can’t walk straight.”
My head nods in spite of my best efforts to control myself.
Answers will have to wait…
It appears I am going to undergo a different kind of interrogation process.
Chapter Four: Briar
Themusicfromthreefloors down filters into the awkward silence. Below, the masked donors swirl around themselves, gorging on wealth and self-congratulation. Here, there’s only the click of a bottle on glass, the muted city outside, and the slow burn of a situation evolving from simple containment to something else.
I settle into the couch, letting my body take up more space than is polite. The upholstery is expensive and barely broken in, like most things in this suite. Landon is cautious, sitting on the very edge, both hands clenched around his glass. He’s so visibly uncomfortable that it’s almost cute. I want to see how long it takes to push him further.
