Page 85 of Monster's Edge

Fuck. Me.

I love it when he says this. I hate it, too. I know from my books that having a praise kink isn’t unusual, but it still makes me feel a little bit dirty and naughty. I absolutely love it when he looks at me like he can’t get enough of me and then he fucks around with me and makes me cum.

I can already tell as he tugs me to my feet that there will be no orgasm for me tonight. As soon as I’m standing in front of him and looking up at Ian, I can tell that he’s completely exhausted. He says nothing as he rubs his bruised and battered knuckles against my cheek. I lean into his touch and close my eyes for a moment. I just want to soak up all of this.

There’s something obsessively wonderful about Ian Salucci that I both love and hate.

And I despise myself for feeling this way.

“Time for bed,” he tells me.

“I haven’t come yet,” I remind him, just in case. He just laughs and points to the bed, letting me know that my initial suspicions were correct.

“You can come again when we’re married,” he says, as though this clears everything up. In a way, it does.

Still, I raise an eyebrow. “Are you blackmailing me?”

“It’s not blackmail. It’s incentive,” he says firmly.

“So, if I don’t marry you, I just don’t get orgasms anymore?” I’m teasing, but he’s not. He suddenly grabs my chin, gripping it tight, and tilts my head up toward him. His words are sharp.

“You will marry me, Rose.”

His eyes are flashing with passion and heat and...fear?

Is that fear I see?

I’ve never seen Ian Salucci look fearful, but right now, I wonder if he is a little worried I’m going to say no. If I do tell him no, if I refuse to marry him, what will he do? Will he kill me the way he killed someone else tonight? He still hasn’t told me who it is.

It doesn’t matter, though. I’m not interested in denying Ian what he wants. I’m his. He knows it. I know it. The entire fucking household knows it.

Ian Salucci gets what he wants, and what he wants is me.

So, he’ll get me.

Even if I say no, it won’t matter. He’ll figure out a way to force me into saying yes. Either that or he’ll just keep me here against my will. He could lock me up in a cage if he wanted to and nobody in the damn world would miss me. Nobody would even care.

That’s the kind of man he is.

He’s the kind of person who could lock a girl up and nobody would worry. Nobody would bat an eye because he’s got money and power, and people are afraid of him. I’m pretty sure that even my father is...or was...afraid of him.

When I speak up, my voice wavers a little bit. “I will marry you,” I tell him. Then, for some reason, I decide to add, “I promise.”

That surprises him a little. His fear is replaced with the slightest hint of surprise, and he once again points to the four-poster canopy bed that takes up a large portion of the room.

“Go to sleep, Rose.”

I walk over to the bed and climb under the sheets. Ian gets in on the opposite side. Even though we’re both under the sheets, we don’t feel each other. He doesn’t hold me, snuggle me, or even touch me. A few minutes later, I hear his gentle snores.

He’s asleep.

I’m not, though, and I don’t know if I’m going to be able to sleep at all tonight. This thing we’re doing is crazy, really. I’m a little bit worried about what comes next. Are we supposed to get married and act like a happy little couple?

We won’t be. We won’t be happy. We’ll never be anormalcouple. We’ll just be us, but...

Well, maybe that will be enough.

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