Mistress to the Beast (7 page)

Then, the shame had come. He wasn’t the one who’d put her up to this. She was here for her father and he knew it. That’s when the depression kicked in. While he’d fucked her, he could almost imagine she was there for him, not because he’d forced her hand.

With a sigh of resignation, he turned the nozzles of the shower off. Standing under rapidly chilling water wasn’t going to change things. If he had any decency within him, he’d let her go home. But he couldn’t, at least not until he’d had his fill of her and Hunter had a feeling that wouldn’t be for a very long time.

Once he was dried off, he threw on the terry cloth robe hanging on the back of the bathroom door. He put his hand on the knob, but caught his reflection through the steam in the mirror. Walking over to it, he wiped the mist away. Hunter flinched at the sight of his scars.

Raising his hand, he touched them. It was no wonder Lila could barely look at him.

He’d noticed it. There wasn’t much about her that had escaped his attention. His fingers grazed the patchwork of imperfections criss-crossing the side of his face. When would the pain and desolation end? When would it cease to hurt so much? Was this to be his eternal punishment for the way he once used and discarded the women in his life? He wasn’t crazy enough to believe any of them had cared about him beyond his wallet, so why him?

The right side of his face in its untouched state mocked him, reminding Hunter of the man he used to be. With a frustrated grunt, he turned away, his anger renewed. Lila wouldn’t get out of their bargain by shedding a few tears. He wouldn’t allow them to sway his decision in keeping her here.

Storming out of the bathroom with every intention of telling her so, the wind was knocked out of his sails when Hunter saw Lila lying in the same position she’d been in www.samhainpublishing.com 49

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when he’d left her. She was curled up into a tight ball, her even, steady breathing indicating she was sleeping.

His gaze trailed down the curve of her back to her rear. He wanted to snuggle next to her, mold his body to hers, but didn’t dare. Walking to the other side of the bed, he knelt in front of her.

Lila looked so vulnerable in this state, much younger than her twenty-seven years.

Tear tracks stained her cheeks and again guilt briefly assailed him.

Hunter brushed aside a stray lock of hair that had fallen across her forehead. He used his knuckles to graze the softness of her cheek. In her sleep, she murmured something he couldn’t quite make out before a small smile touched her full lips. Unable to help himself, he brushed their tempting fullness with his mouth.

When she stirred, he pulled back. It was probably best if he took her back to her own room. Besides, if she stayed in here with him, there was no way he could trust himself not to take her again. Nor did he have the stomach to wake up to her screams.

Hunter shuddered, remembering the last time he’d allowed a woman to fall asleep in his bed. After a night of sexual aerobics, he’d made the mistake of letting his guard down. When he woke up the following morning, Tina was still sleeping. Sliding on top of her still resting form, he’d planted kisses on her face and neck in hopes they would wake her.

The pure terror in her eyes was like a dagger through his heart. He’d never repeated that error again and he certainly wasn’t going to do it with Lila. For some reason, screams coming from her would be far worse.

Careful not to wake her, he lifted her in his arms and took her to the room he’d designated as hers. Gently, Hunter eased her between the covers and dragged them up to her chin. For several moments, he stood, watching her sleep.

God, she was beautiful and for the next three months she’d be his for the taking. The sudden urge to wake her and slide his cock deep into her hot cunt again warred through him, but he pushed that feeling back.

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He’d allow her a respite for the remainder of the night, because come tomorrow, there would be none.

***

Lila snuggled within the warmth surrounding her. Something cold and wet touched her face and then licked her lips. A pair of green eyes flashed in her mind and a delicious sensation heated her to the very core, sending little bursts of flames up her spine.

The damp stroke of what felt like a tongue grew more insistent. Why was he licking her face? She frowned not wanting to open her eyes, but then something spongy and moist nuzzled the side of her neck and sniffed. The sound of panting greeted her ears, followed by the scent of stale breath.

What the hell?

She turned her head to evade the questing tongue and rank morning breath, but it didn’t stop. In fact, it grew more persistent. Her lids popped open and Lila found herself staring into a pair of round, pale blue eyes.

Shooting up into a sitting position, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, her stomach suddenly feeling nauseous. Standing next to her bed was the biggest dog she’d ever seen. No, that wasn’t a dog, it was a horse. Scooting away from the animal, she gagged. Yuck! While she liked dogs, it wasn’t her cup of tea to be French kissed by one.

“Shoo.” She gave it a gentle shove, but the huge black monstrosity wouldn’t budge.

As a matter of fact, it seemed to think she was playing a game.

Placing his huge paws on the bed, it climbed up beside her. Its mouth was turned into what looked like a smile.

“No. Bad dog.”

But, it wasn’t listening. Jumping up and down, he nudged her with his head.

Despite herself, Lila began to giggle. “You’re just a big kid aren’t you? A big hairy kid.” She patted his shiny black coat and the dog preened at the attention.

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“Miss Lila! I’m so sorry.” Mrs. Coates rushed into the room. The housekeeper tugged the dog’s collar. “Shadow, get down this instant. I guarantee this won’t happen again. Usually, the dogs stay in the kennel when there is company or they’re at Mr.

Jamison’s side. I think he caught the scent of a new person. Shadow is a people dog, I’m afraid.”

Giving the dog one last rub, Lila smiled. “It’s okay. He’s a sweetie.” She yawned.

“What time is it anyway?”

“It’s about ten past one.”

“In the afternoon?”

“Yes.”

Lila groaned. “I’ve never slept this late before in my life. I need to get up. It’s no wonder I feel so lethargic.”

“Take your time, Miss Lila. Whenever you’re ready for something to eat, you can either come downstairs or I’ll bring you up a tray if you buzz me on the intercom.”

“I’ll be down. I’m really not the type to laze around in bed all day.”

The older woman shrugged. “I imagine you had a late night. Mr. Jamison said you were not to be disturbed.”

Heat rushed to Lila’s cheeks at the insinuation. Studying the housekeeper’s face, she saw nothing malicious in Mrs. Coates’s face. The statement was probably innocent, but it again reminded her of why she was here. No longer could she look Mrs. Coates in the eyes. Lila bowed her head, folding her hands in her lap. “That was thoughtful of him.”

“Let me know if you need anything.”

“Wait!”

The other woman halted mid-step. “Yes, Miss Lila.”

“Umm, is Mr. Jamison expecting me for lunch?”

The housekeeper frowned. “I don’t think so. He usually stays in his office most of the day to work. He should be done by dinnertime.”

“Oh.” Then what the hell was she supposed to do all day? She wasn’t used to sitting around idly. Would she be forced to stay in her room all day, bored out of her skull, 52

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waiting for him to be ready for her again? She trembled at the thought, but not from revulsion or cold. More from how she’d reacted to him the night before. Lila shook her head to rid herself of the carnal images of the night before from her mind.

“Is that all for now, Miss Lila?” Mrs. Coates broke into her thoughts.

“Umm, what am I supposed to do for the remainder of the day? Maybe I can help you around the house?”

Mrs. Coates’s chin rose and her lips tightened briefly. “That won’t be necessary.

There’s a library in the west wing if you like to read and the basement has been converted to a game room. The in-house theater is on the first floor and the weather is nice enough to take a swim if you’re so inclined. I didn’t get a chance to show you the place properly yesterday, but I’ll be happy to do so today.”

“Actually if you don’t mind, I’d like to explore the place on my own…that is if you don’t mind?”

“That should be fine, but please stay away from Mr. Jamison’s office. He doesn’t like to be disturbed while he’s working.”

“Which one is his office?”

“It’s two doors down from the kitchen.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

The housekeeper gave her attention to the Great Dane who looked as though he was contemplating jumping on the bed again.

Lila shot him a look.
Not a chance buddy
.

“Come on Shadow.” When Mrs. Coates closed the door behind her, Lila slid out of bed pulling a sheet off with her and wrapping it around her body. She wasn’t used to sleeping in the nude. It suddenly dawned on her that she was back in her room. Hunter must have brought her here sometime during the night. As much as she tried to block last night from her mind, she couldn’t.

All her intentions to not respond to his ardent caresses had been futile. He’d possessed her with the skills of a man who knew exactly how to please a woman. Images www.samhainpublishing.com 53

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of his hands running along her body, tongue circling her skin, and cock stuffing her so fully, infiltrated her mind. Her pussy throbbed and nipples pebbled against the silk sheets.

No! She mustn’t let that man get the better of her. It was only physical. Once the three months were over, she would walk away without a backward glance. Or could she?

Strangely enough, she was experiencing something more than physical pleasure. If she wasn’t, Lila might have been able to deal with these feelings, but no, it was something more—something she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

He puzzled her. She had expected him to be rough with no regard for her pleasure, but he’d taken his time to make sure she was thoroughly sated, giving her not one, but three orgasms. No one had set her insides on fire like he had, yet there was no one she had more reason to hate than him. This ordeal was going to be much harder to get through than she’d originally thought.

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It was difficult to get any work done while sporting a serious hard-on. Just knowing Lila was in the same house with him made his pulse race. Eager for the night to come when he could have her again, Hunter spent most of the day staring into space and rubbing his painfully engorged cock to ease the tension rather than focusing on his project.

He’d barely touched the food Mrs. Coates had brought in for lunch. What was Lila doing right now? Was she thinking of him? He snorted. Probably not. She was most likely counting the days until she could leave him. Why did that thought cause him pain?

Glancing at his watch, he noted it was going on five. Normally, he would get so engrossed in what he was doing that a lot of times he didn’t rise from his desk until well into the night. With a frustrated grunt, he shut down his computer. There was no point in sitting here getting eye strain for nothing. Hell, who said he had to wait until dinner to have her again?

He was horny now!

If only he knew where the hell she was. Lila wasn’t in her room, nor was she in the game room. Had she managed to leave without notifying him? Pain swelled within his chest. He knew she didn’t care about him, but he could have sworn after last night she wasn’t completely adverse to his touch. He walked into the closest bedroom and was about to press the call button on the intercom, but he saw Mrs. Coates coming down the hallway.

She inclined her head toward him. “Good afternoon, Mr. Jamison.”

“Have you seen Miss Saunders?”

“No. I haven’t see her since she came down for lunch and that was a few hours ago.

She did mention something about visiting the kennel to see the dogs. I’m sure she’s around here somewhere. If I see her, I’ll let her know you’re looking for her.”

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He held up his hand. “No. That won’t be necessary. I’ll look for her myself.” The last thing he wanted was to appear too anxious.

She nodded and looked like she was about to move on but hesitated.

Hunter raised a brow. “Is there something you wanted to say?”

“No, Mr. Jamison.”

Frowning, he wondered what could be on the woman’s mind. In all the time she and her husband had been in his employ, she never gave her feelings away, but in the past couple days, he had the feeling she didn’t quite approve of what was going on. “Are you sure?”

“Of course.”

He couldn’t force her to spill whatever was on her mind if she didn’t want to share.

Continuing on his quest, his anxiety was fast becoming anger. Was she hiding from him?

He was about to pass the library when movement caught the corner of his eye. Sitting curled up in the far corner of the room with Shadow resting his head on her lap, was Lila.

She seemed to be engrossed in her book while her hand absently stroked the dog’s sleek coat.

Deja, his golden bull mastiff, lay at her feet. Usually, he let the dogs roam the house freely as they were both housetrained and caused very little mischief for dogs of their size. But when there were guests in his home, especially of the female persuasion, Hunter kept them locked in their kennel. In his experience, people were squeamish around large animals. Shadow was nearly two hundred pounds and Deja was one twenty-five. They were gentle creatures who wouldn’t hurt a fly, but still intimidating in looks. Hunter had an affinity with them because people often judged them by the way they looked—kind of like him. So it amazed him to see Lila so comfortable with them. She was full of surprises.