Tag: romantic suspense

“What?” he asked, what could his sweet Astor possibly have to tell him that he didn’t already know?

She drew in a breath, opened her mouth, then closed it. “I can’t do this with you touching me.” Her gaze dropped to their hands, he still held hers, his thumbs circling round and round on her palms.

“Okay,” he said slowly, releasing her and she immediately scrambled off the bed.

Instead of saying anything, she just bounced about, moving from one foot to the other, her hands twisted together. He’d never seen her like this before.

What could possibly be making her this nervous?

All of a sudden it hit him. “Oh, are you pregnant?”

“What? No,” she said emphatically.

“Because there’s something you don’t know as well, I want to have kids one day.” Growing up the way he had, no mother, just a father who bought and sold women like they were real estate, and a string of nannies who he knew his father killed when he got bored with them, he had always wanted what everyone else had. A family, people who loved him, something real, he thought he and Astor could have that.

The color drained from Astor’s face and he started to worry. What was going on here? What was wrong with her?

“I’m sorry, I can’t say it,” Astor said, her eyes growing watery.

“You can’t act like this and then not tell me what’s going on,” he said, sharper than he intended but he was getting scared.

“I’ll write it,” she said, now refusing to look at him. She went to the nightstand, and scribbled on a piece of paper. With a shaking hand she passed it to him.

With an equally shaking he took it and stared down at the piece of paper, ice streamed through his veins.

Not this.

Not now!

He’d been stupid, allowed himself to fall in love, and now he learned the truth about her.

“I’m sorry,” Astor whispered.

“You should be,” he growled as he advanced on her. “You’re a cop?”

Had she heard right?

He said he loved her.

No one had ever said that to her before.

This was crazy.

It was all wrong.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. She had played her part as best she could, being the good little spoiled slave, she’d seen that Frost was developing feelings for her that he shouldn’t be, she knew he was falling in love with her, what she hadn’t known until he said that he loved her out loud was that she was falling in love with him too.

She was a mess.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.” Frost moved to climb out of the bed.

“No. Stop,” she said, reaching out to curl her fingers around his hand.

“I shouldn’t have said that,” Frost said again.

“No, you shouldn’t have,” she agreed. “But . . .”

“But?” he asked hopefully.

“But I think I love you too.” Astor hung her head. How could she love a man who had bought her, who had made her live without human contact for seven months, who thought of her as his possession? “This is wrong.”

“It doesn’t have to be.” He knelt on the bed before her and took her hands, his thumbs brushing small circles on her palms. “I’m sorry. I never should have gone to that auction, I never should have bought you. I love you, Astor. You don’t belong to me, but you’re the woman I love, the woman I want to share my life with.” He brushed a lock of hair off her cheek and tucked it behind her ear, then gently cupped the back of her neck, pulling her closer and touching his lips to hers in a feather light kiss. “Can we start over, Astor?”

Start over?

It was way too late for that.

“Frost, there’s something you don’t know.”

Frost hadn’t know how it was going to turn out having Astor come to live here but he couldn’t be happier.

He’d never done anything like this before and he had no idea if he was doing it right, but since he’d gotten her to cave and come to him then he supposed he must be.

Fake it till you make it.

That was pretty much the philosophy he had lived his life by.

He hadn’t been sure that it would work with Astor, she was so strong, so stubborn, it was what had drawn her to him at the auction. Frost didn’t even really know how he’d ended up there. He’d been at a friend’s house, someone he had known all his life, they’d been talking about women, and then his friend had told him about this woman he had bought and kept in his basement as a sex slave.

He had been obviously shocked but also intrigued.

He must have agreed to go to the auction because it wasn’t like he’d been tied up and forced to go at gunpoint.

Frost hadn’t intended to buy anyone until he say Astor and the defiant glint in her eyes.

Now she was here, lying in his bed, her limbs tangled with his, her breath warm against his bare chest.

She was his, he’d paid good money for her, but more often than not she got her way. She was supposed to be his slave, his possession, she was supposed to follow orders, do as he wanted, he wasn’t supposed to have fallen for her, he wasn’t supposed to love her.

But he did.

So he spoiled her.

“I have something for you,” he said, trailing his fingers up and down her spine because he knew it would make her shiver. The good kind. He didn’t hurt her like he knew many people did with their slaves.

“Oh?” she asked, resting a hand on his abs and lazily tracing circles with her fingertip.

He reached over and pulled a velvet box from his nightstand. “Here,” he said a little gruffly, he wasn’t good at dealing with emotions, and sometimes when he felt for Astor was too strong.

She propped herself up on her elbows, took the box and opened it, gasping when she saw what was inside. “They’re beautiful,” she gushed, lifting the diamond earrings off the satin. “Will you put them in for me?”

“Of course,” he took them, looked at them, then at her ear, “I don’t know how to I’m sorry.”

“Just slide the end through the hole,” Astor said.

He took it, and did as she said. Then his hands curled around the back of her neck and he drew her face towards his, kissing her until he was breathless. “You’re so beautiful,” he told her. “More beautiful than any diamond.”

“You spoil me,” she purred, tugging free from his grip so she could nestle herself against his chest.

“Because I love you.” The words had fallen from his lips before he could stop them.

Astor took a deep breath.

Was she really going to do this?

When it all boiled down to it there was no other option.

She lifted her hand and knocked once, then she waited. What if he didn’t come? Had he changed his mind? Were there other girls here? Other women he had bought at an auction? Did he have a wife? A girlfriend? Just because she hadn’t seen anyone didn’t mean they didn’t exist.

A scream almost fell from her lips when the door opened, startling her even though she was expecting him.

Him.

Frost.

He stood before her, he wasn’t wearing a shirt and Astor couldn’t help but stare at his chest. He must work out for hours every day, he was totally ripped. Her gaze moved slowly to his face and his dark eyes met hers and held them in a vice grip, not allowing her to look away.

She didn’t remember him being this good looking last time they were in the same room together. Seven months of loneliness did crazy things to your head.

Frost pulled her to him and she didn’t resist.

Instead she allowed him to guide her into his room and lead her to the bed. She didn’t fight him as he pushed her down onto it and began to remove her clothing.

Astor wanted this.

She needed it.

Her body began to burn with needy desire, her hands clutched at his belt, ripping it undone, then reached for his face, tangling in his black hair and urging him down so she could kiss him. They made love in a passionate frenzy that left her heart racing and her body dotted with sweat.

After they lay tangled together on Frost’s bed. He gave a satisfied sigh and dragged her closer, so she lay draped across his chest.

Astor smiled to herself.

He thought he had gotten what he wanted, stage one of her plan was complete.

She was bored.

And lonely.

True to his word Frost had not made contact with her in any way since their kiss in the corridor on the first day she had been brought here.

That was seven months ago.

Seven months was a long time. Even longer when you spent it basically alone.

There were people who worked here, Astor knew that. Every day when she went to spend time outdoors she would return to her room later to find it cleaned. And meals appeared at her door three times day. The gardens were kept immaculately so she knew there was a gardener. But somehow they managed to keep out of sight matter how hard she tried to find someone-anyone-to talk to.

Except Frost.

He watched her often from through the windows of the mansion. Sometimes she caught a glimpse of him, other times she could feel his eyes on her even thought she couldn’t see him.

He was waiting for her to cave and she hated to admit it but she was getting pretty close. Anything-even giving herself to him like he wanted-had to be better than this.

What was worse was that part of her wanted to give herself to him.

Astor couldn’t explain it but she was drawn to him like a moth to the flame.

Which was going to make it so much harder for her to do what she had to do.

He thought that she was going to be his but he was wrong, he was going to be hers.

“Oh dear,” she exclaimed as she dropped her mug, sending it crashing into the floorboards and shattering into a thousand pieces. With no one else to talk to she had taken to talking to herself out loud. She didn’t bother to clean up, one of the maids would no doubt have it tended to before she came back.

Right now she had someplace she needed to be.

Frost’s room.