Tender Mercies - By Kitty Thomas Page 0,27

cheeks.

“Grace.”

She looked up.

“I’m not going to harm you, but the sooner we at least partly cross this bridge, the easier things will go. I’ve been thinking while you were on the computer. I don’t know if my way of dealing with this is the best way, considering your history. But it’s the way I’ve decided to proceed. I know perhaps it’s selfish. But I bought you for many reasons. I want a sexual companion. If I were just some guy on the street who wanted to date you, then perhaps this would be evil and insensitive. But I’m not just some guy. I’m your master.”

So maybe he hadn’t bought her just to clean his house or cook his meals. Grace didn’t know how she felt about that, but she did know she was getting stupid. He was patiently waiting. Not yelling or screaming or grabbing her and throwing her down. He was waiting for her to make the choice to come to him. But that only made it harder and made her feel more responsible somehow for whatever happened next. Irrational though that was.

With Lucas there had been none of that. There had been demands and either immediate obedience or swift and painful punishment. Sometimes punishment had included missed meals and sensory deprivation. A few hours away from that, and she was already hesitating because so far hesitating hadn’t earned her pain.

“Don’t force me to punish you on your first day.”

Those words made her blood run cold. So like what Lucas had told her when she’d hesitated for a moment about giving him the ring. Asher was the same. Of course he was the same. Why would she believe he wasn’t the same?

But he hadn’t punished her yet. Maybe he wouldn’t look for imaginary reasons to beat her. If she just gave him whatever he wanted, maybe she could delay punishments for a while. After all, there were differences between them, weren’t there? Lucas had burned away all her memories in the first twenty minutes and locked her in a cell. Asher had given her nice clothes, a warm shower, a good breakfast, and contact with her only friend in the outside world. But Lucas had built her trust for a year online . . .

“Last chance, Grace.”

His voice had gone down a register, sounding almost like it had in Lucas’s dungeon. There was that scary edge that compelled her to obedience. It worked again now as she peeled the clothing off and climbed into bed.

Asher lay back against the pillows. “Straddle me, kitten. I don’t want you on your back until it heals.”

She could feel his erection straining against his pajamas into the space between her legs as she obeyed the order. One of his arms wrapped around her waist, just missing the marks Lucas had left, and the other gently grasped the back of her neck, pulling her to him. When his lips pressed against hers, his tongue demanding entrance into her mouth, she gasped.

Inexplicably, her body responded to him. She could feel the wetness building. After everything that had transpired with Lucas, no part of her should want this. Even though Asher hadn’t hurt her, it was . . . perverse. She couldn’t even tell him no. She didn’t even have the right to tell him no. And if she did, surely he wouldn’t listen. It would be bad. So why did she have to physically stop herself from rubbing against him?

She wasn’t able to contain the tears that started until they became pained sobs. Asher stopped, pulling back from her, and she tensed, waiting for pain to be delivered. How dare she interrupt his sexual experience with her trauma.

“Grace, look at me.”

Her eyes fluttered open.

“Tell me exactly why you’re crying. And don’t be cute about it. I know why, but I want to know exactly why. I need to know everything that triggers you. I need to be completely inside your head. And if you even think about lying to me, I will know.”

She shuddered at that last part. Every time he wanted her to tell him something, he said he would know if she lied. And she believed him. It was too big of a risk not to believe him. And she didn’t know what to do with this because Lucas had never made these kinds of demands. He’d just wanted to use her and wanted her to obey. He couldn’t have cared less what she was thinking. She knew even now that Asher would