Page 40 of Lord of Ruin
I’d stopped trying personally, sending my housekeeper to her room with food, most of which had gone uneaten.
I’d wanted to punish her, locking her inside her room like the bad girl I’d called her. Why, for the first time in fucking years, did I feel any sense of remorse?
I wasn’t entirely certain why I was accepting her behavior in truth. If she were anyone else, I’d just tell her how it was going to be. Maybe I felt something as unusual as the furrowing desire I felt for her.
Remorse for fucking up her life.
I wasn’t certain how that was possible but as she stood in the rays of early morning light, glaring at me as she’d done for two solid days, I couldn’t help but find her incredibly attractive.
“Good morning,” I said first as I headed toward the Keurig machine, grabbing another mug from the cabinet.
“Fuck you. Oh, is that being too rude?”
I shook my head, trying to control my answer.
“I think we need to start over, Jenna. This doesn’t need to be a painful situation for you. However, we need to start communicating.”
“Communicating? You are obviously out of your mind.”
The tension between us was to be expected. The way I reacted with my cock twitching wasn’t. Maybe I adored a challenge more than I’d realized.
“Did you sleep well the past two nights?” I asked, shocked at how formal my voice sounded. One thing I knew for certain was that she needed to understand right now that she had no choice in accepting the current situation.
“As well as can be expected given I’m your prisoner. You made certain of that by keeping me locked inside.”
“Well, you did try and run away.”
She looked away, taking another sip of coffee. Her anger was as electrifying as her personality. “God, I hate you.”
Wasn’t it true that love and hate had very fine lines between them?
“It doesn’t need to be this way, Jenna. I’ve granted you free rein within the confines of the house and grounds. With certain rules applied of course.”
“Oh, of course. Not without one of your goons following me. It’s funny. I looked outside my window yesterday afternoon and the gruff bouncer guy in your employ was like glue standing beside the trellis. Do you teach them how to stare without blinking in their onsite training for the job?”
How could I not chuckle from her continued rebellious attitude? “My men are expertly trained and good at what they do. Besides, you used the trellis to make your escape. You can’t blame me for wanting to keep you safe. Even if you do, that won’t matter. I’m doing what needs to be done.” I popped in the coffee pod, pressing the button before rounding the corner of the island.
She glanced out the window briefly. “Right. I can’t blame you? You must be kidding me. I don’t know what you want from me, Stavros. I’m not a doll you can keep on the shelf. I can’t stay inside your house locked in a room for the rest of my life. Yes, it’s a beautiful prison, but you can’t honestly think you’re going to keep me locked away until I’m old and gray. I will find a way out of your clutches. I have to. I’m not done living yet.”
Her statements were true enough and in two days of thinking and trying to plan, I’d come up with no real solutions for her or anything else. She did deserve much better than the hand that had been dealt to her.
I walked closer, crowding her space and she immediately stiffened. When I dared reach out, raking my finger from one side of her jaw to the other, she flinched, jerking her head away. She had the ability to irritate the hell out of me while also driving me to the point of longing to rip off her clothes.
Very slowly I fisted my hand, dropping my arm but I refused to back away. “You’re getting a reprieve today.”
“How so?” At least I’d perked her interest.
“My sister is taking you shopping. I’m certain she’ll insist on lunch as well.”
“Oh, my goodness. You’ll allow your sister to venture out into the big bad world? Is she a blackbelt or a Ninja in disguise?”
I lifted a single eyebrow. “Neither, however, Elena can take care of herself.”
“And I can’t? What is she, Superwoman?”
“No, but she’s lived this life from the day she was born. She knows what’s at stake, and she had no issue keeping guards with her. Plus, she’s a trained marksman.”
“So am I.”