Page 65 of Thorns of Deceit

He released a harsh breath. “Ahhh, so we dropped the pretense of not being my wife, huh?”

“God, you’re fucking slow.” I threw my hands up in frustration. “That marriage of ours should be annulled. It was forced upon me with threats of death. You blackmailed me, and I’m pretty sure that’s a valid basis for an annulment or divorce.”

“Don’t play the victim card here, Raven. I told you from the start that our marriages are ‘till death do us part,’ so you knew exactly what you were getting into.” His every word was a lash of ice, leaving me raw. “You stabbed me in both the back and chest after I offered you kindness, fairness, and honesty.”

“I did not!” Fuck, did I? “That wasn’t my intention,” I justified.

“It doesn’t matter. You’ll do as you’re told, or your friends will pay the price for your sins. Do you really want that?”

“Bastard,” I snapped. “They’ve done nothing to you. If you were even remotely kind—or fair—you’d leave them out of this.”

He growled, low and bitter. “I’ve spent five years at the mercy of my guilt and grief. You want fairness? Only you can control that. Give in. It’s only right that now you’re atmymercy. I want your body and soul, Raven, and you’re going to give them to me.”

“I don’t want to do this, Aiden,” I rasped, although my body throbbed with the anticipation of feeling his hands on my body. God, why couldn’t I just be cold?

“What you want ceased to matter the moment you betrayed me.”

My eyes widened. “I didn’t betray you. You and your family betrayed me!”

His jaw clenched and his eyes darkened to obsidian.

“We’ll have to agree to disagree.” He reached and unclasped my bra, then tugged at my panties. “Take these off,” he demanded, his change of subject giving me whiplash.

“You managed just fine with my bra,” I snapped, my voice strangely husky. “Why can’t you take my panties off too?”

“Take them off. Now.”

I swallowed the knee-jerk reaction to fight him on it, but I knew there was no winning an argument and even less of overpowering him. Besides, the way my body responded to our bickering and his hard length pushing against my lower belly, I was inclined to suspect it was some sort of sick foreplay.

With my blood pulsing in my ears, I hooked my thumbs into the fabric, slowly sliding them down my legs. They pooled at my feet and I stepped out of them, leaving them on the hardwood.

“Give them to me.”

My brow furrowed, but rather than question his odd request, I scooped up the material and held them out to him.

He brought them to his nose and inhaled deeply, a smug smile stretching his cheeks.

“Gross,” I breathed, though I couldn’t deny how impossibly erotic the sight was.

He stuffed them into his pocket and took a step back. “Kneel.”

“I will not.”

“Don’t fuck with me, Raven. You won’t like the result.”

I believed him. And so, with gritted teeth, I lowered to my knees. My ass rested on the leather straps of my heels, the cold material biting into my flesh.

He took a step back, then another, until the backs of his legs connected with a chair. I watched, unsure where this was going, when he began slowly unbuckling his belt and freeing his cock.

He sat down in the chair like he was a king, then said, “Crawl to me.”

I flushed with embarrassment, realizing my pussy was throbbing at his degrading request. My knees trembled with the need to do as he demanded, but I forced myself to stay still.

Swallowing, I glanced at him, then at the floor. “What the fuck, Aiden? I’m not playing your stupid games.”

Although, I was fairly certain playing games was the last thing on Aiden’s mind.

He remained silent, waiting patiently as I battled with my inner slut who was more than eager to play his game and please him.