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

  Lily moaned at the heady sensations. This was wrong—all wrong—and yet every fiber of her being wanted it. “Yes,” she breathed. “Yes, sir.”

  “Fuck, I want you,” he growled, pressing his hard body up against her backside as if he needed to reinforce the point.

  Her head fell back against his chest, her tender arse writhing reflexively against his groin. “Have me,” she panted.

  Ethan laughed, pinching both of her buds cruelly at the same time. The pain registered in her brain, making her yelp, and yet Lily was so aroused that somehow it was only processed as pleasure—something she wanted more of—something she never wanted to end.

  “I will,” he assured her. “But not here, and not now. Now, I need to get you into the car.”

  His hands were gone in an instant, and Lily couldn’t help the small groan that left her lips at their departure.

  He guided her to the car in virtual darkness, the only light coming from the street lamp at the other end of the road. Lily was quiet as she slipped into the passenger seat, but as the interior light engaged, he could see how pink her beautiful little cheeks were. Her gaze met his fleetingly, but she glanced away in an almost coy way. Her responses absolutely fascinated him. He knew from the short trip he’d taken into her mind upstairs just how torn she was about this evening. She loved him, but she was appalled by what he’d told her. That was understandable. She trusted him, but by God, she didn’t want to. He could comprehend that, too. Even better was the way her body had responded. Lily’s reactions were so intense they were almost animalistic. He could feel the fire burning in her blood, and the sense of need was fucking consuming.

  He needed her, and he had no doubt, she burned for him, too.

  Locking the door, he threw the bag and Lily’s coat on the back seat, before he climbed behind the wheel. Ethan clocked the time as he pulled away. The one advantage of late night journeys was that the roads were practically clear, and they were out of the suburbs and onto the back roads in no time at all. Glancing to his passenger, Ethan eyed the pebbling nipples about ready to burst through her shirt, the look of them making his cock swell further. She was staring out of the passenger window, although at this time of night, there was virtually nothing to see.

  “Are you cold?” he asked, and although the look of her tits made him hard and heady, he genuinely wanted to know. Lily wasn’t wearing her coat after all, and he could easily adjust the temperature of the car if she needed warming.

  She turned back to meet his eye, her face red with what looked like embarrassment. Ethan could only assume the cause was the bondage, although he knew she was enjoying it, too. “I’m fine,” she replied in a low tone.

  “What was that?” he called, smiling at her error.

  Bearing in mind, Lily knew she already had a punishment coming her way, she wasn’t doing much to make things easier on herself.

  “Sir,” she added hastily, but it was much too late for redemption. The damage was already done. “I’m sorry, I keep forgetting.”

  Ethan chuckled. “You’ll get used to it,” he told her wryly. “You’ll have to, or you’ll be struggling to sit down for a few days.”

  Lily shifted in her seat, an act that was all the hotter now that her arms were forced permanently behind her back.

  “Ethan, sir.” She turned to meet his eye that time, and something about her tone made him drop into a lower gear and shift his focus to the trembling woman in the seat beside him.

  “What is it?”

  “Am I in trouble?” The words seemed to fall from her. “Really in trouble, I mean? Are you going to hurt me?”

  He shook his head, moving his hand from the gear shift to her right knee. “Lily,” he soothed. “I love you, you daft woman. You know I love punishing you, and I will…”

  He paused at that, ensuring the idea had time to resonate before he continued. “But I could never do more than that to you. You’re the center of my dark little world. I’m not going to do anything to jeopardize that.”

  And he meant it, too. Or, at least, Ethan thought he did.

  Lily bit her lip at his explanation, her chest rising and falling in a way that made him want to rub the length of this shaft between her gorgeous tits.

  “So, you’re not going to k—kill me?” she stammered in barely a whimper.

  Ethan shook his head as he squeezed her knee through her tights. “Of course not, beautiful,” he assured her as he took the next exit on the quiet road. “I might love you to death, but I could never kill you.”

  Chapter Forty-One

  They drove on in silence, Ethan’s words swirling around Lily’s head. Her mind had taken in so much new information in the last hour or so, that it felt like it might implode at any moment, and the weight of it all was starting to give her a headache. Lily closed her eyes, wishing she could drag the loose strands of hair away from her eyes, but of course, with her hands bound the way they were, that was impossible.

  She tried not to think too much about Ethan’s admission, but naturally, that was impossible as well. Lily was certain that a large part of her brain was still unwilling to even accept the confession. She wondered if maybe this was one of their connected dreams—or even more likely—that this was just a nightmare she’d concocted on her own. If that was true, then Lily figured she was due to wake up some time soon, and inwardly she couldn’t wait to open her eyes and find the inside of her small bedroom again.

  “Are you okay?”

  Ethan’s question surprised her, and she blinked her eyes open to find his gaze upon her. Was she okay, she wondered fleetingly? Was there a place you could settle in your mind which was satisfactory after a revelation like this? Lily didn’t know, but perhaps even more troubling than Ethan’s admission was the one she was discovering about herself. Why, after hearing such shocking news from Ethan had her primary responses been driven by lust? Why had she responded so positively to his dominance? She could have fought harder, she could have protested, yet if she were honest, she hadn’t wanted to. She’d capitulated, and not just through intimidation, but because of her own stark arousal, and while she hadn’t wanted to make that call to her parents, she’d still gone ahead and done it. She’d facilitated this little trip they were taking—she’d helped to make it happen.

  That fact seemed almost as difficult to manage as Ethan’s abrupt confession.

  “Lily?” His voice was half concerned and half irritated.

  “I don’t know,” she blurted out, inhaling quickly in an attempt to compose herself. “I don’t know if I’m okay. I don’t know what this is.”

  Ethan blinked at her, his right hand tensing at the steering wheel.

  “I don’t know what to think anymore, sir,” she added the last part under duress. The fact that he now demanded the title was absolutely infuriating, yet every time she used it, Lily knew she was a little hornier.

  “Then let me help you,” he answered in a calm voice. “Let me answer your question.”

  Lily gulped, resting her head awkwardly against the head rest as she waited for him to continue.

  “This is the beginning of the rest of our lives together, Lily.”

  The air in the car seemed heavy all of a sudden, and she struggled to pull in another breath as Ethan went on.

  “Everything that happened between us until this night was the start of our relationship. All those amazing dreams, and the car journeys. Your first spanking, and your first time at the house, that was all in our first chapter.”

  A peculiar shiver ran down Lily’s back, though the temperature in the car was warm enough for her not to have felt the cold at all.

  “The first chapter?” she repeated in a low whisper.

  “That’s right,” he agreed with a nod. “And everything from this point onwards is the start of the next chapter.”

  She swallowed, almost too scared to ask her next question. “What does that mean, Ethan?” Lily murmured. “What’s going to happen? Where are we going, sir?”<
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  The sound of his dark chuckle vibrated past her. “So many questions, little Lily,” he replied with a laugh. “All will be revealed, I promise.”

  Lily squeezed her eyes closed at that. This was all becoming too much, and her head was beginning to pound. “My head hurts,” she mewled, her tone so plaintive that she physically cringed at the way it sounded.

  “You’re stressed,” he told her. “I can sense it. Why don’t you try and get some sleep?”

  She wanted to balk at that comment, but common sense warned that may not be a good idea. “I can’t sleep like this,” she complained. “It’s too uncomfortable, sir.”

  Ethan grinned at her. “You best get used to my binds, beautiful,” he responded. “You’re a little bit of a flight risk since you found out my news, so until we get things straight, I’m going to be keeping you tied.”

  Nervous energy pinballed around Lily’s body at his words. He was going to keep her tied? Oh my God! So, she hadn’t been dreaming then? This really was getting serious. The reality hit her like a hammer to the brain. She was in more than just trouble. She was bound in the car of a self-confessed serial killer, and she’d already given him another twenty hours by making that stupid phone call to her mother. All of a sudden, drawing in her next breath seemed impossible.

  “Please,” Lily pleaded, straining against the ropes at her wrists even though she knew it was futile. “Please, Ethan—sir—just take me home. I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to go to this place with you. Please.”

  He tutted at her as he shook his head. “Oh dear,” he answered in that mocking tone that had always riled her. “Is my little Lily having second thoughts?”

  Second thoughts? The words rung around her head like the chorus of an annoying popular tune. Yes, she realized, that’s exactly what she was having. Being trapped in here with him was making her do a hell of a lot of thinking, and the more time she had to think, the less she liked any of the conclusions she reached.

  “Too late, gorgeous,” he mused aloud before Lily could even think of an adequate reply. “It’s much too late, and you know it. You’re mine now, and the sooner you reconcile yourself to that fact, the better.”

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Lily was close to hyperventilating as he took the small back roads toward the house. Ethan hadn’t planned to come here, but then very little about tonight had been planned, and everything that had transpired since they’d fucked had been downright chaotic. In spite of the fact everything seemed to be dissolving around him, Ethan was surprisingly calm. He had her—Lily was right where she needed to be—and they were together. It was true he didn’t have all the details worked out yet. The phone call to her parents had only bought him a matter of hours, and his note to Kitty wouldn’t placate his sister for long either, but somehow, right now, it didn’t seem to matter. They were almost at the house, and Ethan didn’t know why, but he had the feeling that once he was there, everything would start to fall into place again.

  The hand nearest to her body reached for her shoulder, and he squeezed it gently. “Calm down,” he told her again. “You’re going to give yourself a hemorrhage if you’re not careful.”

  Wild green eyes flew to him in an instant. “I can’t,” she practically wailed. “You’re frightening me, Ethan.”

  “Sir,” he corrected her, pressing the advantage he knew he now had.

  “Okay, sir,” she cried. “Please, just untie me and let me out here. I won’t go to the police, I swear it.”

  Ethan’s gaze narrowed as he turned the car into the dirt track road that led to the house. Usually, he loved to hear Lily talk, but much more of this whining, and he thought he might start to change his mind.

  “We’re here,” he told her, ignoring her plea entirely.

  Lily’s body straightened with fresh anxiety at the news, and she lifted her chin, staring out of the windshield as she presumably tried to ascertain where they were exactly.

  There was finally silence as she considered the question, and Ethan took the chance to veer between two ancient looking trees, and park the car.

  “We need to go the rest of the way on foot,” he murmured, switching off the engine before he turned to face Lily.

  Her face was almost white at this point, but her body still looked fabulous, the ropes keeping her arms out of the way which meant he could casually molest her perfect tits as he saw fit. Taking the opportunity, his hand slid to the pert right breast and massaged it roughly.

  “Wh-where are we?” she stammered as her eyes darted around the exterior of the vehicle.

  The truth was there wasn’t much to see. The house had always been surrounded by woodland, and the only road that led there was a small track which was miles away from the nearest town. The real answer was that they weren’t anywhere. They were just in the middle of nowhere. The closest thing to isolation the south of England had to offer.

  “Come on,” he told her as he opened the driver’s door and slipped out into the cold, night air.

  Striding around the rear of the car, he pulled the passenger door open for Lily, watching as the interior light lit her face. She was certainly scared now. He could see that. But she was aroused, too. Her wide, dilated pupils giving her true sentiment away. Lily had succumbed to his will with relative ease at the house, and he knew if he could just tap back into that part of her psyche again, he could have her eating out of the palm of his hand soon.

  Ethan reached for her arm and guided Lily out of the car. She stood in the dirt looking stunned as he slammed the passenger door shut, and retrieved her coat, a flashlight and his small bag from the back seat.

  “Here,” he told her, wrapping the length of her winter coat around her shoulders. “You can’t wear it properly like this, but still, it can keep you a little warmer.”

  Lily’s white teeth nibbled at her bottom lip. He had the feeling she was grateful for the act, but for some reason she didn’t murmur any words of gratitude. Ethan wasn’t sure if it was apprehension or petulance he could see simmering in her eyes, but he couldn’t wait to spank what emotions there were right out of her at the house. Later, he’d get the gratitude he was after, and a whole lot more than that. Once Lily got acquainted with his belt, he had the sense that she’d be a lot more compliant. In fact, if he did his job properly, then she’d be fucking begging him to stop.

  The idea warmed him, despite the distinctly chilly autumnal winds, and throwing the bag over his shoulder, he grabbed Lily’s right arm and led her up the small path toward the house. It was only a short walk, but in the silly little heels Lily was wearing, the journey was taking rather longer than he’d planned. At one point, Ethan considered just slinging her up over his shoulder, just like he’d done when he had carried her to his bedroom at the house, but in the near perpetual darkness, he didn’t want to risk losing his footing in the tree roots. The undergrowth in these parts had grown out of control, and virtually every step seemed like a potential hazard. Just as he was about to give up, and negotiate Lily over his shoulder regardless, Ethan’s flashlight finally fell over the small brick house.

  Lily gasped as her eyes caught sight of the place for the first time. “Where are we?”

  Ethan stared down at her in amusement. They both knew she should have every right to be terrified by now, and yet here she was—her voice filled with wonder at the prospect of the place he had brought her to.

  He reached into his back pocket, retrieving the old iron key he’d brought along for just this moment. “I used to live here,” he told her.

  Guiding Lily to the front of the house, he pulled back the branches of neighboring trees which had begun to consume the entrance. Forcing the key into the old lock, he used brute force to push the front door open. One flash of his light revealed the narrow hallway. Just as he remembered it.

  “Inside,” he instructed without even turning his head to look at Lily. “There’s a generator in the cellar. I’ll get some power sorted.”

  The hous
e had never used public generated electricity. Apparently, his father had liked to keep them off the grid—another trait he seemed to have inherited. Lily shivered as she edged past him, her nipples grazing his body tantalizingly before she stepped over the threshold. “It’s freezing,” she murmured as he slammed the door shut behind them.

  “Mmmm, I know,” he replied with a sigh. “I’ll build a fire once I get the power sorted.”

  Using what little light the torch provided, Ethan found the small wooden door that led downstairs. “You stay up here,” he commanded. “I should have the power sorted soon.”

  “No, please!”

  The desperation in Lily’s tone made Ethan’s feet halt, and he stopped to shine the flashlight in her direction.

  “What is it?” he demanded, slinging the small bag down on the hallway floor beside the door.

  “Don’t leave me up here in the dark on my own,” she whimpered. “Please, sir.”

  Ethan sighed. Much though he would have liked to ignore her plea and get the power on as a priority, there was just something about the timbre of Lily’s voice that meant he had to act. She’s probably scared that the ghosts will get her, the small voice in her mind chided as he reached over to drag Lily to the head of the cellar steps. That was an irrational fear if ever he’d heard one. There was only one person liable to be haunted in this house, and it most certainly wasn’t Lily. It was him.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  He moved without explanation, her plea apparently enough for Ethan to take pity on her, but not enough for him to say why. One large hand grabbed hold of her blouse, and forcibly, he pulled her toward the place he was standing. All at once, their bodies were pressed up against each other, the hardness of his torso, and the heat of his breath above her face the only real evidence Lily had that he was there at all.

  “You’ll have to come with me,” he growled in a tone that almost sounded resentful at her interruption. “There’s only one flashlight, and the stairs are small. You’ll need to stay close.”