“Hello, Trev,” she said sweetly. I didn’t like it. I fucking hated it. But that was my screwed up shit.

  “Maddy,” he replied. “You’re back. Good to know. Uh, you ready to leave this asshole and come back with me yet?” he asked her.

  I knew he was baiting me, but I still scowled at him. He was my little brother and my only fucking sibling, which gave him a sense of security. With Madeline, he needed to tread lightly.

  Madeline laughed and shook her head. “No, I’m good here.”

  Trev shrugged. “Figured, but thought I’d check. Grand Theft Auto isn’t the same without you.”

  More laughter. I didn’t like that he could make her laugh. She’d not laughed for anyone but me since we had returned. But my brother was somehow managing it.

  “I was terrible at it, and you know it,” she told him.

  The fact that she remained curled up against me was the only thing keeping me calm at the moment. She and Trev were friends, and that was my fault. I’d let it happen. I had to deal with that shit now.

  “But you’re damn good company,” he replied.

  “Careful,” I warned him.

  He was getting too cocky. I had my limits.

  He rolled his eyes, and my hold on Madeline tightened.

  “Trev, long time,” Gina said as she walked into the room with a bottle of water in her hand. “How’s the big house?” she asked him.

  He shrugged. “Oh, you know, topless pool parties, the senator fucking one of his whores in one of our guest suites, the usual.”

  She laughed and dropped down beside Gage before throwing her legs over his thigh. “Good to know things are normal. I hope Angel hasn’t witnessed any of that while she’s been there,” she replied.

  Trev shook his head. “Nope. We save the topless parties for the evenings, and the senator keeps to himself.”

  Gage even chuckled. I scowled. Trev was not that funny.

  Trev looked at Madeline, then back at Gina. “You going to be here with Maddy tomorrow night while Blaise is at the gala?” he asked.

  I tensed. That was shit he had no business bringing up, and he damn well knew it.

  Gina shrugged, then looked back over her shoulder at me. “I guess. Unless the nurse is staying with Angel.”

  “You’ll be here,” I said, making sure the warning in my tone was clear.

  Trev grinned. “I’ll come hang out, too, after I show face for a few minutes.”

  The fuck he would.

  “Dad said you were taking Helena, so I was cleared from needing to escort one of the Morgan sisters. Thanks.” His smile looked genuine, but I saw the gleam in his eyes. He knew exactly what he was fucking doing.

  Madeline went completely still in my lap. Her body tensed up. That was not something I had wanted to tell her after just getting her back. She wasn’t ready for this bullshit after all that she’d had to hear back at the cabin.

  “You can go now,” I told him.

  He smiled at Madeline. “See you tomorrow night.”

  Huck came up behind him and slapped the back of his head. “Dumb shit,” he grunted, then shoved him toward the door.

  “I think I’ll go back up,” Gina said, standing as she looked at me nervously.

  “I’ll join you,” Gage added and winced when he looked at Madeline.

  I took a deep breath, trying to calm my fucking temper. Trev was going to pay for this. That entire thing had been premeditated. Gina had walked right into it blindly.

  Levi said nothing as he left through the door heading toward the kitchen. When we were alone, Madeline pulled away from me and sat up straight.

  Dammit.

  “You’re taking another woman to a gala?” she asked quietly, but her eyes were focused straight ahead toward the fireplace. They weren’t looking at me.

  “It’s a fucking fundraiser. Who I take isn’t important,” I said.

  She didn’t understand the way things were done. She had a lot to learn about my position.

  “It is to me,” she replied after a moment, then turned her eyes to meet mine.

  Fuck, I hated the pain I saw reflected in them. I was going to fucking beat the shit out of Trev for this. He had hurt her to get to me. Damn motherfucker.

  I reached up and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “There’s a lot you still have to learn about the workings in the family.”

  She dropped her gaze, then began to push the blanket I’d put on her off. “I’m tired,” she replied and started to stand up, but I grabbed her waist and held her in my lap.

  “You’re mine. This gala doesn’t mean shit. Who I take to it doesn’t mean shit. It’s you who’s in my bed.”

  She lifted her eyes to mine again. “That’s all you want me for then. To fuck? Nothing more?”

  Fucking Trev! Damn him.

  “No! That’s not all. You’re mine! I’ve said that so many damn times already. Why can’t you see that? Don’t make this a big fucking deal.”

  She nodded her head. “Okay,” she whispered. “I understand.”

  I cupped her face and leaned in to claim her mouth. She didn’t fight me and gave me what I wanted. The taste of honey didn’t compare to how sweet she was. I savored it and ran my hand up her thigh. She parted her legs for me willingly, and when I reached her pussy to find she wasn’t wearing panties under those shorts, I groaned, shoving a finger inside her.

  “Ah,” she cried against my mouth.

  I trailed kisses down her neck as she began rocking on my hand. She was always so damn ready for me.

  “Uh, boss.” Levi’s voice reminded me that we weren’t in a private place.

  I took my hand out from between her thighs and pulled the blanket back over her, pissed that he had seen her like that. I didn’t want anyone to see her being pleasured but me. Ever.

  “What?” I clipped out, holding her against my chest as she shivered slightly.

  “Sorry to interrupt, but we have a situation. You’re needed now.”

  Huck walked in through the opposite door. “We gotta go,” he said, not glancing over at me.

  Sighing, I stood Madeline up and pressed one last kiss to her lips. I wished I could stay and go downstairs with her. The need to make sure she knew just how important she was gnawed at me. I wouldn’t have that chance tonight.

  “Go to bed. I’ll be back as soon as I can,” I told her.

  She nodded and turned to walk away. I watched her go, knowing that things weren’t settled. She was fucking hurt.

  Once she was gone, I turned to look at Huck.

  “Do I get to fucking kill someone?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “More than likely.”

  “Good,” I muttered.

  The rage inside of me was building, and I needed an outlet.

  Nine

  Madeline

  It took me hours to fall asleep. My chest ached so badly that I struggled to breathe.

  Actions spoke louder than words. Blaise should know that. Nothing he said could fix the fact that he didn’t want to be seen with me in public.

  He just wanted to keep me in this house to fuck. What was going to happen when he got bored with me? Where would I go then? In the limo, he’d said things that made me think he loved me. I’d thought he did, and with him, I felt safe and wanted. But that would end eventually. Then, I would be alone.

  The family thought I belonged with them because of my grandfather, but the truth was, I only wanted Blaise. If I didn’t have him, I would leave and go get a job, a place to live, find a life for myself.

  The last thing I thought of before I finally dozed off was that maybe I should find my independence now, and when Blaise did tire of me, I wouldn’t be left with nowhere to go.

  I wasn’t sure how long I’d been asleep when Blaise’s arms wrapped around me. I’d been dreaming, and Blaise’s body pressed against my back felt as if the dream was still happening. The happiness I’d been experiencing before opening my eyes, however, dwindled as reality slowly crept back in. This was temporary. No matter what he claimed, he would tire of me. He would be the boss. He had to take wealthy aristocrats to galas. Have his pictures taken with women of importance. Not some girl from the wrong side of town.

  It stung, and my accepting it was hard. The Maddy I’d been before Blaise wouldn’t have accepted it at all. She’d have been furious. She’d have left with nothing but the clothes on her back and said fuck it. I didn’t feel strong anymore. My edge was gone. I didn’t blame Blaise for that. It was unfair to lay that at his door. The truth was knowing that the family I had grown up with hadn’t loved me. Their betrayal had wounded not just my heart, but also how I felt about myself. Blaise had blamed it on the drugs, but I couldn’t help but think something had to be wrong with me.

  Blaise’s hand ran underneath the satin pink nightgown I was wearing. It was one of the many he’d bought for me. The stubborn Maddy from before would have put on an old T-shirt before getting in bed tonight. Just to show Blaise I didn’t care what he thought of me. I didn’t need him. But this Maddy was broken. I was insecure. This Maddy had put on something to please someone else. The thought that I’d become this other person made my eyes sting and a lump form in my throat.

  When his hand covered my left breast, I arched into it, stretching my body and pressing my bottom against his erection. Blaise didn’t say anything, but his knee opened my legs, and he moved his hand down to slip inside the panties I was wearing. Something else he’d bought for me. Everything I had, Blaise had given it to me.

  He wanted me in his bed, he insisted on paying for everything I had, but I wasn’t good enough to be seen on his arm. It made me feel cheap and unworthy. I let him do all those things. I had done nothing to stop it. Did this make me a whore? Silent tears slid down my cheeks.

  The past few days since my return, he had been attentive and sweet. He said he loved me and needed me. I had let myself believe him, but now, this. It was a blow I hadn’t expected. Blaise was going to be the Mafia boss. Perhaps he planned to make me his mistress. Could that be what he wanted from me, although he claimed to love me? Maybe men did love their whores.

  He shoved a finger inside of me, and although I hadn’t been wet, I knew I would be soon enough. My body didn’t care about the gala and Blaise’s date. It didn’t care that I would never be good enough to have a real relationship with Blaise. It had turned on me from the first moment I had seen Blaise. Even then, my body hadn’t listened to my head.

  His finger slid in and out easily as my arousal grew. He pressed his erection in the same rhythm against my butt. I began to rock with him as I pushed all other thoughts away. I’d give him what he wanted. He wanted my body, then he could have it. For now. I needed comfort, and being intimate with Blaise gave that to me. I’d take it. But this wouldn’t be my forever. I would heal emotionally, and when I did, I was going to take back my life.

  Blaise turned me over onto my stomach and pulled my hips up until I was on my knees. I opened, knowing what he wanted, and he groaned as he pushed inside of me. Filling me in one hard thrust.

  “Fuck yes,” he growled and began to slowly move in and out. His hand slid around me and found my clit, then began to rub it as slowly as he was moving inside of me. “So sweet,” he said in a raspy voice as he kissed my bare back.

  I soaked in the tenderness, desperate for it. Anything to make me feel like I was more than his source for sexual release. I’d trusted my father blindly. I was naive. I couldn’t be that way with Blaise. I had to be aware of where I stood. His words meant little. I had to remember it was his actions that I had to watch.

  My climax was getting closer as he circled his finger around my clit and began to fuck me harder and faster. I cried out his name and heard my voice pleading with him.

  “My girl wants it hard?” he asked, sounding like he was close to his release too. I could hear the excitement in his voice. “You ready for me to fill this hot pussy with my load?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I moaned and slammed back onto him as I cried out his name. My orgasm hit me so hard that my body jerked several times.

  Blaise grabbed my right butt cheek in his hand and let out a groan. “Fuck yes! Take it,” he yelled as he began to shoot inside of me.

  He continued to move in and out slowly until I could feel his warmth leaking down the inside of my thighs. When he finally pulled free from me, I fell limp onto the bed.

  He moved to lie beside me again, covering up our bodies and pulling me to his chest. Exhausted and sated, I fell back to sleep quickly.

  I was alone in bed when I opened my eyes again. Stretching, I felt the stickiness between my legs from last night and decided to go get in the shower before I did anything else. Throwing back the covers, I walked to the bathroom, and the light came on. I glanced at my reflection in the mirror to see my hair a tangled mess, but the dark circles under my eyes were fading.

  A wave of nausea settled over me, and I frowned, unsure of why that was happening again. I’d just gotten up, and I hadn’t had time to think about my life. No reason to get upset so early. Stepping into the shower, I turned on the warm water and waited until it felt good before I stood under it.

  My eyes were closed, and water was running over my face and hair when I heard the shower door open. Snapping my eyes open, I turned to see a naked Blaise joining me. He smirked at me as he wrapped his arm around my waist while he stood behind me. I leaned back onto his chest, needing his warmth.

  “Good morning,” he said near my ear.

  “Good morning,” I replied.

  “I was disappointed that you were washing my cum off your body until I saw you standing naked under the shower. That view made me see things differently,” he said.

  “Hmm, I was sticky.”

  “I’ll clean you up,” he whispered, then reached for the body wash and poured some into his palm.

  I held my breath as he began rubbing it on my stomach and breasts. My nipples hardened under his touch, and he lingered there longer before moving lower until he was washing the insides of my thighs. I trembled slightly as I watched him kneel in front of me and wash my calves and feet before he stood back up and got more body wash in his hand, then moved to do the same to my backside. He enjoyed washing my bottom and spent more time there than necessary, then moved down the backs of my thighs.

  When he stood back up, he turned me to face him. I realized his touch had eased my nausea. Maybe it was my insecurities that had been causing it. If that was the case, I needed counseling. This wasn’t healthy. Finding my own place and being independent might be all that could help me. Staying here and letting Blaise take care of me was just going to make me feel worse as time went on.

  He reached for my right leg and pulled it up to his side, leaving me open. I grabbed his arms for support as he slid inside of me slowly. “I was just going to bathe you, but I can’t seem to keep my dick out of you,” he growled.

  That was his weakness. Wanting to fuck me.

  Our wet bodies slapped against each other. Blaise reached for my other leg, and I wrapped my arms around his neck when he picked me up and turned to press my back against the stone wall. He pumped into me harder, then lowered his head until his lips were on the curve where my neck and shoulder met. I gasped at the sharp bite of his teeth, and the pain ignited my orgasm.

  “BLAISE!” I screamed out his name and held on to him as the pleasure washed over me.

  When he finally stopped biting me, his eyes locked with mine. There was a fierce look on his face as he slammed into me hard before he threw back his head and shouted out my name as he came inside me. I buried my face in his chest and wished this were different. That I could have him in all ways, not just with sex.

  He tightened his hold on me and took me with him as he sat down on the stone bench beside us. I stayed in his lap as the water ran over our bodies and his breathing returned to normal.

  “I need to feed you. I’ve got to stop fucking you constantly,” he said. “But, damn, it’s all I want to do.”

  I snuggled up tighter to his chest. He wanted me.

  Blaise Hughes was a cold, terrifying killer. With me, he was different. I had a part of him no one else got. That should be enough.

  But it wasn’t.

  Ten

  Madeline

  I didn’t bother covering up the bite mark Blaise had left on me. Every time he looked at it, his eyes got territorial and possessive. He was downstairs, getting dressed to go to a gala at the club to raise money for a facility that cared for retired racehorses. He hadn’t brought up the fact that he was taking another woman with him as his date or tried to explain it to me again, and I hadn’t asked.

  After I’d managed to eat some toast and berries at breakfast, I’d spent the day reading while he worked. But my mind hadn’t been on the book. I’d made a plan. I was going to deal with it tomorrow. I didn’t have the energy today. But I was going to get a job, and if that had to be at Hughes Farm again, I was okay with that.

  I just needed an income. When I had enough, I was going to rent somewhere to live. I would tell Blaise he could help me choose a place since my safety was an issue. Although I didn’t know how his enemies knew about me since we were never seen together. But they did. The kidnapping at the theater had proven that. Regardless, there had to be a place I could live safely.

  That was plan A. If he refused that idea, then I’d still get a job. I had to pay for my things. If he was going to just use me to keep him satisfied in his bed, then I couldn’t accept things from him. That would make me a whore. I was not a whore. I wasn’t going to act like one. I drew the line at that.

  “Want a drink?” Gina asked me as she sank down onto the sofa across from the chair I was curled up in, secretly plotting my future while holding a book in my hands.