Lie to Me (21 page)

She hated the world she lived in and would die to change it.

Most of all, she was furious at herself for getting caught because it compromised the cause. She could endure anything, even rape at the hands of her husband, but hurting the revolt wasn’t amenable. Her gut had urged her to flee the moment Stone exited her office a week ago, but she’d been greedy and wanted to finish her dig. Not for the money, but for the relics. She loved antiques, the glimpse of life in a historic time, but the money helped with the cause.

“Stupid, stupid,
stupid
,” she muttered as she stepped into the shower stall and wrenched the spray on. The shock of cold water lurched a gasp from her, but she forced herself to endure the brutal cold as punishment for her stupidity. Her nipples beaded into tight pearls that stung from the chill, while gooseflesh pebbled her skin.

The discomfort was nothing compared to her sadness. No matter how much she attempted to soothe herself, reminding herself all was not lost, she wept for the innocent lives sacrificed in the crimson rain. She even wept for the loss of her innocence. More than once that first year of her escape, she’d contemplated returning to Stone. She’d refused to give up. Her hard-won independence was valued more now than it had been then.

When she’d fled, freedom was an idea, nothing more than a philosophy. Making mistakes and suffering with the consequences had been difficult the first year, but by the second, she’d been proud she’d survived, proud she hadn’t given up and returned to Stone with her tail between her legs. Pride kept her motivated through the years. With Reaper’s help, she’d toughened up, learned how to fend for herself, and she no longer hesitated when she made a decision. Decisiveness was a gift.

A sob choked her as she buried her face beneath the spray that had begun to heat. Her current lack of decisiveness resulted in her present trapped state. She wanted to fight Stone’s control, while craving to yield to him. The dichotomy of her emotions confused her. Everything she’d worked for was lost to his control.

The shower door opening startled her.

“I heard you crying and called for you, but you didn’t answer.” Worried gouges furrowed Stone’s forehead as he stared at her. His concern confused her. He knew she’d shunned him, and yet he fretted over her wellbeing.

He’d shed his shirt, but wore his leather pants. She liked the defined lines of his chest and his six-pack way too much. That truth terrified her, creating a flood of more tears.

She held her arm out to ward him off. “Go away,” her voice broke on the final word. “Need a moment alone.”

Stone laced his fingers with her outstretched hand. “Not on your life, sunshine.”

He didn’t shed his grimy leathers, but stepped straight into the stall, shut the door behind him, and engulfed her in his strong arms. Fighting his solace should’ve been top priority, but she rested her forearms on his chest, balling her fingers into fists so she didn’t touch him and sobbed.

“Everything will be okay.” He murmured, his lips brushing against her brow. “You’ll see.”

Kella wanted to believe him, but how could she when he’d all but reneged on his oath to free her? And she saw the benefits of being under his protection as she heralded in an uprising, while that rebellion would change everything between them.

He ran his hands up and down her back in what would’ve been a soothing gesture by most anyone else. Stone had a much different effect on her. Her nipples tightened, and she began to pulse between her legs. Squeezing her thighs together did nothing to relieve her ache there. Even her clit throbbed in time with the pounding of his heart beneath her ear.

Turning her face just slightly, her lips settled against his damp skin. His fingers dug into her shoulder and hip. Fascinated by his response, she opened her eyes and grew even more fascinated by the shimmering beads of water that slipped down his body. As his hand shifted from her shoulder to palm the back of her neck, she caught a drop of water on the tip of her tongue. Stone groaned as her tongue flicked over his pectoral.

Suddenly, he turned her so her back pressed against his chest. His touch felt like rough satin against her senses as water pelted her from the belly down. Like before in the airplane, he cupped her chin and tilted her head backward to rest against his chest. Her breathing had become loud to her ears, so she took a moment to regulate herself. After a few seconds, she lifted her gaze to his.

“You cut your hair.” Too upset when he joined her earlier, she hadn’t noticed. That metallic snippy noise she’d heard must’ve been the scissors.

“Yeah. It was time.” His thumb swished back and forth along her jaw, while his other palm created circles on her belly.

She’d liked the longer locks, but she understood the need for change. “It suits you.”

“No further lies between us.”

“It is the truth.”

“That’s not what I mean.” His palm glided upward to the underside of her right breast. She held her breath as his fingers skimmed the swell, while he licked down the slope of her neck to kiss her shoulder. “Tell me you want me, Kella.”

She couldn’t deny she was attracted to him. A fucking nun would sustain wet panties in his presence. As long as she could remember, she’d been attracted to him in some way. At first she’d been drawn to the need to needle him, anything to ruffle his uptight feathers. Then he’d become her friend and someone she trusted, followed by the very real hormonal fascination. To her dismay, she saw him as a woman would now. Living in a harsh environment where women of her caliber were valuable for only one thing, she couldn’t allow herself to be drawn into his web regardless of their history together.

“You’re a piece of work.”

His grip tightened for a fraction of a second. “I’m unsure how I should take that.”

“It was condemnation, so be insulted.” Kella jerked out of his hold and spun around to face him, uncaring of her nakedness. “You already own me, Stone. You can select my nutrition, even delegate my bedtime, and there’s not a thing I can do about it.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re my wife, not my child.”

“I’m your slave!” she yelled, her words bouncing around the small chamber. “But that’s not enough for you. Oh, no, you can’t be satisfied with owning my body and womb, but you demand my desire too. What else will you mandate?” She clutched a shampoo bottle and flung it in his direction. Either he was slow or her violence was unexpected because it bopped him on the left side of his forehead. As he cursed, she went on with her rant. “I don’t want you, Stone.”

“You want me, that’s never been at question. It’s my legal claim that you object to.”

“Get it through your thick skull.
I don’t want you
. Not one goddamn thing about you. Not your name, not your protection, and you know what, I don’t even care if you were trying to save me when you bought me. Wanna know why?” She didn’t give him a chance to respond. “Because I shouldn’t have been auctioned to begin with.”

He seemed more bemused by her outburst than convinced.

Stone crashed into her and drove her backward, his weight pinning her against the cool tiles at her back. Stunned by his unexpected aggression, she gaped at him for a moment before her brain finally kicked into gear and she reacted.

Kella lifted her hands to shove him away, but he clasped her wrists and clamped them to the wall. With her nipples scraping against his chest with each inhalation, she struggled to think beyond the pleasure suddenly morphing from her core.

“Don’t stop now, you’re on a roll, sunshine.” His voice dropped to a low, sensual drawl, and her focus transferred to his mouth where water beaded on his bottom lip. Fuck, but the way the droplets clung to him was erotic, sexy in a way that made no sense. And it resulted in her clenching her thighs together again to ease the friction between her legs, but the action worsened her longing. “What else don’t you want from me?”

She closed her eyes to distance herself because she couldn’t concentrate this close to him. Couldn’t hold his gaze because she could see his desire.

“Anything and everything.”
Lies. Nothing but lies
. No, no, not lies, but self-preservation. To give into her yearning for Stone meant she forfeited her freedom and her revolution. Both were too important to sacrifice for a man, didn’t matter how desirable he was, or how much history they had. “I simply don’t want you.”

A sensual glide of his nose along hers and her breath caught in her throat.

That
should be weird, not hot.

“That lie is worse than the lesbian one you tried to spin.” He dragged his finger along her bottom lip, the caress resulted in her tongue swishing out to lick the flesh he touched. “Makes a man wonder what better use your mouth can be used for.”

A blowjob.
Jesus
. Her lids flipped upward at the suggestion. “Not that.” But the visual descending into her mind lingered far longer than was comfortable. “Hardly a lie. I left you.”

“Because you were scared.” Terrified then and now. “Why don’t you give me a chance to prove myself before you paint me as an evil bastard.”

“All Regents are immoral pricks.” Even as the words left her mouth, she bemoaned her harsh stance. All she really knew about Stone was that he headlined the scandal sheets a lot, and the better part of those scandals involved women or drinking.

“Good to know you give everyone a fair shake.”

Before she could respond Stone lowered his head and crushed his lips to hers. His knee pushed between her legs. He gripped her hips and jerked her pelvis forward, so she had no choice but to ride his thigh. The connection of his leather pants against her core caused heat to lick along her senses.

“Stone,” she whimpered. He took advantage, driving his tongue inside to knot with hers. Even though one of her hands was free, she kept it glued to the wall as she struggled to process the desire that curled low in her belly.

“I love the way you taste.” He released her wrist and curled his palm around the back of her neck, a possessive hold. “Can’t get enough.”

Kella grappled with her mixed emotions, wanting to push him away, but also desiring to cling to him just to be nearer to him. The gentle abrasion of her breasts against his slick chest, and the way his hand clamped on her hip to rock her pussy against his wet-leather-covered thigh...
Jesus Christ almighty!
The man was well versed in seduction.

So flummoxed by her unanticipated desire, she grew alarmed and blurted out the first thing that came to her mind. “Don’t take my choice away from me.”

Stone’s kiss froze over her mouth, and his fingers dug into her hip. It was his glare and not his grip that caused Kella to wince. His stony gaze held hers for a long moment, and she held her breath waiting for his explosion. Body stiff, he stepped away and gripped her chin, his fingers biting into her skin. Guilt had her struggling to hold his gaze.

Anger spread over his features, jaw clenching and nostrils flaring. “My God, what type of monster do you think I am? Don’t answer that.” With a sudden jerk, he released her chin. A sharp tug of his fingers through his wet locks, and then he nailed her in place with a glower. “Allow me to be very specific, Kella. I don’t give a fuck if the law gives me permission to fuck you when, how, and where I desire, with no regard to your permission. Without your consent that’s rape, plain and simple. I’ll have nothing less than you wet, soft, and willing when I sink my dick into you.”

Not if, but when
, she noted.

A sharp knock sounded on the bathroom door. The interruption startled Kella, but relieved her too because anything she could think to reply would probably escalate their fight.

“What?” Stone barked.

“Got a problem,” James’s voice was muffled from the other side of the door.

“Handle it.” Stone stared at Kella. “I have my own problems.”

Being called a problem rankled. The way she saw it, the system was the problem not her. “Honor your promise, and I won’t
be
a problem.”

“Stone, get your ass out here.” The stress in Satan’s voice amused her, even while making her curious what had this type of power over him.

“Just a sec, James.” Stone got all up in her face, rubbing his chest against her breasts. Her breath hitched, and he provided her with a satisfied grin. “You’re mine, Kella. Accept it so we can move on.”

Kella’s eyes slid shut at the heavenly feel of his wet pecs rubbing against her nipples. In this moment she couldn’t care less that he claimed her like property. This one single move could blow her resolve apart. Staying strong in the face of temptation had never been so hard as it was now.

Fingertips gliding across her cheek had her lids sliding open to peek at him through her wet lashes. “You’ve been mine since the day you walked into my life and I took responsibility for you. You were such a pain in the ass to begin with, but that didn’t matter because I couldn’t bring myself to leave you to your own follies. You’re mine to protect, devour, and love. That’ll
never
change.”

Pounding on the door and an angry feminine voice surfaced. “Stone Emmerson, I will
not
be ignored. You owe me answers.”

Stone groaned. “Now there’s a problem I could do without.” Questions surfaced faster than she could process them. He seemed to know what she wanted to know. “That’s Katarina. My...soon to be
ex
-fiancée.”

“You’re engaged?” The woman’s identity served as a physical slap to her weakness. She hadn’t even known he’d been engaged, but then again he’d claimed to be married earlier, too, and here she was dallying with him like he didn’t belong to another woman.

“Settle your horses, we’ll be out in a moment.” Stone retrieved the shampoo bottle from the floor and handed it to her.

With numb fingers she accepted the container and blanched as the other woman shrieked, “
We
?”

Stone’s sigh sounded weary. “Bathe, sunshine.”

Dumbfounded by his blasé demeanor she gaped at him while he shucked his leather pants. “You’re acting like nothing’s wrong when you’re engaged to another woman. While trying to seduce me. The other woman.”