Page 17 of Betrayed

I lift it from the counter, a weight tightening my gut.

I open the card.

I skimmed it the first time, my eyes scanning over the page, then more slowly the second.

Lucian,

You’ve done so much for me. Made me feel wanted, cherished, beautiful, for the first time in my life. Thank you for everything. I’m so sorry to leave you like this, but I have to go.

You’ve given me so much. Too much. And I’ve given you nothing in return. It’s time I take care of myself.

Forgive me,

Erin

Her words leave me with more questions than answers.

I imagine what I should have done last night: tied her to my bed and never let her go. Have her trembling in silk ropes, wrists bound to my headboard, her legs spread wide.

Momentarily, I lose myself in this fantasy;

“You think you can hide from me?” I would murmur, trailing my fingers up her inner thigh.

“I wasn’t hiding,” she would probably say. “I was protecting myself.”

I would press my palm against her heat, already soaked for me, like she always is. “Then you failed, sweetheart. Because this”—I would curl a finger inside her, dragging a whimper from her lip—“this is mine.”

Her back would arch. She’d bite her lip. Defiant. Always so fucking stubborn.

I’d lean in, lips to her ear. “You broke my rules.”

“I didn’t?—”

I would slap the inside of her thigh. Not hard. Just enough.

She would jump.

“You did. You lied about feeling nothing. And now? Now you’ll feel everything.”

I’d deny her orgasm until she’s crying. Until her body shakes. Until she’s begging with every breath.

Only then would I give her what she needs.

Only then would I kiss her like I mean it.

And in the silence after, when she’s curled into me, I imagine that she whispers, “I’m scared how much I need you.”

And I would tell her the truth.

I would hold her face in my hands and kiss her before confessing, “Erin, I love you.”

My selfish daydream leaves me gutted.

If I could control her, I could keep her.

I wouldn’t lose her like Isobel.

I leave the glass in the sink. Go to the room and get dressed. Casual attire: jeans, burnt orange flannel, and a heavy olive canvas jacket. Ready for the hunt.