by Penelope Sky
I spent the next few hours walking around the island, appreciating the beautiful flowers and the unique grass. Despite the circumstances, I couldn’t deny how beautiful this was place. It was rich in botanical life.
I found a good spot along the cliff and watched seals swim around looking for fish. Some of them crawled up onto the rocks to enjoy the sunlight, their rubbery skin heating up despite the cold wind. The binoculars were helpful, and I found myself laughing when the seals fell asleep and accidentally rolled off the rocks and landed in the water.
“They’re funny, aren’t they?” Crewe was in his jeans and a long sleeved shirt. He sat beside me on the rock and looked down into the water.
The second he was next to me, I was on edge. My day had been peaceful until his presence ruined everything. I had to ignore some of the sweet things he did because he was evil underneath that pretty package. It didn’t matter how ruggedly handsome he was. If I had the opportunity to kill him, I would take it. “They’re fun to watch.”
“The other islands have Shetland ponies—it’s what the islands are known for.”
“Why?”
“There are a lot of breeders here.”
I placed the binoculars on the grass between us, just in case he wanted to use them.
“There’s a bedroom for you upstairs if you’d like to sleep there.”
I didn’t want to go back to that cage underground. There was no sunlight, no fresh air. It was freezing cold, and that cot was no better than the cement. Even though I was outside in the cold, having his jacket around my body gave me the most warmth I’d felt since I arrived here. “I guess.”
Crewe looked into the distance, staring at the deep blue ocean that stretched on forever.
“You don’t have a Scottish accent.” It wasn’t a question, but I didn’t know how to ask him anything. We were enemies, after all.
“I do.” Fluidly, he switched into a Scottish accent, pronouncing each syllable with perfection as if he’d been born speaking that way. “I also have a British accent.” He changed again, sounding like a lad from London.
“Why do you have an American accent?”
“Because you’re American. Thought it might make you feel more comfortable.”
“Since when do you care about making me more comfortable?” I snapped. “And why do you know all these different accents?”
He ignored my abrasive comments. “I work with a lot of different people in different places. Accents are important. They allow you to be accepted into different cultures more readily.”
“What do you do when you aren’t kidnapping people?” I asked, partially sarcastic.
“I have a lot of different trades. That’s all you need to know.”
“Good talk,” I said bitterly.
He stood up and extended his hand to me. “Dinner is ready. I came to get you.”
I stared at his hand then looked away, refusing to touch my enemy. Maybe he was nice now, but just the other night he threatened to rape me if I didn’t strip down and shower in front of him. I got to my feet on my own and grabbed the binoculars.
Crewe didn’t seem to care about my brush off. “Did you have a good day?” He walked beside me back to the house, his hands moving into his pockets.
“As good as it could be, I suppose.”
We spent the rest of the walk in silence and entered the house. Finley had dinner on the table in the dining room, a separate room that could house fifty guests. The table was long, hinting of ancient royalty. I eyed the old wood before I sat down, feeling awkward for dining with my captor.
A few candles were lit, and our plates were set in front of us. Our dinner was freshly caught fish and greens.
I almost didn’t eat it because I was disgusted that I had to eat with Crewe.
He ate quietly, not seeming to pay any attention to me.
“Is Ariel your wife?” I picked up my fork and finally took a bite.
“No.” He didn’t pull his gaze away from his food. “Why?”
“It just seems odd that she’s just your business partner.”
“Why?” He looked at me, his stare cold. “Because she’s a woman? That’s an awfully sexist comment coming from a woman aspiring to be a doctor.”
“That’s not how I meant it.”
“Oh really? Didn’t seem like it.”
“I’m surprised because you seem like a sexist pig. After all, I’m being held here against my will.” I gave him a look that conveyed just how much I hated him. “Let’s not forget that. We aren’t two friends having dinner together.”
“I’m not as evil as you make me out to be.” He sipped his scotch, an odd pairing with fish.
“I strongly disagree.”
“Joseph stole four million dollars from me. For some idiotic reason, he thought he was going to get away with it. When he took a job dealing with criminal intelligence, he knew his loved ones would be targets if he crossed anyone. And from my research, it seems like you’re his only living blood relative.”
I held his gaze and didn’t waver despite the emotion in my heart. My parents were killed by a drunk driver while they were out having a date night. A speeding car T-boned them into a tree, and they both died on impact. Joseph and I were just kids at the time.
“So he knew what he was risking, but he did it anyway. He’s the evil one, not me. If I had a single person I loved, you can bet your ass I wouldn’t mess around.” He drank his scotch again, resting his elbow on the table. “I have a reputation to maintain. Joseph doubled the amount of money he owed, but that isn’t enough after what he did. The only way to maintain my power was to do something terrifying—which is why I took you. I’m not evil, London. I’m just trying to survive—like everyone else.”
“And how will anyone know you took me?” I questioned. “As far as I can tell, no one even knows we exist out here.”
“They’ll know.” He swirled his glass before he took another drink. “Trust me on that.”
My heart fell into the pit of my stomach. He had a plan for me. I wouldn’t remain on Fair Isle forever. I didn’t consider this place to be home, but I wasn’t stupid. I knew there were far worse places out there. At least living here gave me the luxury of having some freedom. “What are you going to do to me?” I asked the question even though I knew I wasn’t ready to hear the answer.
“It doesn’t matter. You’ll see soon enough.”
I didn’t touch my dinner because I lost my entire appetite. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that Crewe was a capable man. He had the power to do anything to me, and I would be powerless to stop him. If he wanted to rape me, he could. If he wanted to kill me, he could. If he wanted to do something far worse to me, I couldn’t stop it.
Now I truly was terrified—of the unknown.
5
Crewe
Ariel knocked on my open office door. “You wanted to see me, Crewe?”
I paused my email to look at her. “Could you contact Bones and invite him over for dinner tomorrow night? Tell him I want to introduce him to someone.”
* * *
She nodded. “Of course. I’ll let you know what he says.”
“Thank you.”
Ariel walked out, leaving the office door open.
I turned back to my email, and a few minutes later, I received another guest.
“So, this is where all the magic happens?” In dark jeans and a designer blouse, London walked inside. Her hair was done today, shiny and long. Makeup was on her face, something Dunbar brought with him once he returned from Glasgow. When she put in the effort to look nice, she really shined. It surprised me that Joseph had a sister so much better looking than he was.
“Yes. A lot of magic.” I turned in my seat to face her, my hands resting in my lap. My eyes roamed over her body without shame, knowing she was mine to do whatever I wanted with. I was the kind of man who appreciated a woman’s curves—and I was appreciating hers. I’d seen her naked, and while the sight got me hard, she was
malnourished and dirty. Now that she was regularly hygienic, she turned my head a few times. I wasn’t entirely impressed with her because it took a lot for a woman to floor me, but I wasn’t disappointed either.
She walked farther into the room and examined my desk.
“If you’re looking for ways to kill me, be more discreet about it.” When I slept in the same house as her, a part of me hoped she would make an attempt on my life. If she did, I would feel no guilt pinning her to my mattress and fucking her so hard she screamed. It would be a fair punishment for the crime—in my eyes.
“Actually, I wasn’t—right now.”
“Then why are you here?”
“Why do you think? I’m bored.” She crossed her arms over her chest and shifted her weight to one leg. “I was in medical school, working sixteen hour days. And now I don’t know what to do with myself.”
I gave her a smoldering look, feeling my cock do all the thinking. “I can entertain you on this desk.” I nodded to the dark wood where my computer and stationery sat. “Trust me, you wouldn’t be bored again.”
She rolled her eyes and walked to the window. “I’ll pass.”
I stared at her ass in her jeans, noting how tight it was. “You pretend not to be interested, but I think it’s pretty obvious you are.”
“Interested in what?” she asked incredulously.
“Me. If you hate me so much, why are you in here?”
She turned around and met my gaze. But she didn’t have a response.
I rose out of my chair and stood behind my desk. “If you want me, all you have to do is ask.” My hands moved to the wood below me, and my fingers felt the smooth polish. “I’m at your service anytime.”
She made a look of disgust. “I knew you were arrogant, but wow.”
“Wow what?” I asked.
“You just assume everyone wants to sleep with you?”
“Only kidnapped women who voluntarily spend time with me.”
She knew she didn’t have a logical counterargument to that. She pressed her lips tightly together as she stared me down, trying to think of something to say.
I knew she didn’t have a goddamn excuse.
Ariel walked back into the room. “Bones said he’ll be in the area, and he’d love to join you.”
I never took my eyes off London. “Ariel, you’ve met our guest, haven’t you?”
“No, I haven’t.” Ariel looked London up and down but didn’t extend her hand. “Now I can put a face to the name.”
“And I can put a face to evil,” London snapped. “This guy is holding me here against my will, and you don’t care at all?”
Ariel stared at her coldly, the same look she gave me when she was pissed at me. “You expect me to care just because I’m a woman? I don’t care about your problems. Whine to someone who gives a damn.” She walked out, her head held high.
London shook her head like she couldn’t believe what she just heard. “Everyone here is twisted.”
“Maybe you’re the one who’s twisted. You don’t belong in our world. Of course you don’t understand it.”
“But our worlds have the same laws. And kidnapping is illegal no matter what world you live in.”
I smiled. “Not in mine.”
Sooner or later, I knew she would make her move.
She would try to kill me, and since she knew she couldn’t overpower me, she would try to do it while I was asleep. I purposely kept my door unlocked since I was a light sleeper. The second I heard her footsteps outside, I would be aware.
And then she came.
I heard the doorknob gently twist, the sound announcing her approach. I remained in bed and waited for her, my cock getting hard at the thought of what would happen next. She would try to choke me or slam something into my head. Instead, I would fuck her to teach her a lesson.
And I’d have every right to.
I felt her approach my bed slowly, her breathing steady. Despite her petite size, the floorboards still slightly creaked under her steps. The house was old, once a beautiful castle, but time had worn down several aspects of it.
Once she was close enough, I made my move. I grabbed her wrist and slammed it down on my nightstand, forcing the rock in her hand to come loose and topple to the ground. She screamed at the impact of her hand, either from the pain or the surprise.
I gripped the back of her neck and pulled her onto the bed, moving around her at the same time. I slept in the nude, so I was prepared for what would happen next. I yanked her bottoms and panties off until my cock was pressed right between her ass cheeks. I grinded against her, her hands pinned behind her back while my other hand held her by the neck. “I was hoping you would do that.”
She breathed deeply underneath me, her body trying to fight me during her panic. “Don’t—”
I pressed my tip to her entrance, sliding my head inside. I was greeted by her tightness, and I moaned automatically when I realized how much her pussy would squeeze my dick. “It’s time to punish you.”
“No.” She bucked her hips back, but that didn’t stop me.
“I’m gonna fuck you, London. And I’m gonna fuck you hard.”
She bucked against me again and began to scream even though Finley wouldn’t do a damn thing. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry, and I’ll never do it again. Just please don’t. Please…” Her body lay on top of the bedding, her pussy still mine to take.
“If I begged you to stop, would you have stopped?”
She was silent since we both knew the answer.
“Cry all you want. I’ll just enjoy it even more.” I slid my cock farther inside, aroused by the moisture that met me.
“No! Please.” She panted underneath me, desperation in her voice. “Don’t do this. Don’t do this to me. You’re better than this.”
I laughed even though she wasn’t trying to be funny. “I’m definitely not better than this. I stole you, so I’m not above using you.”
“Hit me. Break me. Kill me. Just please don’t do this…”
Inexplicably, those words sank into me—right to the bone. She preferred death over sex, and that pulled at my misplaced compassion. The head of my cock was still inside her, feeling the wet moisture. “Why are you wet then, Lovely?” I didn’t pull my dick out because it felt too incredible inside her. So soft. So warm.
She breathed heavily underneath me, her face pressed into my sheets.
“I asked you a question.” I tightened my grip on her wrists and squeezed her neck.
She twisted her head, trying to free herself from the hold. “I’m attracted to you…”
My fingers immediately relaxed around her throat, those words soothing on my ear. Her confession was so honest and so embarrassing. I was taking her against her will, and she still got wet for me. It truly was humiliating—for her.
“But I don’t want this. Maybe my body does, but I don’t. So have some compassion, and let me go.”
My hand still clamped her wrists together, and I struggled to release her. Knowing she wanted my cock made me want to keep going. My attraction to her doubled within seconds. Now I wanted her sensually, her legs wrapped around my waist as we moved together in mutual passion.
Not like this.
I found the strength to release her and pull the tip of my cock out. The second my wet cock felt the air of my bedroom, he twitched in frustration. I didn’t pull on a pair of boxers because I wasn’t ashamed of my nakedness.
London breathed a sigh of relief when I let her go, but she still hid her face. Her ass was still in the air and her panties around her ankles.
I forced myself to look away because it just made me harder. “I suggest you get dressed and leave before I change my mind.”
She snapped out of it and pulled her clothes back on. She refused to meet my gaze before she darted out of the room, forgetting to close the door behind her.
I sat at the edge of the bed and tried to make sense of what just happened. I had every right to fuck her. After al
l, she had just tried to kill me in my sleep—a coward’s attempt. I owned her. She was my four-million-dollar collateral that I took from Joseph. If I wanted to fuck her, I could. If I wanted to snap her neck, I could.
I could do whatever I damn well pleased.
But something held me back. She begged me not to rape her, and somehow, I caved. I still wanted her, but I managed to step away. When she told me she was attracted to me, that gave me some form of satisfaction. Her body wanted me even if her mind loathed me.
That would have to be enough—for now.
I didn’t see her the following day because she stayed in her bedroom the entire time. She was probably trying to avoid me after the ordeal in the middle of the night. I couldn’t blame her. My cock was an inch inside of her, and all her body could do in response was get wet.
I was remembering the feel of her tight pussy around my head when Ariel walked in.
“The helicopter is arranged for this evening. He’s bringing a few men along.”
“That’s fine.” I never expected him to come alone. Very rarely did I go anywhere without protection.
“Also, Joseph Ingram is on the line.”
My fingertips were resting on my lips, but I immediately pulled them away when I heard her announcement. My hand formed a fist. “What did he say?”
“Nothing. Just said he wanted to speak to you.”
“He has a lot of nerve…”
“You did tell him not to save her. But you never said he couldn’t contact you.”
I was too angry to smile. “You’re right…as usual.”
“I’m surprised he still wants her back. She’s insufferable, if you ask me.”
“I’m surprised you would say that.” I continued the conversation but considered what I would say to Joseph when I got on the line.
“Why?”