Indebted - Piper Stone Page 0,60

wanting to keep the beautiful moment of intimacy, but knowing even if I did it wouldn’t matter in the least.

He’d already shut down. As he stared at me, his own level of defiance more intense than mine, I realized there was no getting through to the man he’d shut down, burying in the past.

“You are the most beautiful creature on the face of this earth. If only I could give you what you need. If only I could be a better man, but I am a monster inside and out. It’s best you remember that.”

The wretched sound of his voice would stay with me for some time to come. When he released his hold, he backed away.

Disappearing into the darkness.

Chapter Eleven

Gabriel

Darkness.

It would forever surround my soul, its bony fingers drawing me to the very brink of hell. I was true evil, the epitome of darkness to her light.

Some said the sins of the fathers would place a permanent stain. Now I knew exactly what that meant.

I was the man who would destroy her through my existence and my damning needs.

The reality was difficult, something I would be forced to face.

I’d let go with her, forgetting my own rules of not engaging emotionally. She was my possession and nothing more. I owned her outright. She would pay off her father’s debt with her body, her presence, and her acceptance that she would be my wife.

The rest was merely an enjoyable perk.

There was no love between us and would never be. She would never get under my skin or coerce me into becoming her friend. I clenched my fist, furious with myself even as I found it difficult to breathe, my heart racing.

“Fuck!”

The grip on my glass was strong enough to shatter the fucking thing into a thousand pieces. She’d managed to yank the beast from his lair because she’d dared to touch me, to defy my space.

Damn it.

To act like she fucking cared.

To pretend that I would ever mean anything to her.

She wanted to know truths in all things. Would that freaking help her see the glorious goodness in all people?

There is no such thing, little princess. There are only evil and much, much worse. Imagine your worst nightmare then expand it tenfold.

I lifted my glass, toasting to the past. If she learned the truth, those very nightmares would haunt her for years to come. Even I wasn’t so much of a monster to wish that on her.

Maybe I’d wanted her to use the gun, to fight her way into freedom. I was surprised that she hadn’t attempted to make a single call or even walked closer to the phone. She’d had two perfect chances to find a way out of her prison, but she’d failed.

I wasn’t certain what that meant on any level.

However, she remained astute as fuck, realizing that I also wanted to know the truth about whatever had gone on with Mr. Rivers. My gut told him that whatever game he’d played with her wasn’t over. I refused to have any issues, including a lowlife like him attempting to take her away.

Or worse.

I would indeed do what was necessary.

Exhaling, I backed further into the room, still able to see her, to catch a glimpse of her beauty and silent rebellion.

As well as her sadness.

I’d seen the haunted look in her eyes, the confusion riding her face. I’d also witnessed the hurt the moment I’d wrapped my hand around hers, prepared to break her fingers given a simple touch, a crossing of personal boundaries. Sighing, I moved away from the French doors altogether, second guessing my decision to allow her to go outside.

She wasn’t ready and I certainly couldn’t trust her.

Fuck. Fuck!

No, the truth was much uglier.

I wanted darkness. I needed shadows. Even the pool seemed too bright, luring me away from the safety net I’d surrounded myself with.

Hiding. My God, I’d spent years acquiring businesses, building an empire. I’d faced the ugliness of assholes and treachery, but this beguiling and very disobedient woman had seriously come close to derailing me.

I had to have more control, for God’s sake.

I would have full authority over her as well as my emotions.

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, holding until my lungs expanded, the burn painful in my chest. I was still able to feel the tingle of skin from her touch, the intensity of the heat emitted from her body. She was beautiful, alluring.

Defiant.

She was a woman who needed to be broken and quickly. She actually did believe that