“First, I have a question.”
I knew she would. She’s too fiery not to. I admire it.
Not that I’ll tell her shit.
Instead, she’ll stay here locked up in my fortress with no clue why.
“Inside. Now.”
She should shake in fear at my tone, but she doesn’t.
Nope. Not her.
Instead, she straightens her back, keeps her head held high, and walks through the door.
Her steps halt the moment she’s in the foyer, and with the strength reserved for a superhero, she glares at me.
“Now that I came inside, why am I here?” she asks firmly.
“For your protection.”
She steps slowly forward as if pondering my words, then glances down at the floor. Halting her movements, she once again lifts her eyes to meet my gaze. Those blue eyes, deep with thought, read me, challenge me. I shouldn’t like the way she narrows her eyes and tests me, but I do. More than I should. It’s like a losing game of chess. She should cut her losses, minimize the outcome, but yet she presses on.
It’s admirable.
“My protection. That’s rich. You kidnap me and lock me up, and then you claim it’s for my protection.” She inclines her head in thought. “Okay, I’ll bite. From whom?”
I don’t answer her question. Again, that would be too easy. I prefer to watch her get angry. To watch as her skin turns a vibrant red and her cheeks suck in when she bites them. It’s probably a reaction to anger that she doesn’t even realize she does. It’s cute. Watching Ivy get angry might be my new favorite pastime.
“So that’s it. You make some ridiculous claim and don’t back it up.”
“Exactly.”
I really could tell her, but I almost like this better. The attitude, her strength. No one challenges me. Regardless that she is my captive, she still has the strength and will to challenge me, and it’s invigorating.
Men clamor at me. Women fawn.
But not her.
Yeah. Decision made.
This is the most alive I’ve felt in years, and I’m not willing to give this feeling up. No. I can’t tell her the truth, and I can’t let her go. Instead, I let her pass and follow her as she heads to the stairs.
“I’ll leave you.” I look toward the front door and then back at her. Her eyes widen because she thinks this is her chance. I stifle my laughter because there is no getting away. “I won’t lock you in,” I confirm. “You have free rein of the house. You’ll find nothing here to help you.”
“But how will—”
I hold my hand up. “There is food. Water. Everything you need is here. But there is nothing in this house or on this property to help you leave.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“Because I can.” I walk toward the door. “Bescherm,” I say, and my dog moves to stand beside Ivy.
“You can’t leave me with him. He might kill me.”
“He will protect you. Which also means no one but me will come or go from this house.”
“What’s his name?”
“Cerberus.”
She laughs, a full-body laugh, and when she throws her head back, I stare at the curve of her neck.
“How cliché are you? Cerberus? Really. Jeez, you have to be kidding.”
I shake my head at her words.
“Who do you think you are, Hades? You are no king.”
I advance toward her, stalking over like a lion ready to devour its prey.
“I’m Cyrus Reed, and that is exactly what I am.”
And on those parting words, I leave her standing in my foyer with her pale blue eyes still wide with fear.
Good.
She should be afraid.
* * *
Back at my estate, I’m sitting in my large chair in my office that faces the ocean. In the distance, I can see the outline of the manor that sits on my secluded island.
No one knows it’s there.
No one but me. Well, that and the limited people I trust.
There are only a handful.
I wonder what she is doing now. Is she searching for a way to escape again? Probably. I wouldn’t put it past her.
If it was me, I would never give up. I wouldn’t cower in fear either. She never cowered.
When I first saw her, she left me breathless. Something that rarely happens to me.
Sure, I fuck a lot, but more often than not, I barely care to even look at the woman when I do. I choose instead to take her from behind, a hole for me to sate my own baser needs in.
But Ivy is different.
I won’t fuck her.
Not unless she begs for it. Not unless she gives herself to me willingly, but I can’t pretend I don’t want to. Even with her sun-kissed hair matted with dirt, and her fair skin pale from exhaustion, she is still more beautiful than anyone.
Couple that with her inner strength and she is irresistible to me. Temptation at its finest.
When the phone rings on my desk, I welcome the distraction. It can only be one of a few people.