Page 14 of Hush Darling

He slipped his hand between her legs, only the thin silk of her nightgown separating them. “Then there’s the sort of French kiss, the kind that makes a woman pray to God. It starts here.” His hand turned to cup her intimately. “That’s how stars are born. They’re all just little jewels of light that pierced the sky when a female’s pleasure passed by.”

She couldn’t imagine anything so poetic created by a man’s touch.

“But I’m not sure you’re ready for all that.” He abruptly withdrew his hand and stepped back, leaving her disoriented.

Once again, she distrusted him. Tightening the lapels of her robe, she frowned with disapproval. “Very funny.”

He glanced over his shoulder. “Funny? Hm. I wasn’t trying to be funny.” He lifted his wine and drank with indifference.

Her eyes narrowed. Was she a game to him? Was this some sort of ploy meant to confuse her to the point that she’d consent to anything? “Why are you here, Peter?”

“I was nearby when I got your text.” He pulled out his phone and swiped his thumb over the screen. “Very nice.” He flashed the image to her, and she looked down, regretting ever sending such a photo.

“How did you know I was home?”

“I saw your light on.”

She frowned. “How did you know which window was mine?”

“The trellis isn’t hard to climb. To be honest, your father should be more careful. Anyone could break in and snatch you. Imagine how devastated he’d be, losing his only daughter. What bargaining chip would he have then?”

Bargaining chip? Was that how he saw her? But more importantly…“You looked in my window?”

He smirked. “Last I saw you, you were arguing with your father. He keeps a pretty tight leash on you.”

Her mouth opened to argue, but she silenced the lie. He was right.

“Do you want to escape?”

“And go where?”

“Anywhere. We can have an epic adventure. Have you ever been to the Never Lands?”

The Never Lands were one of many provinces in the Isles of Kassel. Exclusive to the most elite visitors, summoned by invitation only. Kassel was said to be a hedonistic playground for the wealthy, but it was also rumored to be extremely dangerous to outsiders. Money was power, and with extreme power, laws ceased to exist.

“Of course, I’ve never been to such a place.”

The most corrupt villains often took the form of idols. Rich and famous celebrities and billionaires played a role in public and on screen, but in private, they lived much different lives. People—of any class—could not be trusted to act honorably when privacy was guaranteed. However, modern technology exposed some of their dirty little secrets, and little by little, the world was learning how devoid of morals the men and women of Kassel could be.

“Don’t look so scandalized. The media makes it seem far worse than it actually is.”

“You’ve been there?”

A montage of images played through her mind as she thought about all the stories she’d read on the internet about sex parties and women disappearing. Did Peter know about such things? Was he involved in crimes?

“Of course, I’ve been there. How else would I invite you?”

This went far beyond her family’s status.

“More than once?”

“More times than I can count.”

Who was he? The Grimm brothers, two of the wealthiest men on the planet, oversaw the Isles of Kassel the way kings once ruled realms. They were said to decide who had the right to visit their islands.

“Do you know the Grimms?”

He flashed a devious smirk. “Perhaps.”