My grip on Aria tightens, harsher than intended. “I may be a monster, but even I have a hard line I’ll never cross. When we fuck, it will be because you beg me.” I release her wrist and step back. “Now come. There’s a video you need to see.”
Her Lesson...the feed is already connected to her TV. Aria sits on the edge of the bed, the furthest she can be away from me, and she pulls at a throw blanket, covering herself. I lift the remote and turn on the TV. The screen flickers to life, and I watch as her brows knit together. But then a man moves into frame, and I hear the breath leave her lungs.
“Ethan,” she gasps.
The detective is on the phone, one hand rubbing his jaw as he paces his living room. “I’m telling you, Sergeant, run this by the District Attorney. This girl may be the key. I wish you had seen how he looked at her and how she looked at him. I know MacBrady is hands-off because the department doesn’t want the headache of another lawsuit, but I’m telling you, Aria knows something. We can use her, use what she knows to bring him down.”
My eyes snap to hers. “That’s not true,” she blurts out, shaking her head. I say nothing turning back to the screen. Ethan is listening to whatever the person on the other end is saying, then he continues talking. “Alright, I won’t do anything until I hear from you. But if we get the green light, if the DA gives the okay. I want to lead the task force overseeing this.” He pauses, listening, then says, Thanks, Sergeant,” before he hangs up with a satisfied look and collapses onto his couch.
I could let this be enough. I could let Aria stew in the truth of her date’s betrayal. But lessons must be taught. I pull my earpiece from my pocket, pressing it between two fingers. “Proceed.” Troy steps into frame wearing a ski mask. His first blow hits the back of Ethan’s head before the man even registers the danger, knocking him off the couch and onto the floor.
“No! Don’t do this!” Aria lunges closer, gripping my shoulder. I take hold of her wrist. She thrashes against my hold, eyes wide, horrified, locked on the screen.
Troy is methodical in delivering continuous kicks. Ethan fumbles for the gun at his back. It’s his mistake as Troy sees this, he brings his boot down, crushing Ethan’s wrist.
Ethan’s scream cracks through the speakers, then Aria’s strangled cry rips out a heartbeat later she tries to look away, and I keep her chin facing the screen with two fingers. “If you dare look away, I’ll make him start over.”
Troy keeps going, he’s a thorough professional when it comes to delivering a beating. Ethan goes still on the floor, barely conscious, Troy bends, picks up the detective’s glock, and presses the muzzle to his temple then stares to the camera awaiting my order.
Aria sucks in a breath and I hear the moment she breaks. “I understand, Cyan.” I turn to her, seeing a tear slip down her cheek. “I’ve learned my lesson.” Her voice trembles, desperate. She says the words. Her eyes don’t. “Cyan… please stop this.” I let the silence stretch, let her drown in it.
“Stand down,” I say at last. Troy pulls the gun away. I hit the remote; the screen goes black. Ethan will live,for now.Troy will handle the cleanup to make it look like a robbery gone wrong. Aria is staring at the floor, shaking. I tilt her chin up, forcing her to meet my eyes. “No one touches you.” My thumb brushes away a tear. “Never forget Dove.”
I press the same thumb to her lips, and Aria’s eyes narrow a heartbeat before she bites down,hard. My whole body tightens,oh the fight in this lass. She stares at me, breath ragged, chest rising and falling, pupils blown wide and my thumb still trapped between her teeth. Then she releases me; the pain barely registers. Aria’s lips are warm and wet against my thumb, and my control snaps like a thread pulled too tight. I crush my mouth to hers, claiming. Taking, owning, and fuck, she kisses me back. For a single, shattering moment, she melts into me. Why her? What is it about this woman that unravels me? The night I heard her laugh, something in her wove itself into my bones, and I knew no force on earth could ever make me let her go.
Her moan vibrates against my tongue, shooting straight to my cock. I groan into her mouth, dragging her closer, deepening the kiss. My fingers tangle in her hair, tugging, gripping, demanding. My palm skims over the peak of her nipple, and she jerks back like I burned her.
Panic flashes across her face. Then she slaps me again; the sting is nothing. She swings for a third, but I catch her wrist mid-air. Her breath heaves; her whole body trembles with rage.
Holding her with one hand, I reach into my jacket with the other and pull out a velvet box. I flip it open; she freezes. Before she can jerk away, I take her wrist and fasten the bracelet. The clasp clicks into place; a shackle disguised as jewelry. My mark of ownership.
Her eyes blaze as she grabs for it, trying to rip it off. It doesn’t budge.
I smile. “Now,” I murmur, voice thick with finality. “You’ll remember who you belong to.”
Eleven
“It looks like a gift, feels like a curse, and wraps around my wrist like a noose strung with gold.” – Aria Boschett.
The bracelet glitters under the soft glow of the bedroom lights, an unholy mix of beauty and imprisonment. A delicate circle of intertwined gold and precious stones, engraved with intricate Celtic markings. Each gem catches the light, throwing tiny spectra of color in every direction. It’s exquisite. A masterpiece and I hate it.
As he releases my wrist, I pull my hand to my chest as if I could somehow crush the weight of his claim. This isn’t a gift. It’s a one-sided handcuff, his brand.“I don’t want this, Mr. MacBrady.” Cyan’s response is non-verbal. His thumb grazes my lips again, an unexpected tenderness, as he traces the swollen curve. A slow, deliberate stroke. My lips tingle under the barest pressure. Heat flickers through me, and I despise myself for feeling it.
His touch drifts, a brush along my cheekbone. A slow exploration down my jaw. His fingers memorize me, as if etching my face into his mind. His eyes hold something unreadable.Damn him.I try to push him away and break his spell over my traitorous body. “I thought we just discussed this.” His fingers move away, leaving a phantom sensation. “How I treat my property is also not up for discussion.” He stands up from the bed, and my temper snaps.
“Excuse me? Screw you!” The words fly out of my mouth before I can stop them. “I wasn’t aware I had a For Cyan Only sign stamped across my damn forehead.” His lips twitch, almost into that infuriating expression, the one that makes my insides twist into knots of conflict and something dangerously close to attraction.Why? Why, after everything that’s happened tonight, do I still feel this pull?I force the thought away, shoulders squared. “You know what?” I lift my chin, letting my frustration bleed through my words. “I’m thinking you have a hearing problem. Again, I’m not some object to be claimed.” My eyes drop to his crotch and land directly on the impressive bulge straining against his tailored slacks.Shit.My stomach flips, my pulse stutters. I look back up to his face just in time to see his slow, knowing half-smile curve his lips. Heat scorches my cheeks.
Cyan moves to the TV, removes whatever he had connected to the HDMI port, then heads for the door. Without looking back, he says, “Don’t take the bracelet off; there will be consequences if you do. Enjoy the rest of the long weekend with your aunt, Dove. Meet me on Tuesday at Mel’s for lunch.” He doesn’t wait for my response; he leaves. The moment I hear the click of the front door closing, I move, bolting from the bed and rushing to the entrance, where I throw the deadbolt into place with shaking hands. I press my forehead against the door, trying to steady my breathing. The silence rushes in. He’s gone, but his presence lingers.
I drag my feet back to my room, each step feeling heavier than the last. Crawling onto my bed, I stare at the ceiling, the weight of gold and ownership still circling my wrist.Screw him,I tried and failed to remove the bracelet; the clasp wouldn’t budge. This must be how a mouse feels the moment the trap snaps shut. I stare at the bracelet wrapped around my wrist. Beautiful, intricate, deceptive. Celtic knots of gold and gemstones. A collar disguised as jewelry. Sitting up again, I lean back against the headboard, trying to regulate my breathing. I was having a great time tonight. For the first time in months, I’d felt normal. I squeeze my eyes shut.
Then Cyan shows up after months, and then I find out Ethan is all lies. Then... the lesson, the sound of the boot connecting with Ethan’s ribs replays in my mind. Over and over.Ethan deserved it.The thought slithers through me, dark and uninvited. “No,” I rock my head, rejecting the voice creeping in. I won’t let Cyan’s madness infect me. But I can’t shake the facts. Ethan lied to me. He wasn’t just some well-meaning guy, eager to get to know me. He saw an opportunity, he planned for it, and he took it. I let out a hollow laugh, the irony sinking in; I should have known better. I convinced myself I was nothing to Cyan, one of many who owed him a favor, that my name was just a line in his ledger.
Forcing myself to move, my limbs stiff, my body feels heavy. I grab my robe, yanking it around my body and cinching the waist with sharp, jerking motions.
He’s been watching me. He mentioned my obsession with matching bras and panties. I glance around the room, acutely paranoid. Are there cameras here too? The house was locked; the doors were bolted, and yet he still got in. My skin crawls. For the first time, I fully understand my reality. I can’t go to the cops; Cyan probably owns half of them, maybe more. He sat with the mayor of Boston tonight, like it was nothing.I have no way out. I’m trapped.A violent shudder runs through me, as my mind races for solutions. But I have none. I can’t leave the Boston area. If my grandmother qualifies for the upcoming drug trial, she needs to be here. Tasha has worked her entire life for her career; if I involve her, she risks losing everything. I rush into the bathroom, leaving the lights off in case there are cameras, turn on the shower, and adjust the water temperature. It isn’t helping. My world is breaking, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.
Breathe, Aria. Breathe.I focus on the steady drum of water against the shower tiles as I step inside. The hot spray pours over me, and I brace my hands against the wall, letting it burn into my skin. There’s only one way to survive this. I have to meet Cyan, play along, until I figure a way out of this. Maybe if I stay quiet, if I stay boring, maybe, just maybe, he’ll lose interest. A bitter laugh slips past my lips. It’s a fragile hope, but it’s all I have for now.
