DARKEST: A DARK BILLIONAIRE ROMANCE (The Boyne Club Book 3) Read online

  I’m trapped.

  I’m facedown on the bed. He rams my face into the blankets and for a moment it’s like being underwater. The small sounds around me are amplified. He pushes down on my head a few times, I think he’s shaking me. I close my eyes and try to go someplace else. I’ve been here before. This place of darkness—but it’s quiet.

  The darkness shatters as his hand grips the back of my neck, the sound rushes back in as he forces my body deeper into the bed. The heaviness of his body has my chest tightening. His erection brushes against my ass and the air stills in my lungs.

  He’s going to rape me.

  “Nooo!” I buck my body while I scream, spit and shout. I can’t control the absolute terror that assaults me. “Nooo!”

  I’m screaming. He’s shouting and I can’t silence the fear in me. My head is pushed down into the bed again. His breath is quick against my ear.

  “Shut up.” His words are like a gunshot that pierce through my veil of terror. “Just shut up.” He’s breathing heavily and I want to leave this place. A sob tears from me and he rams my head into the blanket one final time before the bed creaks and the weight of him vanishes. The slam of the door has more tears falling, as I cling to the quilts and try to find an anchor to hold me together. The air grows thinner. I sit up as far as my restraints will allow. My hair is plastered to the side of my sweaty and tear soaked face. He’s gone. My eyes confirm what my mind had already told me. I’m alone. I want to scream. I want to lash out. I want my freedom. Turning my head into my arm I sink my teeth into my jacket, it penetrates all the way to my flesh. The pain is instant and registers with me, I sink my teeth deeper until that’s all I am, one huge ball of pain. I release my burning skin. My pulse pounds in my gums as I yank my arm. I fall slightly back as the cuffs come away from the bed. A small gap at the top of the steel bar has allowed them to slip through. I’m staring at my hands, wondering if I’ve passed out and I’m dreaming. I quickly stand and push my hair out of my face with my joined hands.

  The door handle is heavy as I wrap my trembling fingers around the cool steel and I push down on it. The click of the door is like a gunshot. He never locked the door. Hope blossoms inside me. I can escape.

  CHAPTER THREE

  DEAN

  I shift my rock hard cock as I leave her. My heart pulsates rapidly. I never thought my adrenaline could reach such heights. Even when I lay on the ground and took a kill shot. Nothing felt more exhilarating than when she pulled that gun on me. One bullet, that’s all it took to end a life. One pull of the trigger and it was all over.

  She had pulled the trigger; Kate had balls. I’d give her that, but her fear tasted delicious. My cock grows harder, but the pain in my head wins my attention as I step into the weapons room. Bending down, I pick up the 9mm and place it back on the wall. I grin as she moves past the door quietly like I might not hear her. There is no way out of here. She would learn that soon. We are underground in my safe house. No one knows where I live. I have to live like this, too many want me dead.

  “Kate,” I say, as I step away from the wall. I fix my erection. I’m surprised at my reaction to her. She looks like a kid, she smells bad too, but her body has curves and dips that tell me under all that she’s a woman. One I clearly want to fuck. It’s her eyes, crystal clear and filled with so much fucking fear.

  “Kate,” I sing again as I step out into the hall. I hear the rattle of the drawers in the kitchen.

  Fuck.

  My head throbs again, a reminder of what she did to me.

  “You can’t get out. If you hurt me again… I will punish you.” A part of me hopes she does, I want to punish her. I know I should have killed her, keeping her is wrong. But no one knows she is here. She will never leave. I can do whatever I want and no one can judge me. Only she can.

  I decide that Kate is not judgmental, that she is actually very open-minded and understands that she brought this upon herself. I step into the kitchen and I can’t see her. A towel is on the counter, I pick it up and press it to my head.

  “Kate!” I duck as a carving knife jabs towards me. The little bitch. I keep ducked down along the counter and listen. She’s on the other side, breathing heavily. Her fear causes the blood to pump too fast around her body.

  I slam my fist against the counter and she screams.

  “I like you, Kate. Maybe that’s why I didn’t kill you.” I speak and remain silent for a moment before I move around the counter. I pounce, stealing the element of surprise. She’s holding a knife and arcs it towards me through the air. She’s too slow, I knock it from her hands and watch as her eyes widen with pure fear that I drink up. She shuffles back against the cupboard like she might dissolve into it.

  “You like me chasing you?” I hunker closer to her and she presses a tear-soaked cheek into the cupboard door.

  Her fear emanates from her and I inhale it along with the undertone of an unwashed body.

  “Get up.”

  She whimpers again like a puppy.

  “Kate.” I warn and she looks at me. “Get up.”

  She does slowly, the tremble in her hands rattle the chains around her wrists.

  “Walk.” I step aside and she moves; as she passes me she hunches her shoulders like I might deliver a blow. “We aren’t all violent like you, Kate,” I say.

  She keeps glancing at me over her shoulder. “Keep walking.” The warm blood on the side of my face continues to trickle. I’m aware of the path I’m leaving behind on my clean wooden floors.

  “Take a left.”

  She stalls. I’m ready to issue a warning when she opens the bathroom door.

  I’m intrigued to see what’s under all these clothes. I also want the smell of her dirty body out of my home.

  She stops and spins around. Her face has lost all color as I step up to her. She shrinks under my stare. She’s already small, but now she reminds me of a kid. I hate that. The moment I take the handcuffs off her, she rubs her wrists.

  “Take off your clothes.”

  Her gaze snaps up to me and her eyes fill with a fresh kind of terror. A part of me wants to become the monster she fears. I want to strip off any morals of right and wrong and take what I want. She opens the buttons of her green army jacket.

  “Kate, I’m aging here. Speed it up.”

  Her cracked lips tremble as she peels off the jacket that’s going straight into the fire. The more fabric that’s removed, the more I pity her. She did not understand I will have to kill her. But, for now, I will continue to give her hope. Let her think she might live. Otherwise this won’t be fun. She’s trying to cover herself as she stands in front of me in off-white underwear and a bra.

  I glare at her and she unfolds her arms and reaches back unclasping the bra. She has bigger breasts than I expected. She’s curvy, but I had felt them through her clothes. Her skin is surprisingly clean—no blemishes. Her cheeks burn with heat as she removes her underpants. She stares at the wall and refuses to meet my eye. I step away from her and walk into the shower. Turning on the dials, I check the temperature.

  She’s still standing, staring at the wall when I step out of the shower.

  “Get in.” She hunches her shoulders as she walks past me, her head buried into her chest, like she might disappear. Her ass is perfect and my erection grows as she steps under the spray of water. The silver pendant is the only thing she wears as she stands still, allowing the water to assault the crown of her head.

  Nobody knows she’s here. I can take what I want. The thought has me stepping closer to the shower. The floor slopes in slightly. She glances at me over her shoulder, blinking rapidly to keep the water out of her terror-stricken eyes.

  Her lips drag down at the corners, she has a perfect mouth. The longer she stands under the spray of water, the more attractive she’s becoming. It’s like finding something buried in the earth. Each drop is washing away the thick layer of dirt. Her hair is a lighter brown even under the water. The strands fall down to the middle
of her slim back. The pulse in her neck pounds alongside a vein that’s growing more prominent.

  I step back out and her stiff frame falls forward slightly. I take a step towards her and her eyes grow insanely big.

  I stop playing with her and let her wash. Going to the cupboard, I take out shampoo and bodywash and return with them.

  “Here, Kate.” I hold them out and she stares at them for too long. “Take them.” I warn.

  She scurries forward and snaps them from my hands. The movement causes her breasts to bounce. The nipples are so pink and I want to taste her. My eyes move across her flat abdomen before rising back up to her eyes. Her stomach rumbles and it reminds me of the Mars bar. She had been starving and that was hours ago.

  I leave the room not giving her an explanation but keep the door open. No doubt she will scurry around looking for something to hurt me with. I touch my head that still bleeds slightly. I have to avoid the droplets of blood on my floor as I walk back to the kitchen. Her aim was excellent. I gather up all the knives and anything else she might try to kill me with. Wrapping them all in a towel, I tuck it under my arm before grabbing the first aid kit from the drawer, and make my way back down to the bathroom. I stop at the laundry room and place the towel with the knives into the dryer.

  “I hope you're finished, Kate,” I say before entering. She’s still in the shower, her back is to me. She’s hunched over whatever is in front of her.

  “What are you doing?” Her hands are moving continuously. When I step closer, I see her hands are foamed up from the body wash.

  “That goes on your body,” I say as my eyes drink up all that flesh. I step in closer to her, she glances at me and she’s quicker than I could expect. Her hands reach for my face as she tries to cover my eyes with the bodywash. I easily grab both her hands and I can’t stop the laugh that tears from me. Her face tenses and the tremble in her body ripples across her flesh before I push her back into the stream of water. I don’t care that I’m getting soaked. Blood drips from the side of my face onto her breasts, breasts that I can’t stop looking at. I push her to the wall, slamming her back against it.

  “You are hell bent on hurting me, Kate.” I don’t mind. She’s making it fun. My gaze skims up to her mouth. My erection pushes against her stomach. She tries to turn her head away from me.

  “Look at me.”

  Her eyes snap to mine, she’s ready to say something. But I allow no one to judge me.

  “Don’t speak, unless you want me to punish you.”

  Her mouth snaps shut. I want her to break my rule. I want to punish her. She’s so much smaller under me. I bend my head and dip my face into her neck. She smells nice. The coconut bodywash is heavy in the air. She must have used it all. I lean out and look at her again. She’s beautiful and that mouth would look perfect around my cock.

  “I should have killed you.” She would test all my restraints. She’s only here a few hours and my mind hasn’t left her for one second. All I want to do is fuck her.

  My hand grips under her chin and I tighten my hold around her neck, pushing her head back so she looks up at me. “I should have ended your life.”

  It was so easy. The pressure from my finger on the trigger ended so many lives. I push her head further back until it connects with the shower tiles; the water continues to pound down on my back. My black clothing soaked, my boots have filled up with water. The blood on her breasts grabs my attention.

  A grin tugs at my lips. “You're turned on, Kate,” I say as I dip my finger into the blood before circling it around her hard nipple. I flick it and her hand connects with my face. The impact has me releasing her neck. Her chest rises and falls rapidly as she stares at me in horror.

  She’s ready to speak and I don’t tell her not to. Her lips form a tight line. My face fucking throbs. She’d hit me in the same place she had tried to bash my skull in.

  “You’re very fucking violent.” I wince and step away from her. “Now I will have to punish you.”

  She’s shaking her head and my anger has me tightening my fists. “Don’t act so innocent. Look at my head.”

  I don’t want to shout. I won’t let her get to me. She is mine and I have total power here.

  “I was going to give you clothes, but now I won’t. So get out.”

  She doesn’t move. “If I come back in there, Kate, I won’t stop.” She’s moving quickly as she steps out of the shower and grabs a towel.

  “Dry yourself, then leave the towel here. I’ll see you in the kitchen in five minutes.”

  I turn to leave the bathroom. “Don’t make me come looking for you.” I grin as I leave.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  SCARLETT

  The chair is cold under me. I’m struggling to breathe. My chest feels too tight. I try to cover myself up by crossing my arms. The table is hiding my most intimate parts. He glances at me over his shoulder from the kitchen area. A white bandage on the side of his head looks stark against the inky color of his hair.

  The grains of wood on the table become my focus as he walks towards me with a piping hot plate of food. The smell of scrambled eggs has my stomach somersaulting.

  It’s visually appealing, as he slides the plate in front of me, before dropping the knife and fork that he had tucked in his hand. “Now, Kate, you try to hurt me with these...” He taps the utensils. “You will have to eat with your hands.”

  I quickly look at him and bob my head so he will go away. He’s too close. He stands and my stomach rumbles. The butter melts into the toast, a pool of golden heaven. I can focus as he walks away but he returns too quickly with a glass of water. I don’t react.

  My gaze snaps up to him as he drags the heavy wooden chair out across from me and sits down with his own food. His eyes are trained on me. I haven’t unfolded my arms from my chest; I don’t want to be exposed. He starts cutting away at his eggs and shovels a spoonful into his mouth.

  “Eat, Kate.” He points at my plate with his knife. How much damage could that knife do? My skin burns as I unfold my arms and his eyes roam across my bare chest. I focus on picking up the knife and fork. My hands tremble, but I manage to scoop some egg onto the fork. I eat the first few forkfuls slowly. Savoring the flavor, the hint of pepper among the egg is a perfect contrast. I cut up some toast to accompany my egg. It’s warm, the butter mingles with the egg and it’s all perfect. It’s the first warm meal I’ve had in a long time. I want to sigh in bliss, only to remember where I am. He’s watching me.

  “There is no better compliment than someone eating your food.” His words have the food souring in my stomach.

  My abdomen heaves and I swallow to keep the food down.

  “I thought we could get to know each other.” He shovels more food into his mouth, seemingly oblivious to my discomfort.

  “I’m a sniper by trade.”

  I knew he was, but to hear him confirm it has my bones quivering. He pauses and fear shoots through me like a bolt of lightning. His eyes tighten around the edges and I have no idea what I’ve done. I didn’t speak. Did I?

  “Keep eating, Kate.”

  This time, when the food enters my mouth, I don’t taste it. He seems satisfied and continues talking.

  “Where was I? Oh, yes. So, I have one sibling. He is a real-life bank robber.”

  The water helps wash down the food that’s lodged itself in my throat. I’ve eaten too quickly. Sweat slowly makes a pathway down my spine and entwines with the cold drips of water from the ends of my wet hair.

  “We haven’t seen each other in a long time. Our professions have us either working or hiding.” He pushes his plate in and I refold my arms slowly over my chest.

  I freeze when I draw his attention. “Take that off your neck.” He points at my chain.

  My hand instantly goes to the pendant. I’m shaking my head. Not this. I can’t remove it. Panic sizzles my nerves and I can’t stop shaking my head.

  “Take it off. You are Kate. Kate doesn’t like jewelry.”


  I want to plead with him. He has taken so much from me already, not this. My hand tightens around the pendant and I close my eyes against the painful memories that play out in my mind.

  His smile never left through it all. That’s what I remember the most about my dad, his smile. His kindness. His resilience. He opens his hand and the light catches the silver love heart. Half of the heart is missing. He walks to me with that smile. Oh, God, that smile. “This is for you, Princess.”

  I take the gift and frown up at him. “It’s a broken heart.”

  He sits down on the edge of my bed and opens his other hand. “It’s half of my heart. I have the other half, it’s not broken. I’m just giving you a piece of me.”

  “It’s okay, Daddy. You need all your pieces.” I had tried to push the heart back to him. He was sick, I wasn’t. He needed them all.

  His smile is back on his face again, only this time it wobbles. “Daddy wants you to have it, Princess. So I’ll always be with you.” He doesn’t hand it back to me but places it over my head. The little half a heart rested on my pink nightdress, it looked so pretty.

  “I love you, Princess.”

  “I love you too, Daddy.”

  “Take it off.” My mind returns to the kitchen and he’s standing over me. I blink and tears spill.

  Use your words, Scar.

  My mouth moves.

  “Don’t you dare speak.” His angry words have my lips trembling, but I can’t let go of my dad’s last gift to me.

  He yanks my hand away from the chain and without even blinking he rips the pendant from my neck, and it’s like the final piece of my armor vanishes. What have I to live for? A horrible look of satisfaction fills his eyes and I can’t stop the scream that tears from my throat. For a moment he looks stunned, as I lash out and strike him, pain tears through me as my heart starts to bleed again. I’m not speaking, I’m screaming. He spins me and pulls me into his chest where he restrains my arms.