Page 25

J uliette

“Come here, you little bitch. You’re nothing but a fucking whore. It’s time to take you to your master.”

His tone was harsh as he stood over me.

“Fuck you!” I yelled, kicking him in the groin.

The backhand was swift, smashing me in the cheek. The pain was blinding.

The bastard grabbed the back of my hair, yanking me onto my knees as he unzipped his pants, pulling out his cock. “You really are nothing but a whore. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it. Why don’t we start right now? Suck it, bitch.”

“Oh…” My eyes flew open and I took gasping breaths.

Where was I?

What was happening?

Panic tore through me and I jerked to a sitting position, scrambling to free myself. The bastard was here. He was here!

Woof.

What…

I folded my arms across my chest, slowly lowering my head. “Tank,” I murmured. “Oh, buddy. You’re here.” As soon as I mentioned his name, he jumped up from his position, clobbering me with his huge body.

Instead of fighting him off, I wrapped my arms around his neck, breathing in his doggy smell. “Whoa, buddy. You need a bath.” At least I could laugh as I sat back, shaking my head to remove the cobwebs. The nightmare had seemed so real, but I was safe.

And I was in a bed in a bedroom I’d never seen before.

Kage’s house. Why didn’t I remember coming here?

Why didn’t I have any memories of getting into bed?

I tugged on the covers, the action driving Tank to move enough I could stick my feet out.

And why wasn’t I wearing any shorts?

Fuck.

I scanned the room, noticing they’d been tossed onto a chair. The door was partially cracked and there were no sounds. Nothing.

Silence.

Just like the savage hero. Maybe that’s what I’d start calling him.

“Where’s your daddy, Tank?”

He cocked his head and I laughed again. I guess we need to find out. Easing from the bed, I noticed there was an attached bathroom, and was grateful there was since my bladder was full.

After doing my business, I glanced at myself in the mirror, moaning as soon as I did. Roadkill on steroids.

I jerked on the shirt, thankful it was long enough to cover my butt since I wasn’t interested in pulling on the shorts. Maybe ever again. I’d find the bag of clothes and take a shower. Maybe that would wash away the horrible dreams and certainty I’d be captured all over again.

Kage had certainly made me feel as if that was a possibility.

I couldn’t think that way. With Tank by my side, I ventured from the room, noticing the set of stairs almost immediately.

With tentative steps, I walked down each one, almost fearful of what I’d find.

Yet as soon as I was standing in the combination foyer and living room, I was pleasantly surprised.

The area was wide open, almost as large as the small condo I had in New York.

Everything was rustic, beams running across the ceiling.

There was a massive stone fireplace and windows.

My God, the number of windows was incredible.

I padded across the hardwood floor, already shivering.

When we’d left Dallas, it had felt like a thousand degrees.

Now I could swear there was snow on the mountains that were staring at me right outside the bank of windows.

Wow.

“This is amazing, Tank.” I noticed not one, but two large dog beds and dog toys scattered everywhere.

He must have read my mind before he trotted over to where three bright yellow tennis balls were near the fireplace, grabbing not one, but two of them in his mouth, trying for the third.

He was pleased as punch when he brought them to me, managing to issue a snort as soon as he did.

My thoughts drifted to the story about the Marine.

How sad. But maybe Tank had been sent to Kage for a reason. To help him with his sanity.

And sadness.

“What a good boy. Maybe we’ll play later.”

If that was allowed.

Rules.

There were a lot of them.

Yes, I understood why, but holy moly, the man was thorough.

And a pain in the ass.

There were several boxes placed in haphazard places. Maybe he’d just moved in. But the place did look very lived in, cozy and warm. Inviting.

Totally unlike the man.

I bit my lower lip as I tried to remind myself that wasn’t fair and found the kitchen instead of tearing him apart in my mind. Dishes were everywhere. To say I was shocked was an understatement.

Crap. He was a messy pig. Nothing could have surprised me more. Even stranger was the fact he had a doggie placemat on the floor with two pristine matching bowls with Tank’s name on one. A soft spot. I’d seen how he’d been with Tank.

I noticed a coffeepot, but at this point, I couldn’t begin to know where to look for actual coffee, an important ingredient. First, I needed to find my things.

And the man of the house.

The bedroom I’d woken up in had been nice, but the one downstairs was huge, the view from the large window incredible. The bed was very masculine and either he’d made the bed early, or he hadn’t slept in it. Maybe at all.

Where the hell was he?

Tank was obviously happy playing with his balls, leaving me alone to fend for myself.

I found a small hallway leading to a half bath and another room. The door was partially cracked so I opened it without thinking, walking right in.

There he was. Asleep on the couch. A glass remained in his one hand, a picture of something in the other. Both were threatening to fall to the floor. In his sleep, he looked peaceful, something I hadn’t seen the entire time I’d spent with him.

With tentative steps, I moved closer, keeping my arms folded, mostly so I wouldn’t dare reach out and disturb him.

He was definitely more of a grump in the mornings.

His head was cocked to the side, his hair tousled.

My guess was he’d been running his fingers through it, probably while cursing my name since his entire life had been interrupted.

That’s definitely not what he’d wanted.

His breathing was even and I was drawn to the way his long eyelashes floated across his cheeks. The former three-day stubble had turned into a short, sexy beard coating his strong, angular jaw. He was even more handsome than the night before. Perhaps because he appeared a little wild and unkempt.

I tried to look away and when I did, my eyes caught several photographs in matching frames. As quietly as possible, I moved toward them, daring not to touch one, but it was hard. They were all of Kage at various stages in his life.

Huh.

Kage might be an arrogant bastard, but he wasn’t self-serving. There was no love of himself as if he was king of something. The collection must belong to someone else. Did he even live here alone? I was certain he did, other than with Tank of course.

I couldn’t help myself, rolling a finger around his face in his high school graduation picture. And the one from college. God, he looked so different. Happy. Content. His smile was huge, his eyes gleaming as if he had the entire world by the balls.

A heavy ache formed in my heart. The photos of him in the Navy were also incredible. He was very handsome, but his features had changed. They were harder, his eyes more focused.

The last one when he was receiving a medal, he appeared… haunted.

Guilty, maybe.

For what?

I pulled away, almost stumbling on something and barely catching myself before I fell. With my knee feeling better, the last thing I needed was to trip and try to kill myself. A gruff sound drew my attention back to the sleeping giant. I turned around, walking even closer than before.

The glass was slipping even more. Just before it fell from his fingers, I grabbed it, carefully placing the tumbler on the coffee table. When I reached for the picture, I was able to see the content.

It had to be men from his unit. My God. They were all so… dangerous looking. There was Stone. I could recognize the man’s smile from anywhere. I glanced at Kage’s serene face, taking a moment to enjoy the view before reaching down to retrieve the picture.

The instant movement caught the corner of my eye, but I was too late to stop his reaction. He immediately snapped his hand around my throat, pulling me down onto the couch and pressing the full weight of his body on top of me.

The picture fell to the floor with a hard thump.

Air immediately rushed from my lungs, a sharp cry driven from my throat. “Oh!”

He was reacting, his eyes unfocused, grabbing my other arm and pulling both over my head. With one hand wrapped around both wrists, there was no way I could move or defend myself.

And his growl was primal.