believe them. Not really. My body would’ve been spared if he’d only broken up the nightmare at the gazebo. He didn’t have to kill anyone. And the way he spoke about Graves? No, those aren’t the words of someone who doesn’t care, who doesn’t feel. This man may not be a hero, but he did do all this for me.
The bed shifts, his weight lifting.
“Stay.” I close my eyes.
“I told you, princess. I’m no hero. Rest now. I’ll need you ready to pay up tomorrow.”
“Tell me who you are,” I whisper to the darkness.
Only silence answers.
“Please, your name?” I ask again.
Silence and darkness, then the weighted warmth of heavy sleep.
10
Clark
“Why did you leave school?” I scratch at the day’s growth on my cheek as Lily stirs in the bed.
Her color is back, and though she has dark circles under her eyes, she doesn’t look like a ghost. She did last night. I had my personal physician come check her as she slept. Without a drug test, I won’t know what they slipped her, but needless to say it was akin to a goddamn horse tranquilizer.
“Why are you going all tense?”
I return my gaze to her. Her eyes have their regular sparkle back, and though her lips are dry and cracked, her words are clear again.
“Answer my question.”
She turns and focuses on the dark coffered ceiling above my bed. “Why does it matter?”
“Because I want you to tell me the truth for once.”
“I’ve shown you my truth.” She glares at me. “You’ve seen it on video, remember? I’ve given you everything you asked of me. I paid.”
“I’m not talking about that.”
She sighs. “It doesn’t matter.”
I stand and walk to the bed.
She doesn’t flinch when I run the backs of my fingers down her soft cheek.
“Tell me why you left school.”
Her lip trembles, but she doesn’t give in. Not to her tears and not to me.
“I guess you brought me here for your payment.” She pushes the blanket off her, revealing her beautiful body to me. “Go ahead and take it.” She spreads her legs.
“Christ, Lily.” I should cover her. I should walk away. But I’m not that man. I’ve never been that man.
“Is that what you want?” With angry movements I strip off my shirt, then the rest of my clothes.
She watches me intently, her cheeks turning pink as I go. And when I free my cock, her tongue darts out and wets her lips. She is bait, a trap, a siren on the rocky shore. And I’ve never been able to resist her. Not from the first moment.
When I climb on top of her, she gasps, and her hands go to my shoulders.
“Are you going to answer my question?” I put my weight on my elbows and glare down at her. I’m so hard, my cock practically begging for me to move my hips and seat myself inside her. It’s what I should do. She owes me this, all of it. But what I want even more from her is the truth for once.
Against my better judgment, I lower my mouth to hers and brush a soft kiss against her lips.
She doesn’t move at first, but then she answers. The slightest pressure of her mouth against mine, the hint of more.
I pull back, still trying to decipher who she is and what she wants.
“You could hurt me right now,” she whispers. “But you haven’t.”
“I should.” I press my forehead to hers.
A tear slips from her eye, and I wipe it away with my thumb. That seems to change the air between us.
“I left school—” She swallows hard. “I left because my mother is sick. That’s why I need the money. That’s why I lied to make myself seem like something I’m not. I don’t have any skills for a job, so I couldn’t get the money that way. I couldn’t get a loan. And I tried being an escort, but I just couldn’t do it. I thought the easiest way would be as a sugar baby, but then you offered so much more. You offered a way into a world that I’d only seen while I washed windows and polished the floors with my mom. With that kind of money, Mom would have the care she needs, and then we’d be set for life. So, I thought I could take that chance. With your help, I could pass for one of them. I know how they act, what they wear, the things they say. All I needed was access to