Sinful Illusions

by Morgan James

  “I said you’re a pain in my ass,” he replied, his eyes snapping with fire.

  “Yeah, well, I’m the pain in the ass who’s going to make sure you don’t drop dead from sepsis if that wound gets any worse.”

  The corner of his mouth kicked up in a tiny smirk. “Worried about me?”

  “No,” I scoffed. “I just don’t understand why you have to be so damn stubborn all the time.”

  “You’re worrying over nothing. Silly woman.”

  I whirled toward him with a low growl. “I swear, sometimes I just want to smack you.”

  “You would never lift a hand to me,” he replied haughtily.

  It was true, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t damn tempted. “Only because your skull is too damn thick to beat any sense into it.”

  He grinned. “Have I told you how much I enjoy it when you get all fired up? Makes me want to take a belt to that pretty ass then fuck you till you can’t think straight.”

  The thought of him taking me exactly as he said sent little tingles of anticipation through my body. “Yeah, well… You’ll be denied that particular satisfaction until after you talk to the doctor.”

  “Oh, I’ll speak with him all right. But you can be sure that I’ll remember this once I’m all healed up.”

  I cocked my head as I stared up at him. “I guess we’ll just have to see.”

  A smile flirted with the corners of his mouth. “That mouth, angel.”

  “I seem to recall you being quite fond of my mouth,” I shot back challengingly.

  “That I am.” He stepped forward, closing the distance between us, and cupped my chin in one large hand. His thumb swept over my lower lip, and I parted my mouth when he pushed against the seam of my lips. His free hand moved to my hip, his strong fingers curling into my bottom and pulling me closer, careful to avoid his wound. His hardness pressed against my lower stomach, and I sucked his thumb into my mouth, curling my tongue around it before lightly biting down.

  Fox growled. “I can’t fucking wait to have you again.”

  I lifted my hands and settled them on his chest. “Doctor first,” I reminded him. “You’re no use to me broken.”

  His hand moved from my chin, slipping into my hair and grasping the back of my head. He squeezed my bottom so hard it almost hurt. “You better rest up and enjoy the next couple days, because as soon as I’m better, you won’t be leaving our bed for a week.”

  Our bed? I smiled at how much things had changed over the past month. Fox wouldn’t appreciate me bringing it up, and I wasn’t about to lose the ground I’d gained with him, so I kept the thought to myself. “Promises, promises.”

  He shifted to pull me closer but he sucked in a breath through his teeth when his side bumped my arm. I gently pushed him away. “No more putting it off. Make the call.”

  I crossed the room, and Fox threw me a disgruntled look as he dialed. “Just because I can’t fuck you doesn’t mean blow jobs are out of the question,” he reminded me.

  I laughed at his hopeful expression. “Be good for the doctor and I’ll see what I can do.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Fox

  Marlowe stepped into the office and speared me with a look. “Three visits in the past couple of months?”

  “It was actually my request to bring you here.”

  Marlowe’s head swiveled at the sound of Eva’s voice. His face relaxed when he saw her sitting in the corner, and a genuine smile graced his face as he turned toward her. “Ms. Jennings. How are you feeling?”

  “Fine, thank you.” She stood and smiled as she crossed the room to stand next to us.

  Dr. Marlowe studied her. “Anything bothering you? If the painkillers aren’t working, I can write a script for something else.”

  “Oh, no.” She waved away his offer. “Nothing for me this time. I was hoping you could take a look at him.”

  Marlowe’s brow rose, amusement twinkling in his eyes as he turned toward me. “Is that so?”

  I stifled the urge to slap that look off his face. No doubt he was baffled by the way Eva was speaking up for me—and, even more so, why I let her. “An old wound is bothering me,” I said by way of reply. “I’m sure it’s nothing, but she insisted you take a look.”

  Beside me, Eva glared at me before turning to Dr. Marlowe again. “It looks bad. I cleaned it initially, but I’m afraid I did something wrong. It’s all red, and it’s been bothering him.”

  “How long?”

  “Excuse me,” I said, irritation evident in my tone. “I’m right here.”

  “I just noticed today,” Eva said as if I hadn’t spoken, “but the wound was from approximately two weeks ago. Right?”

  She turned to me, and I blinked at her. “Am I allowed to speak now?”

  “Only if you cooperate,” she quipped before turning back to the doctor. “I would feel better if you took a look.”

  “Of course,” Dr. Marlowe said. He slid a look my way and gestured for me to remove my shirt. “Would you mind?”

  “Of course I mind,” I muttered under my breath. “But it seems I don’t have a choice.”

  “No, you don’t,” Eva replied smugly.

  I caught her eyes as I unbuttoned my dress shirt, then peeled it over my shoulders and down my arms. My movements were slow, deliberate, and the look I shot her was full of retribution. She would get her way this time. Later, I would get exactly what I wanted—her.

  Dr. Marlowe set his bag on the desk and was busy pulling on a pair of gloves as I peeled the edges of my shirt back to expose the wound. His gaze automatically followed my movements to the angry slash along my side before jumping up to meet my eyes. I held his stare for a long moment, communicating that he was to keep quiet. Finally, he gave a slight nod and returned to his tools.

  “Is it infected?” Eva’s face was twisted into an anxious expression of dismay, and my chest tightened at the sight.

  Marlowe offered a reassuring smile. “Nothing we can’t fix,” he said. “If you don’t mind, however, I need a moment alone with Fox.”

  “Why?” Her green eyes darkened with worry. “Is… Is everything okay?”

  “Of course,” Marlowe said, his voice low and soothing. “Standard procedure. I’ll only need him for a minute. You can wait right outside until we’re ready for you to come back in.”

  His words seemed to reassure her, but she darted a look my way, and I nodded. “Give us two minutes, angel.”

  She nodded and began to retreat, throwing one last look over her shoulder at us before disappearing into the hall and closing the door behind her.

  Once she was gone, Marlowe looked over at me. “You should have called me as soon as this happened.”

  “Didn’t want to bother you. Besides, you were already with—” I grimaced as he pressed his fingers to the skin around the wound. “Fuck, that hurt.”

  “You have a massive infection,” he said baldly. “It’s really in your best interest to go to the hospital. We’ll need to check for sepsis and—”

  “No hospitals, you know that.”

  “We need to make sure the infection hasn’t entered your blood stream.”

  “Then do it,” I said. “But no hospitals.”

  “We need to get this wound opened back up and properly cleaned.” He leaned closer, inspecting the red, swollen flesh.

  “Just fix it,” I said through gritted teeth. “But don’t say a fucking word to Eva.”

  He eyed me, then nodded knowingly. “I understand. I’ll need you to get comfortable.” He stepped away and withdrew a hypodermic needle from his bag, along with a vial of local anesthesia. “I’ll numb the area now and let it start to work. Then we’ll reconvene to one of the bedrooms.”

  I turned my attention out the window while Dr. Marlowe set to work. Several minutes had elapsed, and I imagined Eva pacing the hallway outside. The thought brought a small smile to my face. Deep beneath that tough, prickly exterior of hers was a giant, soft heart. Just as quickly, my smile
slipped away. That would be her downfall. She shouldn’t be with a man like me; she was too good.

  As if reading my mind, Dr. Marlowe spoke up. “She cares about you.”

  I cleared my throat. “She’s worried the wound is infected.”

  “It is,” Marlowe said succinctly. “But we both know that’s not what I meant.”

  Still staring out the window, I didn’t say a word. She was attracted to me, and I to her. But feelings beyond that? I had no idea. She had no reason to care for me. I was responsible for her sister’s disappearance, and she’d been my captive for the past two months. She was dealing the best she could, adapting to the situation. It was nothing more than a case of Stockholm syndrome, as much as I detested it. I wanted her to be here because she wanted to be with me.

  If we’d met on the street, would she have looked at me twice? I seriously doubted it. From the moment she’d woken up she’d been at my mercy. I’d stripped her of control, molded her into what I desired. She was my angel—but she would never truly belong to me. And I fucking hated it.

  “Take care of her.”

  I turned to Marlowe and met his hazy blue eyes. “Always.”

  He gave a perfunctory nod and tipped his head toward the door. “Let’s go before she storms in to make sure you’re not dead.”

  I smiled. Seemed the good doctor had a pretty good feel for my angel after all. “I wouldn’t put it past her.”

  “Good women like that are hard to find and even harder to hold on to.”

  He had no idea. I stood and preceded him from the office. Eva stood across the hallway, one arm wrapped around her middle, the other hand resting at the base of her throat like she was nervous. The moment the door swung open, she pushed away from her spot on the wall.

  “Are you okay? How is it?”

  “Just fine,” Marlowe assured her for what felt like the dozenth time. “We’ll need to move to a bedroom where I can have a little more room to work.”

  Eva’s gaze jumped to mine, and I easily read the wariness there. To head her off, I explained, “I reopened the wound, so Dr. Marlowe has to clean it up again, then stitch me back up.”

  She stared at me like she didn’t believe me, but I refused to say anything more. It was my choice to have her take care of the wound; I wouldn’t let her feel guilty for the job she’d done. Finally, she nodded and fell into step next to us as I led the way up the stairs and down the hall. Eva shot me a glance from the corners of her eyes, and I gave a tiny shake of my head as we passed my room. No one entered my room except myself—and now Eva. That was our domain, meant for no one else.

  I held the door and allowed Eva, then Marlowe, to precede me inside. The doctor moved immediately to the bed and began to arrange his tools while Eva moved to the far wall and leaned against it, arms crossed under her breasts, a tense expression on her face. Following Marlowe’s directions to get comfortable, I settled on the bed and stretched out.

  I hated that look on her face, that mixture of concern and guilt. “Come here, angel.”

  I held out my hand, feeling Marlowe’s gaze on me the whole time. Eva reluctantly pushed off the wall and approached, moving to the side of the bed. She took my hand, and I gave a gentle tug. “Sit.”

  Gingerly, she sat on the edge of the mattress as far from me as possible. I quirked a brow. “Why so far away?”

  Her brows drew together. “I don’t want to hurt you or get in the way.”

  “Never,” I said firmly. “Your place is next to me.”

  I turned to the doctor and caught a tiny smile gracing his lips as he listened to my exchange with Eva. “Ready?”

  He held up a scalpel. “Whenever you are.”

  “Go for it.”

  I turned my eyes to the ceiling as he made his first incision into the layer of flesh that had grown over the wound, closing it up and trapping the infection inside. I couldn’t feel a thing, but I heard Eva’s soft gasp from beside me, and I squeezed her hand as I turned to face her. “Eyes on mine, angel. Don’t look if you don’t want to.”

  Her gaze darted to the wound before meeting my eyes again, and she squeezed my hand in return. I kept my eyes on her as Marlowe worked. After what felt like forever, his voice floated over my shoulder.

  “All done.” He set a bottle of antibiotics on the nightstand. “You need to take two of these every day—until they’re gone,” he clarified. “Not until you feel better. If you stop taking them, the infe—” He cut off immediately at my hard glare and amended his words. “They won’t be as effective.”

  “Understood.” I grimaced a little as I pushed to a sitting position, and Eva was immediately at my back, supporting me, supporting me as I rebuttoned my shirt.

  “Why don’t you just lie down for awhile and rest?” One hand still resting on my shoulder, she looked at Dr. Marlowe. “Shouldn’t he be resting?”

  “He should be,” the doctor acknowledged with a small smile. “Maybe you’ll have better luck getting him to listen.”

  “He,” I said as I pushed to my feet, “is right here. And there’s no rest for the wicked.”

  Marlowe ignored me and turned to Eva. “Take care of him, Ms. Jennings.”

  “Call me Eva,” she said. “And I’ll make sure he’s doing what he’s supposed to.”

  I lifted a brow her way. “How do you plan to accomplish that?”

  A secretive smile tipped her lips but she didn’t say a word. “Thank you for coming,” she said instead to Dr. Marlowe. “I’ll show you to the door.”

  Looping an arm around her waist, I kept Eva glued to my side as we headed down the stairs toward the front door. Marlowe departed with a nod and a promise to check in with me next week, and I closed up behind him.

  “So,” I said, cupping Eva’s chin in my hand and lifting her face to mine. “Feel better knowing I’ve been taken care of?”

  Her eyes softened, and she leaned into me. “Very.”

  “Good.” I dropped a kiss on her lips, then turned, tugging her along behind me. “Now come with me.”

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Eva

  I followed along as Fox propelled me down the hall, then practically dragged me into the living room. He closed the door behind us, then moved to the couch. I started to sit next to him, trying to give him space, but he grabbed my hand before I had the chance. My eyes widened as he pulled me down so I was draped over his lap.

  “Fox!” I hissed. “What if your guys see?”

  “So?”

  I knew his men weren’t ignorant of the situation, but we usually tried to keep any antics within our bedroom. Any show of affection or emotion could be viewed as a weakness, and I refused to be the cause of it. I squirmed, trying to climb to my feet, but he held fast.

  “You know what,” I said, my voice low.

  “What I do is none of their business.”

  I dug my teeth into my lower lip. “But—”

  “You’re mine to do with as I please.” A surge of anger shot through me at his harsh words, a constant reminder of exactly why I was here. So much for hoping he’d begun to see me differently. Despite our time spent together each night, the subtle shift in his demeanor, he was still the same man he was months ago when I’d first arrived.

  I leaned away with the intention of leaving for good this time, but he pulled me back, dropping his mouth close to my ear. “And what I want is to have you here… just like this.”

  I froze as his low-spoken words caressed my ear, a warmth seeping into my bones as I turned to look at him. I didn’t say a word, just stared at him, and he stared right back. Finally, he lifted one hand and cupped my face, drawing me to him. My eyes closed as his lips swept over mine, gentle and sweet. It lasted only a moment before he broke the connection.

  A warm glow surrounded my heart, and a contentment settled over me. Things had changed so much over the past several weeks. He’d held me captive, yet here I was willingly giving myself to him. As unconventional as our situation was, I wouldn’t t
rade it. There was more to him than met the eye, I was sure of it. What I didn’t know was whether he would ever truly let me in enough to find out who he was deep inside. I wanted Fox—and I wanted him to want me in return.

  I swallowed hard, terrified he’d read every emotion on my face. “How are those stitches feeling?”

  He coasted his fingers over my knee and up my thigh. “Good enough.”

  I shifted in his lap, trying to evade his questing fingers, but he took advantage of my position and he moved upward to the apex of my thighs. One long finger dipped low, brushing my folds, and I slammed my legs together.

  “Seriously.” I laid one hand on his chest and tried to steer him back to the conversation at hand. “That wound looked bad. Are you still in pain?”

  He laughed a little. “Between the antibiotics and the anesthetic, Marlowe gave me so much medicine I won’t feel anything for days.”

  I rolled my eyes. “That’s an improvement, at least.”

  “Mhmm…”

  The finger between my legs moved, still searching for my center. I bit my lip and arched a little as he pressed on the bundle of nerves. Unable to stand it any longer, I reached between my legs and pulled his hand away.

  Fox grinned, well aware that he’d gotten to me. “Didn’t we have a deal of sorts? I agree to see Marlowe and you provide a… service for me?”

  He lifted his eyebrows, and I fought to hold back my smile. “I don’t recall a specific timeframe for said service.”

  He growled a little and shifted me in his lap. His erection pressed up into my bottom, a hard ridge pressing against the fly of his slacks. “No time like the present.”

  “Perhaps.” I lifted one shoulder and slid from his lap, evading his clasping hands. “When you’re done, come upstairs. I have a surprise for you.”

  “You know I don’t like surprises, angel.”

  His tone was playful, and I smiled. “Maybe it’s time to change that. Ten minutes.”