Desire
We return to the living room after Aurora has cleaned herself up.
Her hair is slightly disheveled, and her cheeks are flushed, but Caleb is so absorbed in his conversation with Meg that he doesn’t notice the signs that his younger sister just got fucked in their parents’ bedroom.
Meg, though—judging by the glint in her eyes—figured it out right away.
My princess shoots me a glare, her eyes still wet from her recent orgasm, and sits next to me on the couch, letting her thigh brush against mine.
She already belongs to me, but sometimes, she likes to play at disobedience to provoke me into chasing her.
That’s her hidden fantasy. Fine by me. I love the hunt too.
And I love setting traps. Meg is the perfect bait for Caleb. Technically, she’s my first cousin once removed, not a direct cousin, but we get along well. And it’s fucking lucky that her passion for garage hardcore aligns so perfectly with Caleb’s tastes.
Of course, it’s not a coincidence. I have a dossier on every member of Aurora’s family. And now I have their fresh DNA samples too. That’s what I was looking for in the master bedroom and bathroom before Aurora caught me and I had to pull her panties down.
I’m mentally calculating what excuse to use to get my princess out of this house as soon as possible to keep her under control, away from Jefferson’s crosshairs and my family’s hounds, when a clicking of heels interrupts my thoughts. A woman in a silk headscarf enters the living room.
“What’s going on here?” She plants her hands on her hips, scanning me with a hostile, prickly gaze.
“Welcome home, Mom. Desire, Aurora’s boyfriend, was in Cleveland on business, so he stopped by with his cousin.” Caleb shrugs, not even thinking of pulling away from Meg.
I study Aurora’s mother, rising to my feet.
The leukemia remission seems to be going according to plan.
Eleanor’s eyebrows have grown back, her skin tone has returned, but her hair must still be too short since she prefers to hide it under silk.
Overall, she’s a very well-groomed, attractive woman—and I can already tell she doesn’t like me.
“Nice to meet you, ma’am.” I play the good boy.
“Aurora, we need to talk. In private. Immediately,” Eleanor demands, ignoring my very existence.
My princess shoots me a confused, bewildered look but obediently follows her mother.
I sit back on the couch and keep light conversation with Caleb and Meg for another five minutes. Then, excusing myself to use the bathroom, I slip upstairs. I follow the muffled sound of voices coming from the upper living room and stop just outside the slightly open door.
“Your father and I pay for your apartment and your tuition!” Eleanor cries.
“So I don’t have the right to change doctors?” Aurora counters. “You said that Dr. Getix approved my transfer to Dr. Steeper. And if you insist, Dr. Steeper can confirm that I’ve been attending his sessions regularly.”
I smile in the dark hallway. My princess is smart. She’s using the alibi I gave her. She doesn’t need any more shrinks, and we both know it.
“This isn’t about the doctor!” Eleanor snaps. “You brought this … arrogant guy into our home. It’s obvious from the first second that he’s just playing with you!”
“So what? Maybe I’m playing with him too,” Aurora snaps.
Through the narrow crack, I see my girl cross her arms over her chest.
“Excuse me?!” Eleanor’s eyes nearly pop out of her head.
“It’s the twenty-first century, Mom. You don’t have to marry the first guy you sleep with.”
“Your boyfriend is Zack!”
I freeze. The gears in my head start turning, clicking the scattered facts into place.
So at the very least, Eleanor knows about Rory’s past relationship with Zack Thornton.
The words of the late Bill about Zack having a high-powered “protector” surface in my memory.
Could Eleanor be the Vance who was supposed to cover for Zack’s marriage to Aurora?
But why the hell would a mother deliberately set up her daughter so cruelly, throwing her into the hands of that family?
“No, Zack is a pathetic bastard and the son of the psychopath who kept me in that basement, Mom!” Aurora snarls. “You should have locked me up when you first found out I was seeing him!”
“Great idea! I’ll lock you up right now!” Eleanor spits. “You’ll only see the doctors I approve, and I’ll personally make sure you won’t miss a single dose of your pills!”
“So I can turn into a convenient cotton doll, is that it?!” Aurora roars. “If you lock me up, how are you any different from that psychopath Alistair?!”
“Watch your mouth, you ungrateful brat!” Eleanor snaps. She lunges forward, grabs my girl by the collar of her turtleneck, and yanks her toward her. The fabric pulls away, revealing a bright deep-purple hickey.
“What the fuck is that?!” her mother shrieks, eyes bulging. “Aurora, did that bastard downstairs do that to you?!”
“What did you expect?!” Rory snaps, trying to pull away. “He fucks me. Or do you think Zack would have been gentler? His daddy probably taught him plenty! You like Zack, don’t you? Maybe you actually want him to split me in half?!”
“Shut your mouth!” Eleanor snarls, her face twisted with rage, and grabs Aurora’s hair with both hands.
That’s the last straw. I kick the door open, bursting into the room.
I cross the distance between them in two strides, grab Eleanor by the shoulder, and squeeze her bone so hard she cries out and releases Rory’s hair.
With a yank, I spin the bitch around to face me, grabbing her by both shoulders. Her silk scarf slips to the side.
“Listen up!” I snarl into her terror-twisted face.
“I’ve heard every word you said, bitch. You knew about Zack and Aurora’s relationship from the beginning.
You covered for them! Right now, Caleb is coming running at your screeching.
I can just imagine how thrilled he’ll be to find out that his perfect mother encouraged her PTSD-ridden daughter’s relationship with the son of a serial maniac.
And then your husband will find out too.
How do you think they’ll feel about your ‘care’ for their daughter and sister? ”
“You don’t have any proof …,” she hisses, her eyes wide with fear, her manicured nails digging into my arms.
“I just recorded you screaming that Zack is her boyfriend,” I lie without blinking, baring my teeth. “Start packing, bitch. No self-respecting man would live with a mother of his children as fucked up as you.”
“Son of a bitch …,” she chokes out, gasping for air.
Fuck, I’d grab her by the hair and smash her head against the wall, but she’s bald. So instead, I shake her by the shoulders until her teeth clatter.
“I’m going to tell Caleb that Aurora and I are leaving.
My girl has had more than enough of this snake pit.
And you’re going to smile sweetly and approve, or I’ll tell them all about your sick obsession with the Thorntons.
And then you’ll be the one getting the hell out of here, with no status and no money. Do you understand me?”
With that, I shove Eleanor away from me. She staggers on her heels and nearly falls, flailing her arms, but I’m done with this bald snake.
I turn to Aurora and cup her face in my hands. “Princess?”
“I’m fine,” she whispers, her face downcast.
I lift her chin, making her look at me. Tears are already welling in her reddened eyes. “I’ll take care of you. Forget about the Vances,” I murmur.
“Yes,” she breathes out, barely audible.
I lean in and kiss her pursed, trembling lips, relaxing them, and they open under my pressure. Her palms rest timidly on my shoulders.
“What happened? We heard a noise.” Caleb appears in the doorway, concerned, with Meg peeking in behind him.
“Nothing serious. Just a heated discussion about Eleanor’s birthday plans. It’s coming up soon,” I state, pulling Aurora close by the waist.
I shoot a short, warning glance at the bitch in the corner. She frantically adjusts her slipping scarf, her eyes blazing with hatred, but her survival instinct is strong enough to force a fake smile onto her face.
“Oh, will you come to the celebration, Desire?” Caleb asks, genuinely surprised.
“Absolutely. But right now, Aurora and I have decided to head back to Stonehaven. We completely forgot about a planned get-together with some friends.”
I take my princess by the hand and lead her to the door. She follows, head down, hiding behind my shoulder.
“But it’s already late evening.” Caleb frowns.
I turn back and smile. “These are friends who mean a lot to Rory and me. Eleanor understands our situation and fully approves. Don’t you?”
Caleb turns a questioning look to his mother. She forces a wide socialite smile onto her face. “Yes, Desire has explained everything … very clearly. It really is best for Aurora to go.”
“Well, if that’s the case …” Her brother scratches his head and steps aside to let us pass.
It takes barely a few minutes to grab Aurora’s suitcase—fortunately, she hasn’t even had time to fully unpack. Soon, I’m clicking Aurora’s seatbelt into place after settling her into the front seat of my Maybach. Meg jumps into the back, immediately burying herself in her phone.
Before starting the engine, I lean over Aurora and wipe a stray tear from her pale cheek with my thumb. I give my broken princess an encouraging smile.
“First, we’ll drop Meg off in Cleveland, then head straight to Winchester County.”
The engine answers with a hungry growl. I ease the steering wheel, pulling us away from the Vances’ driveway, then notice Aurora staring at me.
“Desire …,” she murmurs.
“Yeah?” I shoot her a quick glance, merging onto the highway.
“I’m glad you came. I’m glad you took me away from there.”
“Me too, babe.” I nod.