Chapter 2
KILLIAN
My future husband is a vision; there’s no denying that. Not when he’s naked, on full display for me.
Even more intriguing was how he bashed my guys’ faces in to save himself. I respect his fight. I respect that he continued resisting even when I strung him up, even now as I show him there’s no backing out of this arrangement.
Old Terror always said that as long as I could respect Logan, that would be enough, and I’ve never doubted his wisdom.
Although, I was surprised to hear Logan denying knowing what this agreement he signed was about.
I always assumed we didn’t discuss it because of how awkward it would be.
I initially thought his insistence was a ruse to get out of it, but maybe he really didn’t read it—not that that changes anything.
As a fellow firstborn, Logan knows what it means to be responsible for his family, and from his reputation, I have no doubt he’ll rise to the challenge.
This is something else we share, something that’ll make this arrangement work.
We understand our obligations because of our positions in our families.
We understand that sometimes what must be done involves setting aside everything, even our own happiness.
He struggles with his restraints, and given the futility of his other attempts, I figure it’s not an attempt to escape, this time, but frustration at the situation.
As he shifts about, a dark lock falls into his eyes, and he jerks his head to the side but doesn’t manage to get it out of the way.
“Killian, can you just let me out of these?”
He focuses his blue gaze on me. A beautiful blue…not cerulean or aquamarine… Cobalt is the closest I can think of, but darker, with white specks within it, making his irises resemble turbulent waves in the deep ocean, crashing against one another in a violent storm. Apt for a Wilde.
“You think I’m foolish enough to let you go after the hassle I just gave you?” I ask with a chuckle.
He sneers before a subtle smirk plays across his lips. “You afraid you can’t take me?”
Apparently, he knows how to get a rise out of me because I’m half tempted to release him so I can hand his ass to him, but I stop myself.
One of the many gifts my dad gave me was the ability to think through situations before being hasty, only allowing myself to lose control with those who have earned my wrath.
“It’s a nice attempt,” I say, “but I don’t want to damage my fiancé. ”
I study his body, which he already put through a bit during the scuffle, and I reach out, resting my hand beside a pink mark on his hip that I assume will bruise, caressing gently. He has beautiful flesh; there’s no denying that or what it’s doing to me.
“Could you stop calling me that?”
“It’s true, isn’t it?” I run my hand down his torso, taking my time, noticing his dick stirring, which makes me smile. “Ah, there it is. So I can turn you on after all.”
“I don’t know how many times I have to tell you I’m straight,” he insists, which makes me chuckle.
“As I told you before, I don’t really care either way. It changes nothing.”
He grits his teeth and lurches forward, only hurting his wrists and ankles as he gnashes his teeth like he’s trying to take a bite out of me.
“Fuck, you’re gonna be fun.” I grab hold of his cock, stroking, enjoying the way he fills my grip.
“It’s a dick. That’s what it does when it’s played with.”
I step closer, and he makes a go for a bite, nipping at my chin before I have a chance to grab him by his hair with my free hand, tugging his head back sharply.
“Fuuuck,” he groans, his face tense as he endures the pain.
“One thing you should know…if we’re gonna make this work, I won’t tolerate disobedience.”
Keeping his hair and cock firmly in my grip, I move closer still, until his lips are millimeters from mine. I run my tongue up his lips, curious to see if he’ll risk another move or take the violation.
Logan takes it, which makes me smile nearly as much as the taste of his delicious flesh.
“Mmmm…someone enjoyed tequila earlier tonight.”
He pulls away once again.
“Don’t keep pretending you don’t want this,” I tell him.
“Who’s pretending?”
“Your actions say one thing, but you think I didn’t notice how you turned into a rock after I licked you?”
He thrashes about, this time wilder than before. With how furious he is, I figure he’s liable to tear his hair from his scalp, but it’s his to tear loose if he chooses. I tighten my hold, pulling him to my face. “Be nice, Logan,” I warn. “It’s not my fault you’re getting hard when I’m being rough.”
“You don’t seem to care whether it’s even something I want.”
“Maybe you should tell me it’s not something you want.”
“Would it matter if I did?”
“Not sure I’ll know the answer until you tell me you don’t like it,” I say, stroking his shaft, uncertain myself whether him saying no would be enough to deter me. Maybe that makes me a monster, but isn’t that what I am?
“I don’t think it matters,” he insists.
We stare each other down, and I can’t help but smile. “At least now I know you’ll be able to consummate the relationship on our wedding night.”
“There’s not gonna be any consummating because there’s not gonna be a fucking wedding. How many times do I need to say that to get it through that thick skull of yours?”
“Thick?” I give him a firm squeeze. “Yeah, that’s the word for it.” At his glare, I release him. “I’ve teased you enough.”
Something wicked moves through me—the sadism my brothers and I inherited by blood.
The fucked-up logic that makes our family not just criminals, but fucking monsters.
I retrieve the contract, displaying it for him once again.
“I’ll give you a choice: you have one opportunity to end this agreement, and I will burn it right here and now.
But if you choose not to, that means you consent to being my wife. ”
“It would be husband,” he clarifies.
“Technically, the contract says you would be my wife. I would be your husband.”
“So it’s hardly a valid contract. Doesn’t that make it null and void?”
“It means we have antiquated documents based on a different time, and again, you can choose to invalidate it. I’m giving you that option. Isn’t that generous of me? Doesn’t that make me good husband material?”
He eyes me suspiciously. “And what’s the cost of that?”
Wise of him to ask because in our families, nothing comes for free.
“You already know the answer. The end of the agreement means the end of our protections for the Wildes. They just…stop. And I guess all those debts my family is paying off, just stop too.”
He huffs. There it is—a man who understands the obligations to his family. Yes, this man will make a good wife for me.
His gaze wanders.
“If you can so easily cancel this, then the Wildes must be in a much better place than I thought.”
He gulps. “Maybe I can see if I can come up with the money,” he says, which makes me laugh because he must know I’m aware of their finances, and that they aren’t magically going to earn enough to make up for all the debt their father accrued.
“I don’t imagine that’s why you need to consider this, Logan. But I’m a decent man, so I can give you time to come to terms with being my wife—”
“Husband.”
“Wife,” I emphasize, earning another glare.
I do love power, especially the power I have over him right now.
There’s no denying that, and I perversely enjoy that this is like a hunter releasing a wounded animal so that he can stalk it, taking his time, eventually killing it all the same.
Yes, I’m a monster, just like my father. There’s no changing that.
I rest my hand under his chin, caressing, noticing the fine pricks of unshaven hairs. “I wonder how these will feel against my balls when you’re choking on my cock.”
His face flushes. “Something you’ll never get to experience,” he snarls.
I can’t help but smile since I know better. Tonight’s gone exactly as I expected, and I’m certain the rest of this will go according to plan as well. Things rarely don’t work out for me. And when they don’t, that never ends well for whoever gets in my path.
“I’ll have someone take you back to Hayward, but before I go, perhaps a kiss?”
He rears his head back before launching a wad of spit that lands on my lips.
He’s got the fire in his eyes, and the act stokes my fury, but I beat it down, reminding myself there’s time to pay him back for this.
Time to train him and make him mine. Just not now.
So I lap it up instead, enjoying the hint of tequila in his taste.
“I’ll give you time,” I assure him. “See you soon, Log.”
I wink before heading out the door, with him calling after me, “What do you mean? How much time? You just said you were gonna let me out? Killian? Killian!”