Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 82068 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82068 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
“No,” Gareth says with mild irritation, finally dropping his hold on me. “You shouldn’t have. You’re lucky Solomon didn’t see you. Caius is pissed.” He smirks at me. “Perhaps you’re not as beloved as I once thought.”
I hug my arms to me and remain near the closed door. I’m not eager to get too comfortable in this place. I just want to go back to the safety of my room.
“What was up with you and Ava?”
Gareth’s eyebrow rises and his stare bores into me. “She’s the one who gave me my family. Why?”
I shrug, unable to look him in the eye. “Just looked like there was history between you two.”
He chuckles. “I lost my virginity to her. We go way back.”
I’m disgusted I was right about her. Gareth seems proud to have slept with that wicked witch. I suppose any teenage boy getting laid by a sexy older woman would be something to brag about.
“Caius doesn’t like her.”
“How do you figure?” Gareth asks, genuinely confused by my statement. “They talk all the time.”
“She’s a predator,” I say to him slowly as if he’s dumb.
Gareth scowls as he approaches me. My ass bumps against the door in my effort to retreat. “We’re all predators, Ro. Every damn one of us.”
“Not Caius,” I spit back, though I don’t really know that. “What’s your intention with Kaitlyn?”
His entire body freezes and malevolent hatred contorts his usually handsome features. “The fuck you say?”
I’m totally out of my element and trapped with this evil bear of a man. I should keep my mouth shut, but I can’t help but provoke him.
“You said you were a predator,” I hiss, tears threatening. “I can only imagine what you plan to do with her.”
A vein bulges in his neck. “I would never—”
“Maybe you’ve convinced yourself you wouldn’t this time.” My voice wobbles as tears track down my cheeks. “What happened with Emma? Did you lose control? Did you mess up and need to hide your horrible mistake? What—”
Pain explodes through my head as he backhands me across my cheek. I stumble, landing hard on my side, the corner of a table jabbing into me. The breath is knocked from my lungs almost immediately.
I cower as I watch the beast of a man prowl toward me, shoulders squared and looking for a fight. Before he can get his meaty paws on me again, someone pounds on the door to his room. We both freeze.
“Gareth,” Caius says, voice sharp like a thousand razor blades. “Did you do it?”
Gareth yanks me to my feet, and I yelp. He puts a finger over his lips, indicating for me not to breathe a word of what just happened.
“Yup,” Gareth says, affixing a boyish grin. “She’s here. Safe with me.”
He opens the door and Caius strides in, hard gaze searching for me. I’m a mess, I know, with my tear-streaked cheeks, messy, sweaty hair, and now bruising cheekbone. Caius assesses it all in a millisecond. I see a flash of fury on his face before he schools it into one of impressive apathy.
“Thanks,” Caius grunts. “We need to get ready.”
I don’t have to be told twice, practically running toward my fake boyfriend. He takes hold of my hand. The immediate comforting relief I feel is alarming.
Right now, he’s the lesser of evils on this boat.
He leads me out of Gareth’s room and to the elevator. We ride up in silence. I refuse to look at Solomon’s side of the yacht when we exit, haunted by what I’ve been a witness to.
Once back to the safety of our room, Caius locks the door behind us and points to the bathroom. “Shower. Now.”
I stare at him, fear bathing me instead. “W-What?”
His nostrils flare. “Not with me, little girl. Don’t be so upset. Another time perhaps.”
Shame mixed with disgust has me storming away from him. I had been terrified at the idea of showering with him. Caius, though better than some of these other monsters, is still horrible and scary. The thought of being alone with him, naked and wet, makes me shiver uncontrollably. I’m far from being turned on by him.
I snatch some clothes from the drawers and then slip into the bathroom. After a long, hot shower where I scrub every part of me as though it’ll remove the perversion I’d seen and heard, I finally exit the bathroom. Caius barely spares me a glance as he walks past me, shutting himself in there next.
The bed calls to me, promising to erase all the horrors, and I go willingly, crawling under the covers and closing my eyes. Emotion weighs heavily on my chest. I’m drowning in regret for not having done something. I should have done something.
To what end?
There were three men in that room. I’d have easily been subdued and potentially made another victim. That wouldn’t have helped the girl any.