by Ashley Jade
Fear coils my insides when she doesn’t respond. I can’t live without her. I won’t. I’ll kill her before I ever let Damien, or any other man, destroy what’s mine. He doesn’t get my Eden.
“I need you to forgive me.” Frantically, I pull at the fabric of her dress. “I would never hurt you.”
“You just did,” she whispers.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. I never wanted to tell her about my father or brother—I wanted her to believe I had the picture-perfect family, before it was sullied by tragedy—just like everyone else does.
But securing her sympathy is the only way to fix this.
Her eyebrows shoot up as I loosen my tie and unbutton my shirt. “What are you doing?”
“Sharing my biggest secret with you. A part of me I keep hidden from the world.”
I’ve never let anyone see these scars. Not since that night.
Her face twists in confusion when I slide her hand to my back. “What happened? Your skin…it almost feels like… burns.” Her eyes widen. “I thought you weren’t in the house fire?”
“I wasn’t.” I cradle her face. “They aren’t burns. They’re scars.”
“From what?”
“Belts, a few chairs, cigars. A cheese grater once.”
She looks horrified. “Oh, my God. Who did this to you? Why—”
“My father…and on occasion, my brother. It started when I was young, and it only got worse as I got older. As far as why—that’s something I’ll never know the answer to. Some people are just wired differently than us. They like to cause pain and suffering because they lost their humanity.” I breathe her in like air. “They have nothing to pull them back when it gets too dark.”
They have no Eden’s in their life.
Nothing that makes them feel like a savior.
No one who will love them unconditionally.
Her eyes become glassy. “I’m sorry you had to go through something so horrible—”
I shut her up with a kiss. I don’t want to talk about my family. I don’t want to relive my past.
Life is about moving forward. Working toward new goals. Embracing what’s right in front of you.
“It’s over now,” I tell her when she tries to come up for air. “My life is good now. It’s good because I have you.” I bury my head between her breasts, sucking the soft skin into my mouth. “I’ll never hurt you again, sweetheart. I swear on my life. I won’t do what’s been done to me.”
She starts to speak, but I cover her mouth with mine and force my tongue through her lips.
I can’t bear to hear her say she’ll never forgive me.
“Whoa—”
I move her panties to the side and plunge two fingers inside her.
She can’t escape me. I won’t let her. I need her too much.
“Cain—”
I don’t like her tone, it’s not sweet and breathy like it was before Damien—it’s resistant.
I push a third finger inside her, hammering her little cunt as hard as I can.
“You like that, don’t you?” She whimpers and clenches around me. “There you go, baby. That’s it,” I murmur, wrapping my other hand around her throat. “Come for me, sweetheart. Cain won’t stop until you do.”
Infuriation slices through me like a knife through butter when she doesn’t. “Did you fuck Damien today? Is that why you can’t come? Perhaps I should shove my fist inside you and see if you feel anything then.” She tries to shake her head no, but I tighten my grip. “Then come for me like a good girl, Eden. Prove how much you still want me.”
Come for me right fucking now, you little slut.
Come for me or I’ll choke you, chop your sexy body up into hot little pieces, and make Damien eat them one by one.
The room sways and my head pulses so hard I scream.
I won’t lose her. I won’t let him have her. She’s mine.
Mine. Mine. Mine.
“I can’t lose you, Eden,” I choke out. “Please, baby. I need you to come for me. I need you to show me how much you love me.”
I need to know I haven’t lost her.
When she finally does a moment later, it’s glorious. Her chest heaves, her cunt clamps my fingers, and she bucks her hips.
“Such a good girl,” I murmur as I fix her panties and smell my fingers, inhaling her scent. “Such a good girl.”
A lonely tear streams down her cheek. I lick it up when it rolls into her cleavage. “I love you, Eden.”
“I love you, too.” She kisses my forehead, then my nose, before finding my mouth. “I love you so much.”
Relief fills my chest.
This is my peace. The storm is over.
Her tongue is urgent and needy as her hand ventures lower. I utter a deep groan when she palms my cock through my pants. “Is this for me?”
“Always.” I move the top of her dress until her tit pops out. I lave her nipple with my tongue. “Christ, I can’t wait to fuck you tonight. It’ll be so good, sweetheart.” I suck the pointy bud into my mouth. “I’m gonna take my time and—”
The hand squeezing my dick stops. “What do you mean tonight?”
I give her a smile. “I’m taking you back home where you belong. It was stupid of me to tell you to spy on Damien.”
It was a careless mistake on my part. One I won’t make again.
I’m going to do what I should have done eleven years ago and get rid of him for good.
Problem—each and every fucking one of them—solved.
“What about the election?”
I flick her nipple. “There won’t be much of an election after he’s gone.”
“You’re gonna kill him?”
I narrow my eyes. “Is that a problem for you?”
“No. It’s just…” She worries her lip. “I’m concerned about your reputation. One dead opponent is bad enough, but two? You know how this town is, Cain. People will talk. And if they start talking…it might impact their votes.” She kisses my jaw. “I don’t want people thinking you don’t deserve to win the election on your own merits, you know?” I close my eyes as she nips my throat. “No one deserves to win more than you, my love. Killing Damien might screw up your big chance.”
“It’s the only way to stop him from ruining my life.”
She has no idea how Damien is. His determination knows no bounds.
The man is senseless and psychotic. A reckless combination.
I moan as she licks my Adam’s apple. “Call me crazy, but if he wants to get revenge by running against you—let him. It’s not like he poses a real threat to you becoming mayor. Everyone loves you. Just let him think he’s getting under your skin like he wants, and he’ll go away.”
“He could tell everyone my secrets, Eden. I can’t risk it.”
“Then I’ll be your eyes and ears. If I sense he’s about to pull a fast one on you again, I’ll let you know ahead of time.”
I stop and ponder this for a moment.
I suppose if Eden wants to know why I murdered my family…and her mother, it would give me enough of a warning that Damien’s about to spill the beans.
He’s a bastard all right, but he wouldn’t let Eden find out the truth at the same time everyone else does. Not if he considers her an advocate…or lover. He’d tell her before then. In private.
Fortunately, Eden’s feelings for him won’t be real, and she loves me enough she would never be able to turn me in.
Not with the bond we have.
She’d give me hell, cry a river, tell me I’m an evil asshole…and then offer to run away with me. Just like she’s always wanted.
“You don’t have a way to contact me.”
If this is going to work, I need to keep the lines of communication open at all times.
Her face screws up. “You can sneak me a phone at the breakfast fundraiser tomorrow. Something small and inconspicuous.”
“You really think you can handle this?”
She looks me in the eye
s. “Absolutely.” She leans in, cupping my jaw. “After everything you’ve done for me, this is the least I can do.”
“You realize if you screw up, everything I’ve worked for will be ruined. I’m literally trusting you with my goddamn life.”
“Do you honestly think I would ever let anything bad happen to you? You’re the love of my life. I wouldn’t know what to do without you—I wouldn’t—”
I kiss her tears. “I know, sweetheart. I know.” I pull back and look at her. “I’ll tell you what. If you do this for me, after I become mayor, I’ll get rid of Margaret for good.” I kiss up her jawbone, stopping when I reach her ear. “I’ll blame it on losing your mother. I’ll tell people Margaret’s a lovely woman, but I’m just not ready to move on.” I squeeze her breast. “But you’ll be the one in my bed every night, helping me work through my grief.”
People don’t put themselves on the line like this unless there’s a good enough carrot being dangled in front of them.
And there’s nothing Eden wants more than me.
Nothing she wants more than love. And I’ll give it to her in abundance.
Her smile is so beautiful my chest swells. “You mean it?”
“It will be just us again. Only this time, I’m giving you everything you deserve.”
She wraps her arms around my neck. “I love you.”
“We just need to get through this little Damien hurdle and we’re golden.”
“I won’t let you down.”
“I know you won’t. In the meantime, I’m gonna touch base with Chief Trejo.”
She blinks. “The chief? Why?”
I smirk. “We’re close friends. I’m gonna let Damien run against me like he wants, but then he’ll be thrown in jail like he deserves come polling day.”
“For killing your family,” she says slowly as if it just dawned on her.
Her hair color suits her—because she sure as fuck has enough blonde moments.
I button up my shirt and fix my tie. “Yes.” I eye her as she starts putting herself together. “Are you sure you can handle this?”
She fixes her lipstick in the mirror. “Positive.”
That hard exterior is back in place. I hate it.
“By the way…your dress.”
She crinkles her nose. “What about it?”
“It makes you look like the town whore.”
Chapter 27
Eden
His words are water. Let them roll off your back.
And really, given everything else he’s done to me, calling me a slut is at the very bottom of his list of offenses.
I examine my cheek in the mirror. It’s a bit red, but it’s not too bad.
The soreness between my legs hurts worse.
“I’m gonna go out first.” I need to get away from him before I do or say something stupid and blow my cover.
He kisses my forehead. “We’ll be together soon, beautiful.”
“I’m counting the days.”
A twinge of sadness squeezes my chest. There’s a small part of me that truly feels sorry for him. Cain being abused is not only gut-wrenching, it makes total sense.
He never took off his shirt. Never talked about his family.
Never let anyone in.
I’m having trouble deciphering the evil man who paid someone to mentally fuck me up in order to make me solely dependent on him, from the man I was in love with twenty-four hours ago.
It doesn’t excuse his behavior and certainly not his actions, but it…I don’t know. It makes my heart hurt. The old one he broke and the new tougher one I’m building.
No one should be abused. Especially by the people who are supposed to love you.
And maybe in his warped mind, hiring someone to brainwash me was his way of keeping me close because he was too scared to lose me.
Because he loved me too much. A love he didn’t know how to express in a healthy way…because no one ever showed him.
I shake my head. Nope. I won’t go there. I won’t even entertain it.
He hit me. He didn’t almost hit me and stop himself…he actually hit me.
And then he turned right around and hurt me in a different way. I tried to tell him to ease up, that he was being too rough, but I couldn’t get the words out.
He didn’t give me the chance…or the choice.
He never does.
I take a few cleansing breaths as I walk out the door.
“Wasn’t aware they served orange juice in the bathrooms.”
I nearly jump at the sound of Damien’s deep voice.
My heart pounds when he stubs his cigarette out and comes closer.
“What happened to your cheek?”
“Nothing.”
“It looks red.”
“You’re so handsome you make me blush.” I jut my chin toward the hall. “Can we go back downstairs?”
Cain will be coming out any minute and the homicidal look in Damien’s eyes is only getting worse.
He needs to remember the end game. Going after Cain now will only get him thrown in jail…which is exactly what Cain wants.
“Eden.” There’s a familiar dark edge to his tone. The kind that equally seduces and scares the living shit out of me.
“I ended up walking into the bathroom at the same time someone else was walking out and got bitch slapped by the door. It’s really not that big of a deal, so stop freaking out for no reason.”
His blue orbs burn with indignation as he grips my chin. “Look me in the eyes and tell me the truth.”
I match his glare. “I just did.”
“Okay.”
The anxiety filling my chest eases. “Come on. We should—”
My mouth drops when he kicks the door open…sending Cain, who was eavesdropping on the other side, flying into the wall behind him.
“Stop,” I shout, but it’s too late.
Damien’s hand is already wrapped around Cain’s throat and his other hand is taking jabs at his stomach.
I try to pull them apart, but it’s impossible. There’s too much adrenaline and venom between them and neither one will back down.
Not even Cain, who’s clearly at a disadvantage due to Damien’s size and ironclad grip.
That is until Cain’s finger catches the corner of Damien’s eye and he stumbles backward, forcing me out the door.
“Someone’s coming,” I tell them when I look down the hall.
I mutter a curse as the figures come into view.
William Anderson looks like he’s trying his hardest to get a word in as Andrew Jones—the head of Cain’s political party—nods.
While Governor Bexley rambles on and on.
Until he spots me.
“Are you al—” Governor Bexley starts to say, but Damien and Cain tumble out of the bathroom, still going at it.
“Oh, hell.”
Anderson and Jones grab each of Damien’s arms while the governor picks Cain up off the floor and then plants himself between them.
“Gentlemen, this is not how we conduct ourselves in public.” He blows out a breath. “I know there’s some bad blood—” He doesn’t even bother to suppress the side-eye of contempt he gives me. “As well as some pressing family issues, but physical violence between two candidates will not be tolerated. Do you understand?”
“Oh, my God,” Margaret screeches, her heels picking up speed. “What happened?”
“Nothing. Just a little disagreement is all,” Bexley declares, his eyes darting from Cain to Damien. “But it’s over now. Right, gentlemen?”
Cain nods.
“It looks like more than a simple disagreement,” Margaret tuts, rushing over to Cain. “Should we take him to the hospital? Get him an icepack?”
“Drop it, Margaret,” Cain says at the same time the governor bellows, “Let it go.”
Margaret holds up her hands. “Fine.” She whips around to face me. “Maybe you should do us all a favor and go back to being a hermit.” Her eyes drop to my cleavage a
nd she glowers. “Every time you step out of the house you cause nothing but trouble for innocent men and their families.” She folds her arms across her chest. “No one wants you around. Take the hint and get lost.”
I have one of two choices. I can either choose to let her words have the intended effect and make me feel bad.
Or I can stand up for myself.
“Wow, that’s all you got?” She blinks as I take a step forward. “Listen to me and listen good. I’m not going anywhere. And if you plan on hurling insults at me every time we’re in the same room…you’re gonna need a whole lot more than what you’re bringing to the table, honey, because I’ve heard them all before. So please, do me a favor and use your six-figure college education and that thing between your shoulders and try to be more original.” I snort. “Better yet, do yourself a favor and be more than a show dog for your daddy and fiancé.”
With that, I turn on my heels and saunter down the hallway.
“Damn,” Damien drawls behind me. “Looks like you’ll both be needing icepacks now.”
The governor starts to speak, but Damien cuts him off, “Have a good evening, gentlemen.”
“Are you okay?”
His hand tightens around the steering wheel. “Fine.”
“You haven’t said a word to me since the bathroom incident.”
Silence.
I peer out the window. “Your moods are starting to give me whiplash. One second we’re a team, and the next you’re acting like I don’t exist.”
“That’s because I don’t like being lied to.”
I throw up my hands. “I was trying to avoid exactly what ended up happening.”
“By lying to me.”
I roll my eyes. He’s missing the point. “Can you look at the bigger picture for two seconds? Cain would have—”
The tires screech. “I don’t care what Cain would have done.” His gaze slides to my cheek. “He hit you and you looked me right in the motherfucking eyes and told me you walked into a door. Fuck your bigger picture and fuck your excuses, Eden. You lied to protect someone other than yourself, which means you haven’t learned a damn thing.”
Chapter 28