Flawed: (A Psychological Dark Romance) (The Dark Necessities Prequels Book 1) Read online

  “Can I use the bathroom?” she asked tentatively. “Before we go anywhere, I mean?”

  Ethan checked his watch. It was nearly ten, and that meant that had to be out of here within thirty minutes, just in case Kitty decided to come home early. Inhaling deeply, he moved toward the place Lily was sitting. Her bare legs pressed together at his approach, her hands fidgeting at her lap.

  “Look at me.” His voice was like thunder, and he watched as the color drained from Lily’s pretty cheeks. Slowly, she lifted her chin, meeting his insistent gaze with her own fierce expression. As normal, the contradiction in Lily was clear. She might be bloody apprehensive about what was going to happen, but she wasn’t going to go down without a fight. It was that spirit in her that he loved so much, that and those alluring eyes, and that damn fine arse.

  “You may use the bathroom,” he decided once he was certain he had Lily’s full attention. “But only because I trust you, Lily.”

  He paused, allowing time for those words to sink in before he continued. “If you blow me off, or give me any cause to doubt that trust, then you’ll find things will be quite different. Have you got it?”

  Lily’s fingers fumbled around the bottom of the glass. “Yes,” she croaked, and he swore he could hear the resentment in her voice. “I’ve got it.”

  “And don’t forget, I still owe you a damn good hiding for the way you spoke to me earlier, and as soon as I have you somewhere safe, I’m going to give it to you.”

  She gulped at his verdict, but said nothing in response. Apparently little Lily couldn’t decide if it was a good idea to give him one of her smart arse responses, but given the circumstances, she had decided to play safe.

  Clever girl.

  “Up now,” he ordered as he rubbed his temples wearily. This was going to be a long night. “Take your glass to the sink, please.”

  Lily eyed him with a level of disdain that made him want to take her over his knee there and then, but they had no time for that right now, and frankly, getting her away from the house was the more pressing issue as things stood. He watched as she grabbed the glass, and padded past him toward the sink.

  “Shall I wash it?” she asked, turning back in his direction.

  Ethan’s full gaze landed over her. The pretty little blouse barely covered her recently-fucked backside, and his cock hardened at the way she was leaning over the counter.

  No time for that, he reminded himself as he pulled in a lungful of air.

  “It’s fine,” he told her. “Grab your clothes from next door, and then get that cute little arse up the stairs.”

  Lily tilted her head at him, her expression bemused. “I thought we had to go?” she asked in a tone so dry it surprised him.

  He took a long stride toward her, his looming presence making her gasp. “We do,” he answered. “But someone wanted to use the bathroom first.”

  “Oh.” Lily bit her lip as his response washed over her. “Okay, sorry.”

  “Right,” he told her. “Now go. Clothes first and then upstairs.”

  She darted around him, but couldn’t escape the reach of his arm as Ethan landed one hard swat against her delectable arse. Things might be crumbling around him at an alarming rate, but some things were never going to change. He wanted Lily, and whatever happened, she was definitely going to get it.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  It only took a few moments to collect her scattered garments and meet Ethan in the hallway. He put out the fire and pulled on his pants, before escorting her to the bottom of the stairs, watching her every move as though he expected her to bolt at any moment. Lily could relate. Frankly, she was half expecting herself to do something reckless, too, and she thought she might have done, if there were any realistic options open to her. He had been right though. There were only two doors out of the building, and both of those were locked. She’d checked out the back door from the kitchen table, and he’d said he had the key to both that and the front door. Frustratingly, there were no other obvious routes. She didn’t know his house well enough to think about making a break out of the upstairs window, although Lily made a mental note to check when she was finally alone in the bathroom.

  “Get up those stairs,” he muttered, and as Lily met his eye, she couldn’t decide if Ethan was genuinely pissed with her, or was actually flirting.

  The man was such an enigma, and he always had been. Most of the time, he was impossible to read. She hopped ahead regardless, clutching her skirt, underwear and shoes to her body as she bounded up the stairs. Ethan was right behind her. She could hear his steps just a moment after her own, and as she reached the landing, one of those large palms swooped, catching her behind again.

  “Ouch!” she shrieked, spinning to throw a scowl at her tormentor.

  “Don’t ouch at me, young lady,” he told her in a low tone, and in spite of everything she had discovered about the man in the last hour, the tone of his voice still made desire pool at her sex.

  Holy fuck, she thought as his tall frame loomed over her again. What was wrong with her, anyway? How could she still find anything about the man sexy after what he’d told her tonight? The whole concept was obscene, which of course, meant that she must be, too.

  “You might have heard my confession, but don’t you for a moment think that changes anything.”

  Ethan edged toward her, forcing Lily’s retreat against the wooden bannister that ran from the top of the staircase. Trapped between his approaching body and the wood, she halted, more than aware of her labored breathing as he closed the remaining distance between them. He fixed her with one of those dark, determined gazes, and she shivered at the thought that look could well have been the last thing those women saw before he throttled them. Lily closed her eyes as the idea washed over her. A part of her still couldn’t wrap her head around the concept at all, but there it was—Ethan had admitted it. Why would he have done that if it wasn’t true? The answer was obvious. He wouldn’t have.

  “What does that mean?” she forced the words out as her eyes flew open again.

  He was right on her now, barely a couple of inches away, and as their gazes locked again, his hands reached for her, opening her blouse to reveal her pebbling nipples. “It means you’re mine, little Lily. Just like you always were. I’m still in charge—just like you love—and it looks like your body hasn’t forgotten the fact, even if your head has.”

  Lily gulped at his explanation, transfixed as his fingers skimmed over her hard, little buds. She wanted to gasp at the sensation, to squirm, to beg him for more—to fuck him again—but she stopped herself, disgusted about where her mind had gone. How could she be thinking about gratification now? Now that she knew what he’d done—what he was—how could she ever let him touch her again? And yet, she was letting him touch her, and even as the thoughts processed, Ethan’s thumb and forefingers were coaxing her nipples into tight, eager buds for his own personal entertainment, and much as Lily might want to deny it, her body’s response was hot and wet arousal.

  “Now, get in that bathroom.” Ethan’s tone was low and carnal. “And make it quick. We’re leaving in five minutes.”

  With those words, he was gone, striding into his bedroom before she could even reply. Pulling her blouse closed again, Lily took a moment to compose herself before she headed for the large family bathroom. It was just as she recalled it, and as she surveyed the only window in the room, she knew instantly that it was too small—she’d never fit through it—so any hope of escape that way was over before it had started.

  Lily shook her head as she began to get dressed again. Escape—was that what she really wanted? She didn’t really believe that Ethan meant to harm her, did she? He’d had every opportunity to do so over the last couple of weeks if that’s what he’d wanted, and yet he never had. She began to right her bra and fasten her blouse, before she slipped on her panties and tights, and pulled the skirt up over her tingling backside. She’d trusted him implicitly, right from the start, and nothing he
’d ever done to her had shaken that trust. Until tonight. She didn’t know how to reconcile the bomb he’d dropped with the man she had come to adore, but if she knew anything about Ethan at all, it was that running was not a sensible option. He knew where she lived, and he knew where she worked, and even if she went elsewhere, he could still find her. The guy could step inside her bloody mind and see what she was thinking, for God’s sake! She had no chance of evading him.

  “Are you done?”

  The sound of his voice made her heart race again, and she turned to find him standing in the doorway. Straightening her skirt, and slipping into her shoes, she greeted him with a nod.

  “Yes,” she mumbled, running her gaze up his body. There was a small scrap of paper in his right hand, and her gaze lingered over it for a second before it rose to his eyes.

  “It’s a note for Kitty,” he answered her, although Lily swore she hadn’t asked him a question.

  Not out loud, at least.

  “Don’t do that,” she huffed as she started toward the entrance.

  Ethan smiled at her wryly. “Even after you’ve found out I’m Britain’s most wanted, you’re still trying to tell me what to do?” he replied with a dry laugh.

  Lily stopped in her tracks, her heart pounding even faster than before. “It’s my headspace!” she blurted by means of explanation. “I just don’t like it. It feels like such a violation.”

  He licked the lower lip of his mouth slowly, watching her with a dark sinful look in those blue eyes before he answered. “It might feel like it,” he told her in a new and ominous tone. “But trust me, beautiful, it’s really not.”

  She didn’t know what to say to that, so Lily just stood there for a moment, somewhat transfixed by the way he was looking at her. Ethan’s gaze was so dark and intense that for a moment, she thought he was going to devour her.

  “Let’s go.”

  In the end, the order was short and sweet, but it was an order nonetheless, and it made her feet move.

  He’d packed a small bag of essentials and scribbled a quick note for Kitty while Lily had used the bathroom. Of course, there wasn’t too much he could tell her, but still, he didn’t want her to worry. They’d most likely be gone a couple of days, though Ethan hadn’t quite yet reconciled the timings in his head. He knew he had Lily until dinner time tomorrow without any repercussions. He’d heard her mother say that much on the telephone himself, but beyond that, he wasn’t sure how this was all going to play out.

  That’s the problem when you don’t plan things properly, he admonished himself as he guided a now dressed Lily back down the staircase. You can’t be prepared, because you never know what’s going to happen.

  Ethan ignored the irritating know-it-all voice in his head as he paced around the house, tidying up after their sex session. He placed the note for Kitty on the telephone table, turning to glance back at Lily. Collecting his car keys, he picked up the bag from the bottom of the stairs, and fished for the front door key in his pocket. Lily’s gaze was on him at once, her eyes darting to the small metal implement that he supposed she thought offered her freedom.

  “Am I going to have a problem with you, Lily?” he asked, staring down at her smaller frame as they both stood in the dim lighting of his hallway.

  Lily shook her head. “No,” she replied in a whisper.

  Ethan’s hand captured her face in a heartbeat. “No, what?”

  Her eyes widened at that, but he was pleased to see those dark pupils dilate at the question. Whatever else was going on in her head—and Ethan didn’t have the time to investigate that right now—he loved that she still responded so positively to his authority.

  “No, sir.”

  He could tell she had forced the words out, but nonetheless, she had said them, and his throbbing cock was all the proof Ethan needed about how it made him feel.

  “Better,” he clarified. “I’d stick with my new title for the time being, if I were you, Lily. I like it, and I think you’re going to want to keep me happy for the foreseeable future.”

  Her weight shifted awkwardly between her feet, and he eyed the way she bit her lip. It was almost as though she was biting down on whatever it was she really wanted to say.

  “Just in case,” he continued, as he stroked the flushing skin of her face. “How about I keep you tied for the journey?”

  Ethan presented it as a question, but he didn’t know why. It wasn’t one. He had already decided that the bondage was to be Lily’s fate. He’d grabbed the ropes from his bedroom earlier, and they were waiting patiently in his jacket pocket. His hand flicked inside, running his digits over them as he watched her face.

  “Please, no,” Lily breathed. “I don’t need it… sir.”

  She added the final word just in time to save herself from a penalty.

  “I think you do,” he countered, and he dropped the bag from his shoulder as he fixed her with a hard stare. “And from now on, it’s what I say that goes, Lily.”

  His gaze drilled into her for just long enough. He held it just until he saw her gulp in response, and then he leaned forward to press a chaste kiss into her forehead. Lily was loved, and he didn’t want her to forget it, but things had just gotten a whole lot more complicated, and there was no point dressing that fact up, either. She was his now—in a very literal way—and this was where he started to let her know.

  “Turn around.”

  It was only two words, but Ethan actually saw the way they resonated.

  “Wh—”

  The word crept from her lips, but one of his large fingers silenced it as pressed it to her mouth.

  “No questions,” he soothed. “Just obedience from you now.”

  Lily’s beautiful eyes were as large as saucers, and he could still make out how devastating they were, even in the comparative darkness of the hall.

  “Now, turn around.”

  Chapter Forty

  She stood dumbfounded as he gave the instructions. Inside her head, Lily’s mind was screaming for her not to listen, not to obey, just to get out of there—to run, but those thoughts were already muffled. Stifled by the foreboding turn of recent events, by the tone of command in Ethan’s voice which signaled not only how much he enjoyed instructing her, but also what seemed like a very real shift in the power between them. There was also no denying how much it was stifled by the overwhelming sense of arousal thrumming within her body.

  Lily was wet with desire. Not just wet like before. Not just wet because he’d suggested doing something naughty, or because he’d pulled down her panties for a spanking. She was really wet—wet like the time he’d tied her in his bedroom—wet to the core in a way she’d rarely experienced before—and Ethan had barely even touched her. Her arousal was stemming from the new power dynamic. She’d enjoyed him taking charge in the past, but in truth, she hadn’t truly contemplated it. It was always a short-term thing—a game—but this was all so different. Now he was really in charge and Lily could barely contain herself. Every time he gave a new order, or silenced her with one finger, or one stern look, she wanted him. She wanted to throw herself on him, and beg for his cock like she’d never done before. It wasn’t rational, and she didn’t claim to understand it. It made even less sense after the devastating confession he’d made earlier, but none of that changed the truth—her truth—Lily was soaked with slick arousal for the man who claimed to be the area’s most prolific killer.

  At his second command, her feet had complied. The power he appeared to have over her now was downright scary, and somehow, Ethan was managing it all without so much as the threat of violence, unless she counted his promise of giving her a good hiding later. She gulped at that thought. The way her body was vibrating with need, that was more like impetus than ominous at this point. She turned as he had ordered, and when she felt him drawing her wrists behind her back, and adrenaline had spiked in her brain, she hadn’t tried to fight him off. The sensation of soft ropes wound at her wrists, and even though Lily couldn’t se
e the binds, she had a good idea they were the same ones he had used on her before. Within a moment, her wrists were bound together behind her back, the action forcing her shoulders back and her breasts out. She closed her eyes at the realization, willing the arousal in her body to subside, but only aware of her nipples beading instead.

  Her body had betrayed her, and it was utterly infuriating.

  “Now, that’s better,” Ethan purred into her right ear. “Nice and bound means a more compliant Lily.”

  He chuckled at that, the sound making her eyes fly open in irritation despite the delicious shiver the vibration of his voice had generated down her spine. Fuck, she hated him for this. She despised the way he had her totally suspended, hanging onto his every word and deed. She despised the power he had over her, and how fucking stupid she was for submitting to it, especially after everything she had learned about her lover. But there it was. He did have that power, and rightly or wrongly, she had given in.

  Fucking coward, her mind grumbled, but she ignored the jibe as Ethan’s hands snaked around her chest and began to massage her aching breasts through the soft fabric of her bra and blouse. Fuck, that felt so good, and it only reinforced what she already knew in her heart. The reason she hadn’t fought him harder wasn’t that she was afraid—though she knew she probably should be—it was because she couldn’t bear the thought of losing Ethan. The thought of being without him made her physically bereft. It made her head hurt. Ethan had stirred thoughts and feelings in Lily that she wasn’t even sure she knew she had until a couple of weeks ago, and she couldn’t let that go now. She couldn’t give up on that and go back to her old life of following Jody around. Whatever this was, it was real. If Ethan really was the killer, then he made her feel more alive than any other person had done in her life.

  “Have I told you how fucking beautiful you are?” he murmured into that same ear, the timbre of his voice making her pant as his fingers captured both of her beading nipples in their grasps.