Toxic - Zoe Blake Page 0,19

sank when I saw the dark screen. Knowing what I would find, I touched it with my fingertip anyway. The familiar passcode screen lit up. Locked. My chance gone.

“Elizabeth?” Richard called out.

“Sorry, Richard. I got distracted. No, you haven’t told me where we’re going,” I called out as I stood up, gripping the cell phone in my hand, panicked and unsure of what to do.

Tripping over my long skirts, I lunged for the bed and slipped the phone under the mattress, just as Richard appeared back in the bedroom dressed in a loosely open, deep blue bathrobe. I loved him in that robe. It brought out the dark sapphire in his eyes.

Richard crossed toward me and slipped a warm hand around my waist, drawing me in close. Nuzzling my jaw, he murmured, “I’m taking you to your favorite restaurant, Aqua Shard.”

I hated how my body responded to his slightest touch. Just the feel of his hand on my hip. The way he drew me in close. The spicy scent of his aftershave that still lingered on his skin from this morning.

Closing my eyes, my heart ached. He always did this to me. Frightened me one moment, then charmed me the next. Leave it to Richard to surprise me with reservations at my favorite restaurant. I just loved the food and the stunning panoramic views of London. It made me feel as if we were alone in the world, staring down at all the twinkling lights of humanity.

Was it any wonder I tempted death and the devil himself by staying with this man?

“I have been very cruel to my sweet little bird,” observed Richard, breaking into my confused reverie.

Tilting my head back with a slight moan as he playfully nipped and licked at the delicate skin just beneath my ear, I reached up to hold on to his shoulders as my knees felt weak. “Really?” I anxiously whispered.

My heart stopped. Would he own up to placing the dead bird in the car for me to find? Would he admit it was just another cruel game he was playing to keep me unbalanced and by his side?

“I haven’t told you how stunning you look in your new plumage.”

Stepping back, he took one of my hands and lifted it to his lips before he drew my arm up high and gestured for me to spin for him.

Obeying his silent command, I did a quick shaky spin, showing off my new dress; a blush-colored tulle covered in strategically placed hand-embroidered flowers that hugged my every curve. With its wide shoulder straps and floor-sweeping length, it was both seductive and modest, precisely Richard’s preferred style for me.

“You are without a doubt the most beautiful creature to walk the earth.”

Blushing, I tried to brush his compliment aside.

Taking my hand, he placed it over his already hard cock. “Can you feel what you do to me? I must be mad to share you with the rest of the world tonight. I should just tie you to this bed and have my wicked way with you instead.”

As if it were second nature now, my hand gripped the rigid length through the folds of his robe.

Before my traitorous body could react to the kinky promise of his words, I once more remembered the stolen cell phone hidden inches away under the mattress. In my mind, I could hear its shrill ring betraying its hiding place like the beating of the telltale heart.

“Richard, you need to get ready. We’ll be late,” I said as I anxiously ran my hands over the lapels of his robe.

With a playfully dramatic sigh, he relented, but not before placing a hand under my chin and raising my gaze to his own. “Fine, but I will make good on my threat later tonight.”

I swallowed my fear. Part of me knew he was talking about restraining me to the bed later, but there was another part of me that knew you couldn’t always be certain with Richard. Maybe he was referring to the threat he had not-so-subtly made earlier with the dead bird?

As he walked away, he tossed over his shoulder, “By the way, I called ahead and made sure the chef would prepare your favorite dish tonight; Barbary duck breast with apricot ravioli. I know how disappointed you were the last time when it wasn’t on the menu.”

Damn the man. He was driving me insane!

Thoughtful boyfriend one moment.

Torturous puppet master the next.

Waiting several dreadful heartbeats after hearing the shower turn on, I pulled the phone