Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
Promise
The ice pack that’s currently on top of the fabric of my dress is starting to leak, water running down my thighs.
I lift it up, realizing that it’s making the fabric see-through.
At least the bed is comfortable.
But I’m next to naked, in a strange place with a strange man who has been referred to as a killing machine. At least I think those were the words.
I have the briefest moment where I wonder if I could convince him to kill my father.
But I know that’s stupid. My father offers way more in this bargain than I ever could.
That’s when I hear the door to the apartment open. Forgetting all about the pain from the fresh waxing, I scurry to hide myself under the covers.
It’s a ridiculous move. A bit of fluff and cotton are not going to help me.
I’ve lived with an abusive man long enough to know, sometimes you’re better off looking like you don’t care than trying to find a weak and flimsy hiding place. Still, my skin being exposed is just…
I hear the footsteps across the floor, and I know it’s a man. My breath catches in my lungs even as water from the ice pack drips onto my waxed parts.
The door opens and Angel fills the opening, staring at me where only my head peaks out from the covers.
“Candy fix your hair?”
I give a quick nod, holding the blankets to my chin.
He steps into the room, stopping a few feet from the bed. “I want to see the rest of her work.”
My eyes bug out as I shake my head, my heart beginning to pound wildly in my chest.
He takes another step, closing the distance between him and the bed and then, with a quick jerk of his hand, the comforter is gone. It sails through the air and lands in a heap on the floor.
The ice pack is still on top of the dress, my legs together, my toes pointed while my torso is pushed up on my elbows.
Angel’s eyes move down me slowly, as he takes in every detail.
When he gets to my toes, he reaches out, running his thumb over the polish on my big toe. “Pink.”
I feel the heat climbing up my chest. I’m always camera-ready. It’s part of being in my family. I’m waxed, painted, curled, and scrubbed.
And then his hand wraps around my foot. “Even your feet are soft and pretty.”
I get regular pedicures. But the pedicurist has mentioned that I have nicely proportioned feet. I have no idea, I haven’t really done a comparison.
He starts to pull my left foot farther to the left to open my legs, but I resist, shaking my head.
His eyes narrow as he glares down at me. “Easy way or hard way.”
I frown as I consider those words. We’ve known each other for a few hours, I know this is not the final version of Angel, but still. I appreciate the choice. It’s more than I usually get.
Which is why I draw in a deep breath and then slowly crook my knee, bending my leg to open my thighs.
The ice pack is still there and Angel reaches toward me. I panic, snapping my legs shut again, but he only grabs the pack, lifting it off my dress.
It’s enough. The fabric is so wet, he’s getting a really good view. He rumbles his appreciation, my breath catching and holding in my chest.
I hear the ice pack hit the floor with a wet thump.
He grabs my foot again, lifting it up until my foot is in front of his face. I’m transfixed as I watch, the blood rushing in my ears.
And then…
He kisses the arch. It’s so unexpected, a touch like that, that I gasp—audibly. Loudly.
Much louder than earlier today and it’s been so long, the sound of my own voice like that, it shocks me.
He doesn’t seem to notice as his fingers sweep over my skin as he starts pulling my foot out to the side. His movement is slow, controlled enough that I don’t resist. I let him.
The fabric droops down between my legs, giving me at least partial coverage. His other hand skims up my leg, catching the hem, and lifting the wet fabric off my skin.
The cool air hits me, and I break out in goose pimples. Because the cotton skirt is creating a tent, I can’t see what he sees, which is easier, but his gaze is laser focused between my thighs.
“Promise,” he growls out, his voice so deep, I shiver. It’s the first time he’s used my actual name.
My lips part as I stare at him, his gaze still between my legs.
“I’m going to look so good buried deep inside you.”
The idea of that kind of invasion breaks whatever spell has come over me and I jerk my foot from his grasp, clamping my legs shut.
He looks up at me then, his eyes narrowed and full of irritation.
His hands sink down on the bed, positioned on either side of my outer thighs as he leans over me. “I don’t like being told no.”
My lips part and I shake my head. I didn’t tell him anything.
That’s when a knock sounds at the door.
He straightens, but his eyes are still on me. “Don’t move.”
I know better than to disobey a direct command, so I stay propped up on my elbows even as he crosses to the door.
He opens it, his voice harder and darker than he’s used with me. “What the fuck do you want?”
“What the fuck are you doing up here?” a male voice barks back.
“Mind your fucking business, Knox.”
“My business? My business is not the problem.” I hear a thump on wood. “What the fuck is she doing here, Angel? She should be with her father, at least until the wedding.”
“I know what I’m doing,” Angel grits back. “Don’t worry about that.”
“You better know, because this is your fucking plan and none of us have liked it from the start. Don’t get lost in some pretty pussy.”
“You’ve already fucking said that. It doesn’t need to be said again.”
Is that an actual thing? Is it a possibility? I crane my neck a bit more, cocking my head to listen but a second later, the door slams.
I have a brief second to wonder if Angel has left when I hear his steps across the floor. I tense, wondering what happens next.
He told my father he’d keep my virginity intact until the wedding. Did he actually mean it? I will use any opportunity I can get to learn about this man and also delay what I know is coming.
He enters the room again, his lips curling up into something that resembles a smile when he sees I haven’t moved. “Good girl,” he rumbles, even as he squats down at the end of the bed, grabbing my foot again.
His tattooed hand wraps around the arch as he brings it back to his mouth. “How do your feet smell good?”
My shoulders lift as I mentally tick through the list of what I know about this man. When it comes to me, he likes what he sees.
But he’s got control. What that control hides is far less clear.
He kisses the pad and then he pops my big toe in his mouth, sucking it between his lips.
I clamp my lips shut because it feels… Good. Really good.
The suction makes me pulse with pleasure between my legs, fluttering in a way I’ve only experienced a few times and never this strong.
My skin breaks out in goose pimples again, but this isn’t because I’m cold.
He pops my toe out of his mouth, his lips tugging into a satisfied grin.
“I noticed you didn’t eat your dinner.”
I blink at him. Dinner? He just had my foot in his mouth. I shrug again, not knowing what else to do.
But he pulls out his phone, unlocks the screen, and holds it out to me. “Tell me why.”
I could tell him I’m not hungry. But at least for some time, I’m going to live with this man. So I tell him the truth.
I keep a strict diet. Camera adds ten pounds.
I hand it back. He reads the message, his lips turning down in a frown.
“I’ll look at you naked later, but chances are you’re gaining ten pounds.
I like you soft and I like curves.” Then he pockets the phone.
“But you are right. A woman should eat healthy. I’ll send up a salad and tomorrow we’ll order groceries so that you have access to whatever food you need. ”
I give a nod, wilting back onto the bed.
He looks at me, his hand skimming back up my leg to trace my hip and settle at my waist.
I tense at his touch but this time, the tension is not all fear, there is a pleasantness to the anticipation.
“I am not a nice man, princess,” he rumbles. “What I do for you, I do because it pleases me. And you are here for my pleasure. Is that clear?”
I nod, even as I lift my hands over my head. I watch his gaze settle on my chest, his eyes darkening.
I’m not trained in the art of seduction. I would be a fool to try to use sex to manipulate this man.
Then again…
It might be the only play I have.