“I was nice to your ass this time. I won’t be next time. That cunt is for me only. You’re not my father’s anymore.”
“What the fuck makes you think you can order me around?”
He illuminated my phone screen and I saw, in clear and perfectly sharp color, a picture of me with my soaked fingers, my mouth open wide as his release coated my face, cum roping out of the tip of his stupid cock.
“You look really pretty like that, doctor. But I don’t think you’d like if that got out. Since I’m your patient and all.”
“You’re not my patient!” I shrieked.
“You’re right,” he nodded, a flash of sharp predator’s teeth in the moonlight. “I’m the rest of your damn life.”
And then as I stumbled backwards, he was gone.
CHAPTER 5
After I threw a shirt over the window, I barely slept, tossing and turning as I tried to figure out what to do.
I had to break the trajectory of his fixation.
I could not let it develop into a full-blown obsession.
That meant, despite the risk, I had to leave in the morning before anyone else was up.
Once I was safely away, I would hire someone to somehow wipe the phone remotely and delete that picture.
I got up when dawn was still hovering on the horizon, and it took all the courage I had to open that doorknob.
Lucian was still sleeping.
I didn’t know if I could continue seeing him, knowing what his son had done to me.
My skin prickled.
I waited until I was almost falling asleep on my feet.
And the massive walls of the manor waited around me.
But there was only silence from outside.
The walls felt heavy, dark. Was there something sticky on them?
No, it was just my imagination.
My heart was pounding harder than it ever had in mylifeas I eased the door open, silently praying to all the gods it wouldn’t make any noise.
Pleaseplease. . .
When I eased it open, I gripped my purse tightly and stepped outside.
Lucian would have to bring my luggage back to town, because no way in hell I was ever coming back here.
So much for my dreams of becoming Lady Lark Devereaux of Ashgrove Manor.
I almost sagged against the doorframe with relief.
Gabriel wasn’t there.
The hall was empty.
