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As he heads back into the kitchen to get Darin and Vanessa their food, he mouths to me, “Behave. And eat your food.”
I slowly cut into my juicy steak, wishing I were eating him instead.
Max comes back, his body close behind me as he serves Vanessa her plate, who is sitting on my left. The seat to my right is reserved for him.
“Where the hell is mine, asshole?” Darin shouts, his face full of disbelief. My parents and I look at one another and instantly burst into laughter. Vanessa practically spits her wine out from giggling so hard.
“Oh, geez. I must have forgotten.” Max shrugs, his face the picture of innocence. A lock of my curls slides between his fingers. “Let me go back to the kitchen. I don’t know how that’s possible… faulty memory.” He winks at me as he walks by.
“Asshole, you didn’t forget. Now feed your best man before I fucking starve to death.” He crosses his arms, pouting like a petulant child, and we all crack up, including Max.
Max rolls his eyes. “Such a diva.” Then he vanishes into the kitchen.
He returns with two plates, sliding one in front of Darin, who pops up in his chair and digs into his food with a flourish. Max slides the other plate in front of his empty seat. “Can I get anyone anything else?”
My dad gestures to Max’s plate. “Please, sit and eat. You’ve done more than enough.”
My mom smiles at him, then at me. “Irelynn is certainly a lucky girl. The food is delicious. My compliments to the chef.”
As Max slides into his seat, he smiles at her. “Thank you.” His blue eyes shimmer with happiness as he gives me a lingering look, then shifts his attention back to my mom. “But I’m the lucky one.” He puts his napkin on his lap and I follow his movements with my eyes, wishing like hell I was that piece of linen right now.
“Such fancy lengths you went to, my love.” I dab my lips with my napkin, giving him a smile. My voice drops so only he can hear. “But you need to stop fretting over everyone and eat.”
His hand slides to my thigh. “Is that an order?” His voice is low and gravelly, soaking my panties. “Because I believe I’ll be the one giving you orders tonight.” His lips brush against my ear, his tongue licking the lobe. “Tonight… you are all mine.” He pulls away, possessiveness burning from his gaze, melting me into my chair.
Gulping, I grab my glass of wine, taking a huge sip. As I set the glass on the table, I give him a demure smile. “Yes, sir.”
He freezes, but not before I miss the jolt that goes through his body at my words. His eyes burn into me as he squeezes my thigh. “I’m going to fuck you so hard tonight.” He gives me a kiss on the top of my head, then releases me, calmly eating and enjoying the conversation flowing around us as I melt into my fucking chair, a puddle of want and lust raging through me. I take another sip of my wine, my throat dry, my hand trembling from being so affected by him.
“Baby, you need to eat.” He gives me a wolfish grin. His voice lowers so only I can hear it. “Trust me, you are going to need your energy tonight.”
Setting my wineglass down, I cut a bite of steak, licking my tongue over the fork before shoving it in my mouth. A low growl reaches my ears as he stops chewing his food, his eyes intently watching me.
God, I love this man. I can’t believe I’ll get the pleasure of spending the rest of my life with him.
A door slams causing my eyes to fly open, my lungs constrict from my heart squeezing so painfully inside my chest. I’m floundering, as though I’m underwater and can’t breathe.
As the air finally flows into my greedy lungs, bitter tears leak down my face as reality crashes through me like a tidal wave. I’m still trapped in this cold room, not having any fucking idea where I am.
Once my tears finally stop, my eyes gradually adjust to the darkness. Sitting up, I look around the room, faintly lit by the glow of the television. The lights that were on when I fell asleep have been turned off.
Turning my head toward the chair, I see Emma is gone, and it remains unoccupied.
Damn it. I grit my teeth. I’d planned to be awake whenever William returned from his warehouse, or whatever is left of it. I cringe, hating to imagine Max being anywhere near it, let alone inside the building when it exploded.
Throwing the covers aside, I swing my legs over the side of the bed, sitting up. A sigh escapes my lips as I head to the door, my fingers wrapping around the cold metal. Turning it, I tug, trying to pull it open, but it’s locked.
My hands ball into fists. I’ve been letting my emotions rule me and I should have capitalized on the situation when Emma fell asleep, searching for keys so I could try to get the fuck out of here.
My feet move soundlessly across the room, sinking into the carpet, as I stare at the cold, gray gloom of the early morning.
If the current weather is any prediction, it looks like it’s going to be an ugly, dreary day. Just like my mood.
Straining my eyes, I take in the distant outline of the woods. For a moment, I think about those poor children in the novel,Flowers in the Attic, trapped in a room for over three years and forbidden to look out the windows. If William has his way, I’d become like those children in that book, prohibited from being part of society, his perfect, captive creature.
Overheated, I head to the window again, leaning my head against the coolness of the glass, a welcome relief to the thoughts that plague my mind. But it doesn’t last long, as soon, my thoughts whirl inside my head, so fast they are nonsensical to me. I slam my hands against the window, willing them to stop.
Pressing my face against the glass, I try to gauge how far of a drop it would be if I could climb out the window. From what I can discern, it’s high enough I’d likely injure myself, which would make it harder to run.
