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Apparently, that’s what he wanted, because he nods his head once in acceptance. He snaps his fingers with a sharp crack and points to the floor in front of him. “On your knees.” Suddenly, my legs feel weak. Surely this isn’t...”Now! Never hesitate, and if I say it again, you will spend more than just three hours tied to that cross,” his brows lift and his forehead crinkles, “and trust me—it will be far more unpleasant for you than it will be for me.”
I’m flabbergasted. This isn’t what I expected at all. I move quickly, my heart knocking against my ribcage. My body sinks down on shaky legs as I kneel down on the cold, hard tile in front of his towering frame. Peering through my eyelashes, looking up, I suppose I must look like a doe at the mercy of a hunter.
“Anytime someone walks through this door from now on, I expect you front and center in this position. I don’t care if you’re in bed or on the toilet; you make haste.”
“Yes, sir,” I say through gritted teeth.
“Nick is taking over now. This is where the shit gets real, Princess. No one is going to hold your hand anymore, especially me. If you disrespect Nick, even in the slightest, he will have your skin.” I shiver, knowing without a doubt Nick will rip my flesh clean off using one of those whips. I nod my head in acknowledgment.
He’s fast—so fast, I didn’t even see him move. I suddenly feel a hot prickling sensation, and throbbing ensues from the back of my head. I’m instantly eye-to-eye with an angry Travis. His one hand is mercilessly entwined in the hair on the back of my head in a death grip. “What did I teach you?!” Oh, shit. “You nod your head one more time, and I’ll knock it off your fucking shoulders!” I swallow hard, believing him as I watch the muscles clench in his jaw.
His familiar leather scent wafts under my nose as his lips hover over mine. Looking at him, I think back to our first kiss. My tongue can almost remember what he tastes like. Just another couple of inches and he could close the gap between us, and press his lips to mine, but his eyes tell me he’s so far away.
I miss the feel of his touch, and how his strength contradicts his tender ministrations. I crave that feeling when my stomach flutters each time he delicately brushes his soft, tender lips over mine. I just want to lean in, close the distance myself, and take us back where we belong. Where is it I belong? I’ve only hurt myself by fantasizing, and I let myself lose track of what’s real. He wound up taking a piece of my flesh in the process—my heart—and what did he do with it? He ripped it in two.
My God, look at what I’ve reduced myself to! Am I a Stockholm victim? Am I crazy? Was I the only one who felt something when we were together? Of course, it’s hard for me to decipher whether or not either one of our feelings were valid, since they had me drugged the entire time.
The fleeting thought of closing the distance with a kiss evaporates when Travis’ grip tightens to the point I think he’s going to rip a clump of my hair out by its roots. My eyes bolt wide open from the pain as I cry out at the top of my lungs. I can barely manage to croak out, “Yes, sir,” because of the stinging pain.
He roughly lets go of my hair, and I feel my head sway. My eyes flutter closed as I feel each hair follicle scream out in agony, and I find myself looking back up at him with incredulous disbelief. He’s never manhandled me so terribly before. I can now see how people literally piss their pants in this situation. The brutality of this sudden and intense terror intimidates me, and I know I am no match for this man.
I shake my head. I don’t want this side of Travis. I would rather have the master manipulator back. I tilt my head further back, looking into his hard gaze with wary caution. Trying to make amends, I softly whisper, “I’m so sorry. I…I never wanted this.” Catching my breath between words, I feel a few silent tears cascade over my cheeks. I can’t help it. “I never asked for this…but you…you…made life a little more bearable here…on the inside.” My voice is croaky, and I fight desperately against having a total breakdown. “I’m sorry for ruining that. I want—“
He bends down, his hands propping on his knees, and I watch his knuckles turn white from his hard grip. I shift my eyes back up to his as he gets in my face like a drill sergeant. “What you want, Princess, is inconsequential. I didn’t come here to listen to you whine and snivel.” His voice is hard as steel as his words slap me in the face. I drop my gaze back to the floor, letting my blonde hair create a barrier between us. The man in front of me is not the Travis I came to know. No, this is the emotionless and ruthless killer Travis I caught glimpses of the first day I met him when he wanted to snap the necks of those men who had handled me so brutality.
