Nila
I WANTED TO hyperventilate; my heart winged with such terror.
But I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. He already knew he affected me by my stupid vertigo spells. He didn’t need to know the complex fear and fascination bubbling in my blood.
Why hadn’t I seen it sooner? Why hadn’t I seen past what he projected and looked deeper into his golden eyes? He was so tangled up in what he thought he was, he had no clue what he might be.
And that was a pitiful shame, not to mention dangerous for all involved. I could predict how he would react, based on what values he pretended to follow, but he could easily snap and do something completely the opposite.
Damn man.
Damn Hawk.
Jethro lowered his chin, glaring at me from beneath his brow. His hands opened and closed by his thighs. “You’re ready to pay the First Debt? Just like that?”
I nodded. “No point in dragging it out. I want it over with.”
Something flashed over his face, but he didn’t retaliate. Instead, he gritted his teeth and moved toward the post in the centre of the octagonal greenhouse.
My vision wouldn’t stop hazing in and out, tugging on the strings of my brain, threatening to throw me into the wall or shove me to the ground.
This is the First Debt.
Mr. Hawk’s and Jethro’s words echoed in my head. The debts start off easy. It was the later ones I had to worry about. The ones I didn’t know of. The ones that would ultimately deliver my head.
Don’t think about that.
I turned my mind to Kestrel and the surprising kinship I’d begun to feel, before Jethro rudely stole me away. For almost three hours, I’d found something I didn’t think I’d ever find—in my old life or new.
A friend.
Kes had been witty and kind, sharing anecdotes of his childhood, Jethro’s childhood, and even some details he remembered of my mother. For some reason, having him talk about her didn’t upset me nearly as much as hearing it from Jethro or his father.
I knew I had to stay on my guard after what Cut had said: I’m to be treated with kindness and compassion. I could easily fall into the trap of thinking their concern was genuine. But...if Kes was Kite, we had a connection that went past family obligations.
Don’t we?
Regardless, we’d spent a couple of hours sharing things that’d transported me away from Hawksridge Hall and to a place filled with softness. A connection formed, dusting my tummy with tentative bubbles of attraction.
He was nice...despite my healthy suspicion of his motives.
But one thing niggled me.
One thing I hadn’t been able to figure out.
He was completely different from the man who cursed and acted so crude via text messages. His arrogant way of demanding sexual gratification when not face-to-face was a direct contradiction to his kindness in person.
It didn’t make sense—almost as if he had split personas—once again proving my theory that all Hawks were daft.
“What did my father tell you?” Jethro asked.
I blinked, forcing myself to pay attention to the mad man currently circling me like a vulture. “What?”
Jethro balled his hands. “When he kept you back, what did he say?”
I shrugged. “Same thing as you. I learned nothing new.” The way he watched me hinted that he had secrets he didn’t want spilled. Narrowing my eyes, I asked, “Why?”
He shook his head. “No reason.” Clearing his throat, he added, “So, you were told you’re now the obedient family dog, correct? To be treated kindly and receive everything you want.”
My heart squeezed. Anger flowed thick and cloying. “Something like that.” And just like a mistreated pet, I’ll shred the fingers that feed me.
Jethro huffed, returning to the post again. With competent hands, he tugged on the hanging cuffs and kicked something covered by a towel at the foot of the wooden structure.
His eyes locked on mine. “Tell me, Ms. Weaver. Are you sure you’re ready?”
My heart bucked into panic mode. I’d taunted him and said I was, but now faced with willingly handing myself over and letting him do whatever he wanted, it was entirely different.
When I didn’t move, he murmured, “No tears. No screams. Own this just like my ancestors did when it was done to them.”
The Debt Inheritance came back to mind. What had my family done that was so heinous that it called for such horrendous payback?
Swallowing hard, I inched closer to the post. “I need to understand why.”
“Why?” His forehead furrowed. “Where exactly is the fun in that?”
“Fun?” Oh, my God, he would enjoy this? What did you expect? I supposed I kept seeing the man who was human beneath the icy robot. It led me to false conclusions, which Jethro seemed to love to smash.
“I suppose that is the wrong word.” Jethro stilled, his eyes filling with things I couldn’t decipher. He stood still for a long moment, before visibly shaking off whatever held him hostage. “Come here. Let’s begin.”
My stomach fell into my toes. Making me come on my own made all of this worse. I was the sacrificial lamb willingly walking toward the pyre.
Goosebumps broke out over my body as my feet whispered slowly toward Jethro.
He sucked in a breath.
The air went from humid to sharp with awareness. I hated that he had the power to tingle my skin and twist my belly. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right that I found him so attractive when I ought to be abhorred.
My eyes fell on the cuffs dangling between fake flowers. I didn’t need to ask what he had planned. It was obvious, and I wouldn’t give him the enjoyment of dragging out the suspense and toying with me.
Gritting my jaw, I pressed closer, holding my wrists up to the leather cuffs.
Jethro quirked an eyebrow, his tongue darting out to lick his bottom lip. “What are you doing?”
Gathering as much courage as I had, and hoping to God my vertigo would stay away, I smiled diabeticly sweet. “The cuffs are obviously there for a reason; I’m just saving you the trouble of instructing me.”
Silence fell, rippling around us.
His jaw worked. “Just like smugness, cockiness is not becoming on you, Ms. Weaver.” Leaning forward, his torso turned the already sharp awareness into biting attraction. His scent of woods and leather enveloped me. Against my wishes, my stomach clenched, and I breathed deeply.
His nostrils flared, but he didn’t say another word as his strong, cold fingers latched around my wrist, tugging it higher to wrap the supple cuff around me.
The chemistry between us—or was it just blind hate—crackled and fizzed, sending the hair on the back of my neck bristling.
I couldn’t deny I was drawn to Kes—partly because I thought he was Kite and partly because he had an ease about him, a generosity that made me want to know more—but it was nothing, nothing, compared to the fierce hunger I felt when Jethro touched me.
His lips parted as he buckled the cuff. Refusing to make eye contact, he remained focused as he cinched it tight.
Moving stiffly, he captured my other wrist.
A small gasp fell from my lips as his fingers kissed the paper-thin skin. His eyes held me hostage. The golden brown was now a swirling bronze, raging with the same demanding hunger I knew reflected in mine.
“This sort of reminds me of the forest,” I whispered. “The trees around us—no one else.” My words fell like petals, waiting for Jethro to crush them beneath his glossy shoe.
But...he didn’t.
Tracing one hand from my wrist, along the inside of my arm, and right to my throat, he fisted my ponytail. With intensity that stripped my soul to the very essence of who I was, he pulled my head back slowly, sensually, full of sexual power.
His eyes dropped to my mouth. “I’ll let you in on a little secret, Ms. Weaver.”
I panted, my neck straining against his hold, but I made no move to break the poignant awareness.
“You won that night, but I lied when I said it pissed me off.” His mouth dropped, his tongue licked my bottom lip with the barest of grazes.
“I’ve never enjoyed coming in someone’s mouth as much as I did in yours.
” He licked me again, quaking my frame. “In fact, I would willingly let you win again, if I received the same ball-shattering release.”
My lips begged to connect with his. This single-minded lust between us was sacred. The only place where we were both equal, and heritage had no authority. I’d made a promise to use sex against him, but now I added to my promise.
I will use him to make me stronger, better—invincible.
I wanted to become a woman whose arsenal included lust and sensuality, regardless of my slight frame and inexperience.
“Kiss me,” I murmured, tugging my hair gently in his hold.
Jethro shook his head, his fingers tightening around my ponytail. Tracing the tip of his tongue once more on my bottom lip, he whispered, “I don’t kiss my enemies.”
My heart became an inferno, sending flames blazing with every beat. “You just fuck them?”
His mouth twitched into a roguish smile. “Only if they beg.”
His body pressed against mine, his thigh going purposely between my legs.
My eyes snapped closed as he rocked against my throbbing clit. “Would you beg, Ms. Weaver? How hot and frustrated do I have to make you before you’ll beg me to drive my cock inside you?”
My brain spasmed at the thought. The answer? Not long. I would beg right now if it meant he would forget about the debt and take me back to his room. I wanted to see where he slept. I wanted to infiltrate the home ground of my opponent and undermine him right at the source.
“You’re all talk. You won’t even kiss me, let alone fuck me.”
Jethro yanked my head back. Pain shot down my spine. “How wrong you are, Ms. Weaver.” Then a vindictive smile replaced the black desire. “Very clever, though, I must admit.”
I blinked, trying to dispel the fog of lust and keep up with him. “Why?”