Chapter 7

Phoenix

Two Months Later

Sitting at my desk in my downstairs office, I glance at the time again as I count down the minutes to the text I'll receive in about six minutes. I finish the sentence in the email I'm writing and hit send. Gil and I are working on the plans for the upcoming auction and making as many changes as possible. I've been working on making these changes since I became a member of the council, and Gil has supported me along the way. Glancing at the time again, I push my chair back and reach for my belt. Three minutes.

My fingers play with the buckle, the steel cold between my fingers as my cock stirs with anticipation. The number of times I've fucked my hand to the pictures I receive should be alarming, but the obsession I have for McKenzie is borderline psychotic. She's under my skin, in my blood, in every single thought and decision I make. I will never get enough of her, even if it is just a picture.

One minute. I pull on my belt, ready to undo it when there's a knock on my door. I scowl, but don't look up from my phone. Everyone in this house knows not to disturb me during the check-in time. This better be important.

"Come in," I say without looking up. My phone dings with a notification just as the door opens. I still don't look up to see who it is. I open the text from Larry and pause at the selfie of McKenzie, my eyes narrowing. Larry's never sent me a selfie before. She has a small smile on her lips. Her eyes are bright with a bit of mischief. Her silver hair hangs in waves around her shoulders. She's standing in front of…

My eyes snap up and I'm face to face with a mirage. A fantasy. A figment of my imagination. She takes a step forward, the same mischievous smile on her face. She's wearing a red silk dress. It's low cut with two slits that stop at her hips. I wonder if she's wearing any panties. I narrow my eyes. I know that dress came out of our closet upstairs.

If she got on this property and my security guys didn't see, there will be more than a firing this time. Heads will roll.

"Relax. Rex met me. He knows I'm here."

Fuck. Her raspy voice washes over me first, then her pineapple and coconut scent. The constant uneasiness I've felt for the past two months settles and I'm finally able to take a deep breath. I don't know whether to be relieved or pissed. Relieved she finally came to me or pissed that Rex didn't warn me.

Her gaze wanders over me. She looks at the tattoos peeking out of my shirt, the sliver of my chest that's showing from where I unbuttoned my shirt, down to my arms where my sleeves are rolled up, and stops on my unbuckled belt.

Walking forward, she rounds my desk and leans against it. Her legs are on display. Her petite feet are in a gorgeous pair of black fuck me heels. Her left ankle is wrapped with an anklet I bought her for our first anniversary. Does she remember that day? I have to find out what all she remembers.

My eyes continue up her calf, to her knee, her thighs, her cleavage, her slender neck, her plump red lips, and her big brown eyes that show she loves how I look at her body.

"Hello, love." The small exhale she releases tickles my ear. Unable to keep my hands off her, I rub my knuckles up her arm, my lips tipping up when goosebumps break out along her skin.

"Hi, Nix," she whispers.

I don't break eye contact with her as I intertwine our fingers. "Are you home?"

She sighs and takes her hand out of mine. I want to grab her and pull her down in my lap, hold her hands behind her back, and mark her. "Depends," she answers.

I lean back in my chair and cross my arms over my chest. Her eyes flicker to my biceps, making me smirk. "On what?"

She shifts on her feet, breaking eye contact with me. "If you're going to be honest with me."

Unease settles in my stomach. I know I need to be honest with her, but if it leads to her leaving me, then she really will be my prisoner because I'm not letting her go. Not again.

"I'll be honest with you." She drops her shoulders as the tension leaves her body. "But I need you to understand I may not answer every question. If I promise to be honest with you, you have to take into consideration that there are some things I can't tell you for your safety."

Her eyes narrow as she processes that. She twists her lips to the side and inhales slowly. "I think I'll be safer if you don't keep anything from me."

I force myself not to show any emotions as I stare at her. "Why do you think that?"

She scoffs. "I was kidnapped twice. It doesn't seem like keeping things from me helped."

"What do you remember?" I ask her.

She swallows and looks out the window. "I remember everything until the first time I got kidnapped."

I watch her profile as I think back to when I first bought her until she got kidnapped the first time. I did not treat her the way she deserved. It makes sense why she didn't want to come back. She turns back toward me, her eyes connecting with mine.

I nod in agreement. "I'll try." It's all I can promise right now because I've kept so many things from her. What if she hates me when she finds out all of my secrets?

She twirls a piece of her hair around her finger as she thinks. "Okay," she whispers.

I tilt my head at her. "Does that mean you're coming home?" I ask, needing her to say it.

"I'll come home, but I want to stay in the room I was in right after you rescued me."

I stand so quickly my chair rolls back and bangs into the bookshelf behind my desk. Stepping in front of McKenzie, her eyes widen and her breathing quickens. I place my hand around her throat and her mouth opens slightly. I don't even think she realizes it. She practically pants every time my hand is around her throat.

And, fuck, does it look good around her neck. My tattooed hands against her sun-kissed skin. I place one leg between hers. She clutches the desk, trying to force herself to be still. But just as I anticipated, she bucks against me. "I see McFeisty is back," I murmur as I lean my forehead against hers.

"What?" she moans as I rub my thigh against her hot pussy.

I don't answer her question as I grab her hip and pull her even closer. My hand slides over her ass. "You will stay in our room," I demand.

Her eyes fly open and she sees this is not a compromise I'm willing to bend on. She takes a deep breath. "Okay, but no sex."

I run my hand from her ass to the curve of her waist, and cup her breast, running my thumb over her nipple. "Are you sure?" My breath ghosts over her lips.

She whimpers, places her hands on my chest, and pushes me away. I could easily stay where I'm at, but I step back until my back hits the bookshelf. She stares at me, pleading with her eyes.

"You went without a long time after the first time at the auction. In fact, you didn't have sex with me again until our wedding day, then months later at the next auction. Then, as far as I know, we didn't have sex again, even at the next auction." Her voice cracks and I suck in a sharp breath. I wait for her to continue, but she doesn't say anything else.

"It's not because I didn't want you." She scoffs and I know she's remembering how I forced her, how I promised her I'd make it good for her. I did anything but that, at least in the beginning.

Realization dawns on me. "You don't remember anything after the third auction."

She shrugs. "So. I'm sure I'll remember, eventually."

"You remember being taken?" She crosses her arms under her tits, pushing them up and giving me a glimpse of more skin.

"Yes. I told you that."

"By who?"

She hugs herself tighter as she looks from my eyes to my shoulder and back to my eyes. I tilt my head slightly, waiting for her answer.

"I don't know. They put something over my head." She's lying. Why would she lie to me? She told me that before, so it should seem true, but I can always tell when she's lying. And she did the same thing the last time she told me that.

She wants me to be honest with her, but she's not doing the same. I'll leave that for now. At this moment, I need her to trust me. Maybe if she trusts me, she'll tell me things she didn't tell me before. "So, you don't remember what happened after we got you and brought you home?"

She sighs and shakes her head. "I remember going to the auction, then going to the bathroom, then being taken, and that's it." She squeezes her eyes shut like she's trying to force herself to remember more.

She pushes away from my desk and begins to pace in front of the windows. "And I remember the first auction. At least parts of it. I thought you saved me from someone else buying me." A sob escapes her, and she places the palms of her hands against her eyes. "But you were using me. For this vendetta you have against my father."

I want to grab her and pull her into my arms, but I know she won't welcome it right now. She stops pacing and faces me, tears brimming in her eyes. I know she won't let them fall though, not if she remembers those months after I bought her.

"Do you really love me?"

I stare at her for a moment before I finally give in, grab her hand, and pull her into my chest. I wrap my arm around her waist, cup the back of her head, and place my forehead against hers.

"What I feel for you is more than love." I brush my lips against hers, but only briefly. "These past two months without you have been something I never want to experience again. When you were kidnapped and I had no idea where you were, that was torture. Not knowing if I'd ever see you again. I had already determined I wouldn't live without you." She gasps and grips my biceps.

"Life isn't worth living without you. Yes, when I first met you, I wanted to use you to get to your father. But I quickly realized you owned me. Even before we graduated, I knew I would do absolutely anything to have you and keep you."

I kiss her and she responds like she always does. She wraps her arms around me as I lick into her mouth and suck on her tongue. She's a drug that I'll never not be addicted to. She feeds my black soul. Even though I know I should give her up, I won't. Because I'm that selfish. She will always be mine. Always.