Page 19

CHAPTER 18

C assandra

Arousal flooded my clit.

My nipples were aching.

My core was close to a thousand degrees.

That wasn’t in my best interest. The moment I’d realized who he was, I’d told myself I shouldn’t succumb to going on the date.

But I’d felt summoned by him, not only by his chiseled features and intense stare, but also by experiencing the same draw to him I’d felt in the bar four months earlier and during the hunt. His charisma was inescapable.

The man was also possessive as hell.

Even sexier than the night we’d shared. Correction, the two nights. I remained fascinated that he’d been talked into being a contestant. The auction seemed beneath him.

Given he’d learned my identity, had the reason I’d felt as if I was being followed because that was accurate?

I took a deep breath, trying to concentrate on paying attention to where he was taking me. He’d said very little after leading me to his car, acting as if anything he said I’d obey.

The man had another think coming.

Then why was I trembling from anticipation?

Ordinarily, I would instantly hate any man who acted as if he could lord either his stature, financial status, or his sex appeal over me.

But with Wilder Blackwell, I found the trait not just fascinating but appetizing. Enough so, as I sat beside him in an enclosed car heading to an unknown destination, I only felt excitement.

Explaining that to anyone, especially Josie, would likely raise some eyebrows if not cause them to force me to seek mental help. With what I knew, I should heed her warning completely. But here I was tempting fate.

Was I also tempting the devil?

The sexual tension was palpable, the crackle of electricity we’d experienced before occurring every few minutes. He was driving around the lake and away from the city. I was nervous, forty-five minutes or so already having passed since being escorted to his Mercedes.

“I will ask you again and I expect an answer. Where are you taking me?” I finally demanded. I was pushing him for several reasons, only one of which learning where we were going. I’d already ascertained he didn’t accept being pushed by anyone. But what would happen if I continued to do so?

“It’s a surprise.”

“A cage where you’ll take me out and play with me from time to time?”

He lifted his eyebrow as he glanced over at me. “Is that what you’d prefer, Lady Butterfly? You certainly seemed appreciative of the chase.”

“I wanted to see how far the company would go in their recruitment tactics. Disturbing to say the least.”

“Ah. You’re one of the naysayers who answered the questionnaire the way you thought would provide you with an invitation. It worked.”

His prodding created tingles coursing through me instead of doubt or irritation. “Maybe I have another side as well.”

“Perhaps you’ll feel comfortable enough to share with me your greatest and darkest desires.”

“Perhaps. But only after you tell me all your dirty little secrets.”

“You’ll learn I take orders from no one and that whatever secrets I have mean nothing to anyone but to me. I guess you’ll need to trust me.” The flash of his eyes as we passed a few well-lit businesses created a wave of heat that resulted in a deep throbbing in my pussy.

“Trust implies friendship, even a relationship of some kind. We don’t have either.”

“I’m insulted. After all we’ve been through, we aren’t friends?” He chuckled in the deep, dark tone he’d used often and as I’d experienced before, my nipples hardened immediately.

“You earned a few what-a-good-boy points, but that doesn’t make us instant buds. Especially since you chased me through some dark woods.”

His laugh was low and husky. “Fair enough.”

Why was my breath skipping?

Another few minutes passed and all I was doing was squirming in my seat.

“I heard you saved a life.”

He seemed surprised that I’d brought up the incident. “I did what any decent human being would do.”

“Don’t be so coy. I do read the papers. You don’t like men who push women around. I simply didn’t put two and two together that you saved the woman in the park since you don’t like being photographed. I find that curious.”

“Why?”

“Because most arrogant, rich men flaunt themselves and their riches, especially if they’re good looking.”

When he turned his head, I was shocked at the carnal look in his eyes. It was entirely different than before, more intense and knowing. As if he owned me.

“Another compliment. However, the truth is that my company has many enemies. Photographs tell a story which can be used as a weakness. I prefer my anonymity and privacy.”

“Because of your many secrets.”

His smirk was telling. “As I mentioned before, we all have them.”

“Perhaps not all of us.”

His expression remained the same. “Then I guess I stand corrected.”

He knew he had me dead to rights given the hunt. Unless I wanted to confess I was looking into him in hopes of discovering improprieties.

“But you saved a woman’s life. That’s heroic.”

Every single time he laughed, it was as if hiding beneath his manicured fingernails I’d discover traces of blood and DNA. It was a strange thought, although natural given my profession. But around him?

“Sadly, if you read the papers then you’re aware the perpetrator was released on bail.”

“And I’m certain given you’re a thorough man that you’re well aware his bail was revoked. From what I heard from a few colleagues, there’s new and very damning information provided in a fascinating way.”

I was coming dangerously close to infringing on a case, but if I didn’t push him, I’d never solve even one of the mysteries surrounding him and his brothers.

“Yes, sweet Cassandra, I do read the papers as well. Men like him are unable to stop feeding their proclivities even under fear of incarceration.”

“That’s interesting coming from a self-proclaimed loner. Still, I’d call you a hero. The woman might have been another victim of a monstrous killer had you not intervened.”

“As I said, I have many sides, Cassandra, but none of them have the title of hero. I was being human as one would hope most people would be in that circumstance.”

Every time he said my name, the syllables dripped off his tongue.

“That’s not true. Most people stand by and watch, acting as if the horror they’re seeing is nothing but a motion picture. Yet you also acted out when you saw David treating me badly.”

“Well, I’m certainly not most people. I do what’s necessary to keep order and control as well. I don’t like when women are being abused and make no mistake, David was an abuser.”

A part of me made a mental note to discover every detail about his heroic act. Had he been questioned by the police? Did he have a previous relationship with Drew?

“What are you talking about?”

After glancing over at me, he sighed. “I know men like that very well, Lady Butterfly. They act as if they would never hurt anyone, often apologizing for their evil deeds, but they will never change. They escalate their acts of violence as they learn to enjoy the bruises and blood, the screams and cries for forgiveness or from those begging to be freed. The man you were involved with was escalating his behavior. You are lucky to be away from him.”

Wow. His words were stark and cold, said with such honesty and knowing that I was momentarily at a loss for words. It was what he’d been through in foster care. I was positive of it. I strove to hide a series of cold chills.

“So you save damsels in distress whenever the opportunity comes into play, keeping them safe from unknown creeps and jerks?”

“You knew your attacker. He had an advantage.”

He was ignoring my question. “Yes, but he’d never threatened me before.”

“As I said, it was only a matter of time before he did much worse.” Wilder was very blunt and I was reminded of the threat from a few days before.

“Said like a man with experience.”

I’ll be damned if he didn’t chuckle, the tone even darker than before.

“I know his type all too well.”

“What did you do to the man in the park?”

He threw me a grin. “I simply reminded him that women were to be worshipped, not abused.”

“By use of violence just as you did with David.”

“Has he bothered you again? Your ex?”

“Other than another threat if I exposed his affair? Not really. Well, he did call and try and get me back. He wasn’t very nice doing so.”

The moment I noticed his hand was more tightly wrapped around the steering wheel, I sucked in my breath. Wilder felt as if he needed to protect me.

Like what had occurred with the woman in the park.

And what he hadn’t been able to do with his mother. He did remember more than he was likely telling anyone.

“Often lessons have difficulty taking root,” he stated, and his tone was terse. “Sometimes a second helping of discipline is needed to erase the aspects of danger.”

I shuddered and folded my arms, doing my best to ignore the feelings of desire that I’d felt the moment I’d laid eyes on him. “David isn’t in my life any longer. That’s all that matters. If he’s a danger to anyone, it’s to himself.”

Only I thought about the video, which I’d tried to put out of my mind.

Less than a minute later, I finally realized he’d driven into Michigan. If the sign that we had passed was correct, he was taking me to New Buffalo. While I’d never been to the small coastal town, I’d heard it was quiet, quaint, and welcoming. His choice of destinations was a far cry from what I’d expected.

Although we were both right in that we knew very little about the other.

Except carnally.

I suddenly felt uncomfortable, but not in a way to demand he take me back to the hotel. An entirely different way. As if we were soulmates. That was ridiculous, of course, since what I knew about him had been derived from reading articles. However, in the limited time we’d spent together, he’d awakened the kind of need only reserved for those involved in long-term relationships.

Kindred spirits.

Trusting.

We were both from foster care. But my story was completely different.

“Wouldn’t you enjoy seeing David’s improprieties exposed?” he asked a full minute later.

“I did, but it’s not worth it at this point.” Which wasn’t true and for some reason, I think he already knew that.

“Wouldn’t you like to see him hurt the way he hurt you?”

I laughed nervously, uncertain of where this was going. “I’m not that way.”

“I think you’re more like that than you care to admit.”

“Then you don’t know me very well.”

“I believe I do, Cassandra. You’re excellent at portraying what everyone needs to see in you. Professionalism. Purpose. Drive. Energy. Focus. But deep inside you crave danger, a taste of the forbidden. You long for someone to see that in you, allowing you to feel free in experiencing the very taste of reckless endangerment that keeps you awake at night. I also believe that includes your understanding that some justice should have a more… personal touch.”

“You’re talking about vigilante justice.”

“Precisely.”

The images floating in the back of my mind were very graphic, depictions of exactly the way I’d wanted to handle David.

“Baker the Butcher? Are you telling me you wouldn’t have preferred driving a stake through his heart?”

My mouth was suddenly dry. His words were too accurate. “As I said, you don’t know me very well.”

“But I intend to, Cassandra. I plan on indulging in learning everything there is to know about you.”

The bastard truly thought he knew me better than anyone else. Better than I knew myself. The fire burned brightly in my core, my pussy continually throbbing. I hated that he seemed to have so much control over me. “There isn’t much excitement to tell in my life, I’m afraid.”

“Then perhaps we need to change that, beginning tonight.”

Was that a promise or a threat? Either way, I was intoxicatingly aroused.

And the evil thoughts remained furrowing in my mind.