Strings: A Dark Contemporary Reverse Harem Romance (Finding Their Muse Book 3)

by Bea Paige

  “You don’t need to, Ivan. Rose will be okay with me,” Erik says, striding over to my side.

  Honestly, I’m not so sure, and by the look on Ivan’s face, neither is he.

  Ivan scoffs. “Planning on opening that door anytime soon, Erik?” he asks.

  Erik grits his jaw and folds his arms against his chest.

  “Didn’t think so,” Ivan bites out, before turning his attention to me. “I’m staying so long as Rose is, so you’d better get used to it.”

  I blow out a long breath, not nearly mentally strong enough to deal with the butting of horns happening right now.

  “What do you need, Rose?” Erik asks me.

  What do I need? I need a bloody shield to bat off all these emotions. I need something to protect my heart, because right now my demon has abandoned me and the fucking walls surrounding it are cracking under the strain.

  Pushing upwards tentatively, I ignore the slice of pain in my knee and hobble towards the glass with Erik’s help. Erik cups my elbow without me having to ask, his touch sending electric currents shooting up my arm, straight to my heart. It’s then I notice he didn’t tie me up when I fell asleep.

  “The rope?” I question.

  “I watched you sleep. Didn’t need it,” is all he answers in response. I stumble a little, my knee giving way and immediately his arm wraps around my waist whilst my heart beats helplessly under his care and Ivan’s dark gaze.

  “You came back…” I murmur suddenly.

  Anton had been right when I’d been wrong. He shakes his head, as though unable to believe it himself.

  “God knows, I wanted to hate you, Rose. It would’ve been so much easier to leave this island if I did. I even went as far as returning to the hotel and packing my goddamn bags. But I couldn’t leave. I couldn’t. Whether you like it or not, I love you,” he shrugs, smiling helplessly, not ashamed to utter the words even though they slice me in two.

  I tense, but I don’t react in the way I had before when Ivan first uttered the truth of his feelings. Ivan exchanges a look with Erik, who mumbles something behind me. I try not to decipher the silent conversation between the two, choosing instead to peer beyond the glass wall into the outhouse beyond. The light is different, there are no longer any dark corners, daylight seeps in through the cracks in the bricks and slate roof.

  “What time is it?” I ask, avoiding Ivan’s concerned gaze.

  “Eleven. You’ve been in here almost forty-eight hours.”

  “Is that all?” I respond. It feels so much longer than that. It could be weeks frankly.

  “It’s long enough. How about you open that damn door, Rose, and we go home,” Ivan says, glancing at Erik who stands behind me. I feel his presence, not just his touch as though he’s ready to catch me should I fall not just physically, but metaphorically too.

  “I’m not leaving this room until Erik does.”

  “Then I’m not moving from this spot.”

  “Ivan…” I start.

  “No buts, Rose. This time I’m not leaving.”

  And he doesn’t. For the next twelve hours, Ivan watches us both from his spot in the uncomfortable plastic chair. I eat, I go to the toilet. I drift in and out of sleep. Between those moments, Erik ties me back to the bed, needing that security whilst he sleeps.

  I let him.

  Chapter 25

  I awake to the sound of arguing. Her voice penetrates my nightmare, my mother’s voice mixing with hers. Two women I dislike; my mother and Ms Hadley.

  “If you don’t get her out, I will. She has no business being in there with Erik. You’ve had your fun, now do as you’re told.” Her voice makes me flinch, grating on my last nerve.

  I twist my body, sitting up. My wrist is still tied to the bed. Opposite, Erik has his head in his hands. Her anger affecting him. Why the fuck can’t she leave us alone? Can’t she see what she’s doing to him?

  “Ms Hadley, enough!” Ivan snaps. He has his back to me, Anton standing by his side. Both acting as a shield between her and us.

  “Don’t tell me when it’s enough. She’s twisted everything. She’s enchanted you all. Can’t you see? Now open the door!” she screeches, trying to push past Ivan.

  He holds her by the shoulder, but she manages to lean around him, catching my gaze. Her eyes narrow, her mouth presses into a hard line. I realise my top half is naked, the bottom half only covered by the blanket. She notices my bound wrist and I see her ugliness escape as though a living being.

  “You disgust me,” she snarls, pointing a bony finger towards me. “You dirty WHORE!”

  Ivan snaps, manhandling her.

  “You call Rose that again and I won’t be responsible for my actions. Don’t fucking push me, Ms Hadley. No one is indispensable,” he warns.

  “You would take her side!” she spits.

  “I will, every fucking time. I’ve known you a long time Ms Hadley, and I appreciate what you’ve done for me over the years, but you call Rose another name again and we’re fucking done.”

  She snaps her gaze back to him, a bitter, twisted sound escaping her pursed lips. “I’m not stupid, Ivan, I know what she does for you all. Look at her sleeping with each of you, opening her legs for attention like some dirty piece of trash!”

  Anton steps in before Ivan’s hand slaps Ms Hadley’s face. “Enough!” he growls, grabbing her wrist.

  Ivan strides towards us, his rage palpable. He kneels down beside Erik, the glass a barrier between them. He glances at me, a worried look on his face and I understand he’s afraid Erik will break again.

  “You okay, brother?” he asks gently, flicking his gaze to me.

  “She needs to leave. I can’t do this with her here,” Erik manages to bite out.

  He’s shaking again. He’s on the verge of something catastrophic and this time I won’t be able to dance to snap him out of it.

  “Anton!” Ivan says sharply.

  “Look at Erik. She’s hurting him!” Ms Hadley shouts, pointing towards her son.

  “No. You are!” Anton snaps. “You don’t understand what’s happening here, but please believe me when I say Erik needs her. We all do. This isn’t something you can change. You either get used to it or don’t. Either way Rose is staying and you’re fucking leaving.”

  “No! I won’t allow it! I won’t allow it, do you hear?! She’s a WHORE!” Ms Hadley shouts, her normally neat hair wild like an angry storm cloud about her head.

  Anton grips her arm, and she slaps him. The loud crack reverberates around the outhouse. Erik stands, anger rippling off him as he steps towards me. His eyes are dark, the monster appears.

  “Erik,” I murmur, shuffling back on my bed. I want to untie the rope, but it’s useless. He still has the other end grasped in his white-knuckled hand.

  “Get her out!” Ivan shouts at Anton.

  Out of the corner of my eye I see Anton manhandle a crazed Ms Hadley. But she can’t go without one last parting shot.

  “Don’t believe her lies, Erik. She’s a monster just like that woman who hurt you! Don’t you see, she’s just the same?!”

  “OUT!” Ivan shouts, striding towards Anton and Ms Hadley, practically shoving her out of the door. He slams it in her face. Then runs back towards us, crashing his fist against the glass.

  “Erik, listen. Rose isn’t that woman, she isn’t. You know that. Look at me, Erik.” Ivan moves along the glass wall as Erik moves towards me, ignoring him completely.

  His gaze isn’t empty. It’s full of fire, rage, hate and anger. Every last bit of it focused on me.

  He’s lost to his memories once more, and if I don’t do something, I’m going to be just another memory from his past that haunts him.

  “Rose!” Ivan slams his hand against the glass for my attention, but I can’t look at him.

  “Can you reach the control? It’s in the bag.”

  I shake my head minutely. It’s too far away.

  “Shit! Shit!” Ivan shouts. “I’ve got to get you out of
there!”

  Erik stops a couple of feet away from me. We stare at each other, and with every breath he exhales, I inhale. I can’t get up and dance to snap him out of it. All I can do is submit.

  Fully, completely, utterly.

  I understand now, what that means, what Erik needs from my submission.

  And I’m fucking scared.

  I drop my gaze, then slowly lie back down on the bed. I control my breathing, forcing myself to be calm. I’m not a threat. I’m not his torturer. I’m not his mother, or the girl who betrayed him.

  I’m not Domina, or even Rose.

  I’m just a woman, naked, baring myself before this man, hoping it’s enough to snap him out of the pain that holds him hostage.

  I’m vulnerable in a way I haven’t been before, even with Roman. At least with him I knew what was coming; cruelty, pain. I had my demon to protect me, she kept me strong. Alive. But she’s been so quiet. She’s left me to fend for myself and it hurts.

  Now I must face Erik alone.

  “It ends now,” he mumbles from someplace far away. “You need to see, Rose.”

  I don’t try to ask him what that means, and Erik is in no shape to elaborate further.

  Instead, he grips my legs, forcing them apart. His fingers dig into my thighs as he squeezes hard, I can’t help but whimper, but it’s more from the absolute destructiveness washing over me in waves.

  I don’t fight it. I don’t want to fight it.

  My heart crashes inside my chest as the bed dips. Erik settles himself between my thighs, his hands finding my hips as he yanks me lower. The rope that’s still tied to my wrist bites into my skin.

  “You aren’t safe from the monster, Rose,” Erik bites out.

  The fact that he doesn’t see me as the woman who hurt him gives me hope. He hasn’t lost complete control...

  “Yet, you still lay here bare for me… You trust me not to hurt you,” he murmurs, sliding his hand up the inside of my thigh. I’m hyper aware of his touch, but I don’t move. I let him take control.

  “I trusted her,” he spits, his fingers gripping my flesh. I yelp. His grip tightens more.

  “I fell for a woman whose beauty blinded me to the devil inside her heart. Ten men died because I believed the lie. I was a fucking fool.”

  Erik’s fingers release my thighs, as his hands slide up to my hip bones, gripping them firmly. He yanks me against his thigh. The firmness of his muscle pressing up against my clit. The friction is deliciously sinful, and I let out a moan, wanting to thrust my hips against him but knowing I can’t.

  “Is she right? Am I a fool to trust you, Rose?” he asks, but of course I don’t answer him. In my world permission needs to be granted first.

  “Speak, goddamn it!” he shouts, pulling away his thigh in punishment.

  “I won’t hurt you like she did,” I respond. I’m here trying to free him, for Christ’s sake. Why would I do that if I meant him harm?

  “That’s not what I mean, and you know it,” he bites back, forcing his thigh against my clit. A mixture of pleasure and pain blooms outwards from that tiny bundle of nerves as he presses roughly against me.

  “I want to help you!” I grind out, whimpering.

  I try to move against him, but his hands grip hold of my hips tightly forcing me to keep still, making it perfectly clear that he’s the one who decides the tempo of this encounter. Not me. Agonisingly slowly he moves his thigh against my wetness, alternating between pressing against my clit and pulling away.

  “You know she told me the same damn thing… turns out she was a fucking liar. Are you a liar, Rose?” he asks, withdrawing his thigh.

  “No!” I shout out in frustration, wanting the pressure back, wanting to chase the pleasure as much as the pain.

  “I don’t believe you!”

  Without warning, Erik moves over me and unties my wrist, the rope burning my skin as he pulls it away roughly.

  “Sit up,” he demands.

  I don’t hesitate, keeping my gaze lowered as he positions me the way he wants. Erik shifts on the bed behind me and starts wrapping the rope around my torso, trapping my arms against my side. Round and round he winds it until my top half is immobile.

  Beyond the glass Ivan swears loudly. How difficult it must be for him to watch this exchange. I’m his Domina, the woman who commands obedience from him, and yet here I am at Erik’s mercy. From the corner of my eye I see Ivan pacing up and down.

  Erik ignores him, focussing entirely on me.

  “Ivan is not your concern, Rose. Whilst you’re in here with me, I’m the man you pay attention to, is that clear?”

  “Yes,” I agree.

  I drag my gaze away, there’s nothing Ivan can do. I must see this through. We all must.

  The rope tightens around me, the rough material harsh against my sensitive nipples, drawing out a moan of pleasure at the unexpected friction.

  “You like that, huh?”

  I nod my head, my heart skipping a beat. Yes, I fucking like it. I feel afraid, I feel alive. Every single part of me is zinging with energy.

  This is unknown territory. I’ve heard about rope play before but have never experienced it. Roman was more into handcuffs, preferring metal to any other material. It represented him in a way; cold, hard, harsh, unforgiving.

  Rope is different. It’s coarse, yes, but it has more give. Less so than silk, but far more than metal. Either way, I like it.

  “There’s no getting away, Rose. No dancing to save yourself now. Lie to me again and I’ll make sure you understand how dangerous I truly am.”

  “What do you want from me?”

  “The truth, goddamn it. I want to know what you feel. Fucking tell me.”

  I keep my words to myself, but that only angers him further.

  “No! I told you, I don’t want your silence. Tell me what you feel. DO IT!” he shouts.

  I wince. This isn’t like a normal dom-sub relationship. He doesn’t want my silence, my submission in the way I understand. We have no safe word. We have no agreements in place. There’s no safety net for either of us.

  “I can do this… I can take the pain,” I say, emphasising the fact I can take his dominance, the harsh words, the bite of the rope.

  But of course, that isn’t what he’s asking.

  “I know you can deal with the pain, Rose. But I don’t give a shit about that. I want to know what you feel,” he says, tightening the rope. My nostrils flare at the burning bite against my skin.

  Fine, if he wants to know what I feel, then I’ll fucking tell him.

  “I still feel you deep within me, Erik, as though you wanted to rip me open and bury yourself inside me. I still feel the bruises on my skin where you gripped me so hard it felt like you’d tear into my flesh at any moment. I still crave the force of your cock between my legs, your rough hands and demanding lips. I want it. God help me, I want it. I want the monster. I want you to fuck me, use me, punish me.”

  Erik’s hold loosens, the rope no longer burning. He lowers his mouth to my ear, I feel his warm breath against my skin sending a million goosebumps scattering over my body.

  “Sometimes what we want isn’t always what we need, Rose,” he growls, the tip of his nose running along my shoulder blade as he inhales my scent. “For a long time, I wanted to kill myself. I wanted to end the fucking torment. I thought about death a lot. Then one day I changed my mind, I decided to drag myself out of that black hole of self-destruction. Do you know why?”

  “No,” I whisper.

  “Because of you.”

  “Me?” I ask, my heart thundering in my chest as his tongue licks across my shoulder blade and up the side of my neck. He bites my ear as a low moan escapes my lips.

  “Yes, you. I’d watched you walk up the driveway of Browlace that first day you came for your interview. There was something so determined about you, like you were ready to begin again, to start over. I watched you look up at the house, your gaze even passed over my window, but you
didn’t see me standing in the shadows watching you. I felt like a ghost, and perhaps I was, because I sure as hell wasn’t living.”

  Erik reaches around me, his fingers moving over the rope and my skin. I squirm beneath his touch as his hand rest against my lower stomach.

  “On your second day, Fran had forgotten to lock the door to my room, and I found myself outside Ivan’s office…” Erik says, removing his hand from my stomach and wrapping his fingers around my throat.

  “Erik!” Ivan warns, but he ignores him. Erik’s fingers tighten ever so slightly. My heart skips a beat, my core melts.

  “That was you? You were the one who knocked on the door,” I pant, unable to hide my desire.

  “Yes. Even then I was drawn to you despite the madness, just like Ivan and Anton were. There’s something so right about you, even with all the wrongness you surround yourself with…” Erik’s thumb strokes the pulse in my neck, the palm of his hand putting the lightest amount of pressure on my windpipe. “Look at you, not even the tiniest bit afraid that I could end your life right here and now.”

  “I’m not afraid of death, Erik…” I whisper, my body relaxing against his.

  I’m so wet for him that the top of my thighs are damp with desire. He knows it, I know it, so why isn’t he acting on it? Isn’t this what he needs to feel like a man again, to feel in control? I want his fierceness, his monster, his harshness and broken edges. I want the pain, and with it the release. I want it so badly I’m shaking with need.

  But it never comes.

  Instead, Erik gently guides me back against the mattress and settles beside me.

  I’m bound tight, my arms pressed against my side. I’m unable to move, at his mercy. He leans over me, his blonde hair falling forward as he regards me.

  “Your past rules you, Rose. You wallow in it, not allowing yourself to feel the real beauty of this world. You’re not living, you’re hiding,” he says, a finger running over the pinched flesh between the rope. I know he wants me, his trousers are tented, his cock hard for me, but still he maintains his control.

  I bark out a laugh, unable to help myself. “Isn’t that what you’re doing, hiding in here, afraid?”