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After months of being patient, it’s finally time to make my sweet Ember the queen I’ve always dreamed of having by my side.

“We all have darkness living inside us, Ember. We all do things that some would consider wrong in order to survive. Who am I to judge you?”

“But aren’t you worried I’ll steal from you?”

“As far as I’m concerned, Little Flame, you can take whatever the fuck you want from me as long as you’re mine.” The words slip from my lips without thought, but she has no fucking idea how true they are. I’d burn my entire empire to the ground if she asked me to. I’d spend every single dollar I’ve ever made to make her smile. And I’d kill every single asshole who has ever made her cry without hesitation.

Her throat bobs with emotion, and it occurs to me that perhaps I shouldn’t have been so frank with her about how our relationship is going to progress from here. She’s still a flight risk, but I can’t seem to help myself when Ember is concerned.

“Now, I believe I gave you a job while I give you the rest of your rules.”

Ember drags her bottom lip between her teeth but doesn’t hesitate to start working herself over in tight circles.

“My good girl,” I murmur, holding her eyes. “On top of wanting to know where you are at all times, I will also be assigning you a security detail.” I hold my hand up when she opens her mouth to argue. This fucking woman is going the right way for the spanking of her life if she interrupts me again. “It’s nonnegotiable, Ember. I have many enemies, and I will not risk you being hurt when word gets out that you’re mine.” I’m barely holding onto the farce that my life as an entrepreneur is the reason for the danger, but I’m not ready to drop the curtain just yet. Once she’s locked in my penthouse with no way to escape me, maybe I’ll come clean about who I really am.

She glares at me through thick lashes, but doesn’t argue. I’m sure she’ll try to get out of most of these rules as soon as her pleasure is no longer on the line, but she’ll quickly find I’m serious about every single one.

“If I give you an order that relates to your health and safety, I expect you to follow it without hesitation or argument. Your fireis one of the things that drew me to you, but I’m not willing to risk your safety for anything.”

She nods as a soft moan slips from her lips, and I find my eyes dropping to her parted thighs without conscious thought. Fuck, she’s tempting. Like a siren calling to a sailor on the shore, I’m no more capable of fighting my need for her.

“Are you close, Ember?”

“Yes,” she whispers as her back arches off the bed slightly, her hips moving of their own accord.

“No coming,” I command as I round the edge of the bed.

I slowly undo my tie, dropping the silk to the mattress before working on the buttons of my shirt.

Ember tracks my every move, moving from button to button as I undress so slowly it’s maddening for us both.

Her chest heaves as a delicate flush moves over the soft skin and up her throat. Jesus, she’s so fucking pretty I can barely handle it.

“Just one more rule for right now, Little Flame,” I murmur. I drop my shirt off my shoulders, uncovering my tattooed chest, and she drinks me in with hunger. I kneel on the edge of the bed and brush my fingers over the littering of scars across the tops of her thighs, and her breath catches in her throat as fear creeps into the edges of her gaze. “If you feel the urge to hurt yourself from now on, I want you to tell me.”

This time, she doesn’t look like she wants to argue. Instead, she wants to run. It’s obvious in how her fingers slow and the blush I’ve become so addicted to recedes slightly, making way for the shame that fills her eyes. “I understand better than most the need to have control of my pain, but I can’t cope with the idea of you hurting on your own.” The words are a whispered confession. “Let me help you channel your pain, Little Flame. Let me help you.” It’s a plea more than it is a command.

This is just one of the many ways I’m desperate to care for her, but first I need her to let me.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

EMBER

Shame rolls over me like a steamroller, and my chest aches at the thought of Orion leaving.

I’ve always prided myself on my strength, but I’ve been anything but since Travis died. I’ve been falling for months, and this feels like the inevitable crash my therapist warned me about.

And yet my hand is still between my legs, slowly circling my clit even as my body fills with fear that he’s about to walk out the door.

“Let me help you channel your pain, Little Flame. Let me help you.”

The words are filled with desperation, like the idea that I hurt myself doesn’t disgust him as much as it does terrify him.

Tears fill my eyes of their own volition, and I find myself nodding despite myself. I’m supposed to be walking away after tonight, but at this point, I’m pretty sure I’m deluding myself. There’s something about Orion that I doubt I’ll be able to give up. Like a drug working its way through my veins, dragging me closer to addiction as I seek my next hit.

“Okay,” I whisper on a choked sob, and he’s on me in a second. His warmth envelops me as he covers my body with his, pressing kisses along my exposed throat as his hand coversmine, urging me to move faster, to bring myself closer to the edge.

“Thank you, Little Flame.”