Promise Me Forever (Top Shelf Romance)

by Kate Stewart

  “It’s going to take a few hours to really capture the detail. I assume you want it finished today?”

  Angel nodded, and I could practically feel anger seeping from his pores. Josh kept stealing glances, and I pretended not to notice.

  “Sweet. Let’s get started.” He smiled at me behind Angel’s shoulder.

  “Mian,” Angel called. His attention was still focused on the creep who didn’t realize he should keep his smiles to himself.

  “Yes?”

  “On the table.”

  I shook my head as if he could see. “I didn’t consent to this.”

  “Do I need to strap you down?”

  “It’s the only way he’s going to touch me.” I stared at his profile until he rose from his seat and invaded my space. I wasn’t expecting him to sink his hand in my hair and grab my waist with his other.

  “Wha—”

  It was all I could manage before he kissed me. His lips were soft as he patiently coaxed me to give in. I sunk so deep into the kiss that I had no way out until his lips left mine.

  “That was to remember you by.”

  Confusion replaced desire. “What?”

  “The only way you’re walking out of here alive is with my mark. No games, Mian. There’s no coming back if you test me.”

  He didn’t put a gun to my head and threaten to blow my brains out like most villains would have done. He didn’t need to. With a grace I didn’t normally possess, I climbed onto the tabletop.

  “She’ll need to remove her panties,” Josh said excitedly as he licked his lips.

  “She’s not wearing any.” He then ordered me to lift my dress. I closed my eyes and pushed up the dress I had been so happy to wear only moments ago. The more Angel took from me, the more I accepted that spilling his blood would never be enough to heal the scars he had created.

  “I’ll be in my office if you need me.” My eyes popped open and found Angel’s staring back at me. Was that meant for Josh or me? He was the one making me do this. If I needed rescuing from anyone, it was he.

  “I’m sure we’ll be fine,” Josh replied. Angel didn’t move. He was waiting for something.

  I nodded and then turned my head to stare at the chandelier directly above me. I listened to his footsteps, which eventually faded as he walked further away.

  “Pretty intense guy, huh?”

  I shivered. “He’s a monster.”

  “You shouldn’t be afraid of him.”

  “Why shouldn’t I?”

  “Because even monsters have a weakness and something tells me he’s discovered his.”

  I turned my head to face him. He was unwinding his power supply cable and staring at me with a grin. “Angel doesn’t have weaknesses. His power is in making you believe whatever he wants.”

  “Not weaknesses. Just one.”

  “Care to share?”

  His look was skeptical. “You don’t see it?”

  “Should I?”

  “It’s you, beautiful. You’re his weakness.”

  “Me?” It took me three tries to speak the simple word. He continued to set up as if he didn’t just make a lie out of everything I knew to be true about Angel.

  “We men can be simple minded creatures so I can tell you, we don’t act possessive over pussy unless the pussy was attached to something we wanted even more.”

  “That makes no sense.”

  “It’s like I told you. We’re simple minded.” I didn’t give him a response, and he didn’t wait around for one. He finished setting up, and I held my breath, waiting for the first moment the needle would corrupt my skin. When it finally did, I closed my eyes and zoned out. I felt the first pinch, but not the second or third or even the hundredth. Hours had passed before it was over and the silence broke.

  “There. All done. That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

  “I just had my skin permanently marked against my will to satisfy a man’s ego.”

  “Are we done here?” Angel’s voice interrupted his response and simultaneously penetrated all my senses.

  “We’re done. Would you like to take a look before I apply the wrap?”

  Wordlessly, he moved across the room, and I bit down on the inside of my cheek to keep from running away. He’d catch me before my feet even touched the ground. His intoxicating scent teased me when he finally stood over me. I waited for his next move. Craved it even. It was addicting, our song and dance. Our tempo was one only we could hear.

  His fingers lightly skated over my hip as he studied his barbaric idea of marking as Knight property. I studied the wings where the armor should have been. Or maybe he thought of me as just his…

  “So you like?”

  “It will do,” he answered when our eyes met. Something told me he had other ideas of how to mark me as his. He moved away again so Josh could wrap my hip, but he hadn’t moved far away. He stood behind Josh, but instead of watching him apply the wrap, he watched me.

  “All right, man. Leave this covered for a few hours, make sure you keep it clean and apply anti-bacterial ointment for a few days.” He started to rise, but Angel gripped the back of his head and slammed it down on the tabletop. Josh’s groan as his head rose was the only sound in the room. Just as quickly as the first, Angel repeated the violent act. This time, I scrambled backward as quick as I could, using my hands and feet to propel me. Blood smeared his nose and lips and dripped onto his white shirt. “What the fuck, man?”

  “If I ever hear you whistle again, it will be your last.” He tossed a thin stack of neatly wrapped hundreds on the table and growled, “Get out.”

  He quickly snatched up the money and threw his equipment in his cases before slamming them shut and running away. I stood in silence with Angel and considered what to do or say. He stood up for me like he had all those years ago, and while it didn’t erase the last two weeks, it confused me.

  The sound of the front door opening and slamming shut couldn’t even break the invisible cord that bound us. Any moment, it could snap, and I knew it wouldn’t be cruelty and pain he unleashed, but something much more powerful than I could handle.

  He turned to walk away, but I couldn’t let him go. Not when he continued to play the game with my mind and heart.

  “Do you always beat up your friends because they were rude?”

  He made a quick turn on his heel and held out his hand. I slipped my hand in his after hesitating long enough to feel his impatience grow. My fingers trembled, but I managed to force them still until he swept his thumb across my knuckles. My legs were the ones to tremble this time as he helped me down from the table.

  “You didn’t have to do that for me.”

  “Do what?” he sighed and pulled my dress back down. He walked away before I could answer, so I followed him.

  “Defend my honor. Because of you, I’m not even sure there is any left to defend.”

  His chuckle was rich and dark and mocking. “Your honor is mine to take as well as it is to defend. I do what the fuck pleases me, Mian. Don’t you know that by now?”

  “But you don’t. Not really.”

  “Come again?”

  “Well…” I'd ask myself later what the hell I was thinking. He’d already stopped walking and turned to face me. His deep brown eyes were becoming darker by the second. “You want to fuck me, but you’re afraid.”

  He blinked once. Slowly. “And why would I be afraid to fuck you, Mian? Do you think you scare me?” He bared his teeth, gripped the back of my neck, leaning down. “That’s incredibly cute.”

  “Then why won’t you?” I challenged. Was I begging for it or truly hoping to prove a point? The lines blurred when he put his hand on me and invaded my space.

  “Are you that hot for my dick inside you? You’d be dead before I came inside those tight walls of your cunt.” His hand slid from my nape to my throat. I wasn’t expecting the pressure that followed and instinctively, wrapped my hand around his wrist to stop him. “I didn’t say you could touch me.” His hand t
ightening around my throat ensured I couldn’t. “I’ll give you more than just a rough touch with your pleasure. Sex with me would be deadly, Mian. Are you ready to dance in the dark with me?” I suddenly felt the press of his fingers between my thighs. “Say the word, and I’ll fuck you right here.”

  I was supposed to hate his touch. But my body’s needs betrayed me once again, and he was very soon, going to discover it. What would stop him then from taking me?

  Angel has had a lifetime of taking what he wanted. Including my son. I closed my eyes so the picture of his smile would be more vivid. He trusted and depended on me to keep him safe. I had to find a way.

  I had no hope of controlling what my body waned, so I would follow my heart instead. It was the one place I could truly be safe from Angel.

  Confidence allowed my body to relax, which Angel noticed immediately. “You think shutting me out will stop me?” I didn’t respond, but I could feel him watching closely. He kept his grip, and my body began to slack even more from lack of oxygen. “Very well,” he finally said and let me go. I coughed, drew in large gulps of air, and rubbed the sore spot on my throat. “Go upstairs.”

  He walked away from me, but I couldn’t let him get the last word. “And then?” I said between sucking in air.

  He stopped and turned back to face me. “You test me, Mian.” He shook his head. Then he said as he walked away again, “And then you wait for me.”

  Chapter 43

  ANGEL

  I burst through the doors like I owned the place, which I pretty much did. It was also why I was so annoyed my presence had been demanded. I may have been the hired hand, but I did not take orders. My clients knew, with a single entry from my family’s black book, I could have them killed or imprisoned. The Knights took the soul of anyone who made a deal with us for power, fortune, or prosperity. For six generations, The Bandit never failed a job, which made the cost of their soul well spent.

  The high back brown leather chair spun around and revealed dull brown hair, sharp eyes, and an expensive suit.

  “What can I do for you, Senator?” My tone held a bite in it that I knew he wouldn’t miss. Senator Staten was as corrupt as the rumor mill accused. It just so happened that he gained his seat because of my father and was due for reelection soon.

  “I need a job done, and I want it to be top priority.”

  It wasn’t new for clients to demand priority. They all felt their problems were paramount, and with endless money to throw around, they were more than willing to pay for that illusion.

  “That’s going to cost you.”

  “I’m well aware of the costs, young man.” If this wasn’t a business meeting, I’d laugh at his attempt to make me feel small by pointing out my age, and then I’d slit his throat and sleep like a baby tonight.

  My attention shifted to his excuse for a son sitting in the corner wearing a smug smile. He wore khaki shorts and a mint colored polo shirt with loafers. His pansy ass barely had hair on his legs but had the nerve to think he had some control.

  “Eye problem?”

  His smile dropped, and for a moment, he looked uncertain. “Excuse me?”

  “You got something to say to me? You’re staring like you do.”

  His chin lifted, thrusting his nose in the air as he turned to the senator. “Father, do we really need the help of a common criminal?”

  His father started to respond when I cut him off. “Considering the reason he called me here is undoubtedly a crime, I’d say so.” I stalked forward and balled the front of his shirt in my fist before either one could know what I intended to do. I lifted him from his cozy spot on the couch until his feet dangled in the air. “But there’s nothing common about what I’ll do to you if you try to insult me again.”

  “D—Dad,” he squeaked.

  “Please, Mr. Knight.” Oh, now I’m Mr. Knight? “Unhand my son. I need him.” He regarded his son coldly. “At least, until the next election.”

  A feral smile spread my lips, and I swear, another second, and he would have pissed himself. I set him on his feet gently and smoothed the front of his shirt. When I got bored with taunting him, I turned back to his father.

  “You were saying?”

  “Yes, well, I’m prepared to pay the cost… extra in fact… if you can do this quickly and quietly.”

  “Don’t I always?”

  He cleared his throat—probably to wash away an apology rather than his pride. “This is a sensitive matter. I need your absolute discretion.”

  My gaze narrowed. “By discretion you mean–”

  “This cannot go in that book,” his lips curled, “your family keeps.”

  “Not happening.”

  “I’ll pay extra.”

  “Not. Happening.” Everything went into the book. Everything. It was our insurance as well as our destruction and no amount of money would buy exception.

  Some have even gone as far as to offer money to destroy it.

  No one needed to know that the single piece of evidence that could destroy families, careers, and end lives were no longer in our control.

  “I do this job with a ten percent increase. Take it or leave it.”

  He didn’t respond. The door opened behind me, and I immediately moved to protect my back even though I was unarmed. Three of his personal guards walked in—one carrying a briefcase—and formed a circle around me.

  “I’m afraid I’ll have to insist, son.”

  My fists curled hearing him call me son, but otherwise, I didn’t move. I didn’t need to. The tension in the room spiked and his twerp of a son was back to smirking. I winked, and his face paled. I was outnumbered, sure, but I was still in control.

  As much was proven when red dots appeared on every man’s head.

  I made a mockery of their attempt to strong-arm me. Fear was palpable, and I basked in it.

  “Let’s make that a fifty percent increase.”

  He sputtered and stumbled to collect himself while trying to evade the target on the back of his skull. He couldn’t see it, of course, but he was smart enough to know it was there. His son did the same while his guard remained in place. They eventually figured out there was no escape.

  “Call them off.”

  “Give me the name and all the money upfront.” Before his stupidity got the best of him, he would have only needed to pay half up front.

  “But that’s ridiculous!”

  “Not as ridiculous as you thinking you can threaten me. You’ll be lucky if I don’t decide to kill you even after you pay me.”

  “But—”

  The picture of his wife suddenly flew off his desk and landed a few feet away from my feet. Her face was completely obliterated from the shot.

  “My money,” I warned.

  He stumbled to the phone and spoke harshly and quickly to the poor bastard on the other line. Not five minutes later, a man in a gray suit with thinning hair and specks bustled in with another briefcase. The senator nodded to one of his guards who was holding his briefcase, and they immediately sat them at my feet.

  “The name.”

  “Mian Ross.”

  Time stood still as I replayed the name he spat in my head. It couldn’t be. What would Mian have to do with the senator? I begin to consider that I was being set up until I reasoned that the senator might know Theo, but no one knew of Mian. Theo made sure of that.

  “You want her dead, I assume?”

  “The sooner, the better.”

  “Why?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking the million dollar question.

  He paused and shrewdly studied me. “You never cared before.”

  “You never threatened to kill me before,” I answered smoothly. “Any pretense of trust is gone.”

  He seemed to accept my answer and said, “My son couldn’t keep his dick in his pants. At least for girls of legal fucking age.”

  My heart ceased to beat, and the blood in my veins froze. It took every ounce of willpower to keep my gaze calm.


  “He got her pregnant, and now she’s causing problems.”

  “You want me to off a pregnant chick?” I played stupid even when I’d already pieced together every piece of the goddamn puzzle.

  “She’s already had the bastard.”

  Don’t kill him.

  Don’t kill him.

  “She wants money even though my son denies paternity.”

  “So. What’s the big deal? Get a DNA test.” I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood. He cut his eyes at the little fucker lounging without a care in the world.

  He was definitely hiding something.

  “I don’t believe my son didn’t father that child no matter what he tells me.”

  “So because she’s telling the truth, you want her dead?”

  Don’t kill him.

  Don’t kill him.

  “She’s threatening to go public. I can’t have some girl and her bastard son messing up my campaign. Besides, she was underage and still in high school. Even if she was old enough to consent, it would still hurt our image.”

  “And what happens to the kid?”

  “I told you… I want this clean.”

  Meaning no loose ends.

  Son of a bitch…

  I took Lucas by surprise when I returned from the meeting. I stood still while he avoided my gaze and buttoned the jeans he hadn’t bothered to remove. Unwillingly, my gaze slid to the bed and the girl he’d just been balls deep in. I tried to keep my irritation under lock and key but failed.

  “Fucking seriously?” I spat when she whimpered and scrambled up against the headboard while pulling the sheets up to cover her body. I looked away to give her privacy and regarded my best friend.

  “You were supposed to be watching her, not fucking her,” I forced through my teeth.

  A sneaky smile tugged up the corner of his lips as he shrugged. “I couldn’t help myself.”

  A small gasp wiped the smile off his face. She watched him with tears in her eyes while his avoided her. I jerked my head toward the door, and he followed.

  “Do you know what you’re doing?” I questioned as soon as the door was closed.