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I’d thought I could move past those issues when I’d first met Joseph, but it turned out he’d been deceiving me all along; he hadn’t told me about his criminal lifestyle. There was honesty between us now, but I was still holding back my feelings for him. He hadn’t fully earned my trust.
That barrier between us prevented me from bringing up Marco’s drawing. I couldn’t reveal the depth of my depraved thoughts to Joseph. Not when I couldn’t put my heart in his hands without hesitation or fear of getting hurt.
“What’s wrong, angel?” Joseph called me out of my brooding thoughts.
“Nothing.” I sighed and leaned my cheek against his shoulder, trying to focus on the TV again. We’d moved on from Stranger Things to Sons of Anarchy. I liked the show, but it wasn’t enough to hold my attention when I couldn’t get that lewd drawing out of my head.
Joseph picked up the remote and turned off the TV. He took my hands in his, staring into my eyes as though he could read my thoughts if he just looked hard enough.
“You’re not happy,” he finally said. “What can I do?”
I shifted, uncomfortable with his scrutiny. I cut my eyes away, unable to bear the weight of his crystalline stare.
“It’s just… I don’t know,” I hedged. “It’s hard being away from school.” That much was true. I was stressing about falling behind on my coursework, and while I loved being with Joseph, I was feeling a little cooped up in the big, empty mansion.
“Do you think Marco has scheduled for the pool to be filled yet?” I asked, hopeful. If I could just go for a nice, long swim, I could clear my mind.
“I’m not sure. I’ll ask him again.”
This would be the third time Joseph had to ask about it. I wasn’t sure why Marco was dragging his feet. It shouldn’t be hard for someone with his kind of money to get the pool cleaned and filled in a few days.
“Thanks,” I said, holding in my irritation. It wasn’t Joseph’s fault that Marco wasn’t as concerned with my happiness as he was. Joseph adored me, pampered me. There was no reason for me to expect the same kind of treatment from Marco. He’d barely looked at me since I’d seen his sketches. I would’ve thought he was embarrassed, but he didn’t strike me as the type to get embarrassed. He certainly hadn’t seemed at all ashamed when he’d commanded me to turn the page and look at his drawing of Joseph tying me up.
The memory made my face heat.
Joseph’s gaze flicked to my pink cheeks and back to my eyes. A furrow appeared between his brows as he studied me, as though I was a puzzle he couldn’t quite figure out.
“I’m going to take you out to dinner,” he announced. “You must be getting tired of being on the estate. I know Marco is a great cook, but I think you need to get out for a little while.”
“Yes,” I agreed quickly. I really did want to get out of this house. It was huge and lonely, but on the rare occasions when Marco was in the room with us, it somehow seemed stiflingly small.
Joseph beamed at me, and I found myself grinning back. He was beautiful when he smiled, his sensual features lighting up with joy. I could hardly believe that this gorgeous, kind man was mine.
I closed the distance between us, initiating our kiss. His lips were still curved with pleasure when they met mine. I melted against him, losing myself in his arms for the rest of the afternoon.
“Why is he here?” I whispered in Joseph’s ear once Marco got out of the car. He’d driven us here in his shiny black BMW, and Joseph and I sat in the backseat. I caught his hand, lingering in the privacy of the car for a few seconds.
“He’s here to protect you, just like I am.” Joseph squeezed my hand. “And this will be good. We can all have dinner together, and you’ll get to know him better. He’s not as scary as you think he is. At least, not where you’re concerned.”
Before I could say that I’d wanted to have a romantic date alone with Joseph, Marco opened the car door for me.
He held out a hand to help me out of the car. Since Joseph was getting out on the other side, I didn’t have the option of clinging to him. It would be rude not to take Marco’s gentlemanly assistance.
Even if I didn’t want it. I didn’t like being near him. It was…uncomfortable. Overwhelming.
I sucked in a breath when his thick fingers closed around my hand, engulfing my palm. It was the first time he’d touched me since the night he’d abducted me—when he’d trapped me against the wall and pressed his hand over my mouth to smother my screams.
