Claiming His Prize Read online

  “Forever?” Part of her wanted him to say yes, but the other part was terrified he’d say no.

  “Is that so bad?”

  “You terrify me,” she said.

  “You don’t look terrified.”

  She shook her head. “This kind of fear is different. I’m afraid of how you make me feel. I shouldn’t want any of this.”

  “Stop listening to all those voices in your head,” he said. “They don’t know what they’re talking about.” He smiled at her, and she swore she fell in love just a bit.

  “Do you want to come upstairs and take a shower?” he asked. Only then did she realize she was holding his forearm with both hands. She gasped and dropped her arms, tears instantly pooling in her eyes.

  “I’m sorry.” She felt so embarrassed. Lori was a mess, a needy, pathetic mess.

  “It’s okay, baby girl. I’m yours. Don’t be shy with me.”

  He pulled a key from his pocket, and then squatted down to release her ankle bond. Chains rubbed the skin, even though he’d wrapped the anklet in soft fabric. She loved the feel of his rough hands on her skin. He forever moved slowly, deliberately. It was almost hypnotic. As he rose, he braced both hands on the mattress on either side of her. His shoulders were broad, his biceps bulging with toned muscle. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. His face was so close to hers, his masculine signature enveloping her. She’d never craved anything more at that moment than his kiss. Maybe more.

  Lori had never been intimate with a man. Considering the neighborhood she grew up in, she counted her virginity a triumph. There was no way she’d end up a baby-making machine like her mother. Chains had gotten under her skin. He was protective yet dangerous.

  Chains brushed his lips against hers, slow and tender. “Dreams aren’t all they’re cracked up to be,” he whispered. “You were right, Lori. You can’t make someone love you.”

  Then he stood up, pulling away emotionally and physically. She wanted to scream for him to love her, to kiss her, anything. “I thought you weren’t looking for love.”

  He held out his hand to help her up to her feet. She didn’t hesitate.

  Chapter Five

  Chains liked her ass. Watching her walk ahead of him, he admired the rounded curves that called for a man to grab hold of. Lori really was a dream, and for him, she was his prize.

  “Turn left,” he said.

  “You can’t keep me here forever.”

  He was growing tired of her thinking that there was a chance of her leaving. It wasn’t going to happen. He’d even fight Boss for the right to keep her. Everything else he’d given up in life because there hadn’t been anything worth keeping. When it came to Lori, she made him want to fight.

  She was the first person he’d known that didn’t make him want to kill, but to actually protect. All of his instincts wanted to guard her, and to keep her from harm.

  Now that shit scared him.

  Lori looked back at him. “Are you not going to answer me?”

  “I don’t know if I like you having a bit of sass or not.” He moved his finger in a circle, telling her to turn back around. She did so with a huff, but he saw the spring in her step. Lori may not like it, but being with him, it had given her confidence, even though it had only been a week. They entered the main bedroom, and he waited as she admired the room once again. She seemed to really like his bedroom, which again satisfied him. He wanted to please her, to find everything that her heart wanted.

  The truth was, he wanted her to want for nothing, and the only way to do that, was to give her everything.

  “It’s so big.”

  “I’ve heard that a lot of the time as well,” he said, trying to ease the mood and crack a joke.

  She looked over her shoulder at him. “I bet you say that to all of the women.”

  “Nope, just the ones I want to impress.”

  She crossed her arms, and turned toward him.

  “I can show you if you want,” he teased.

  “No, that’s fine. I just want the shower.”

  “Can I tempt you with a bath?” He brushed past her after shutting his bedroom door. Chains wondered if she’d make a run for it, but she didn’t. She didn’t even look toward the door, instead, following him as he picked up one of the many bath salts he’d purchased just for her.

  “Are they laced with poison?” she asked.

  He narrowed his eyes in insult. “No. They’re designed to help you relax, to chill the fuck out. I’m not going to poison you.” He stepped up close to her, running a finger down her neck, stroking over her pulse. “I have many ways I like to end people, and poison I consider to be quite dull.”

  She swallowed, but he also saw her eyes dilate.

  Lori didn’t fear him.

  He liked that.

  “You know this is weird, right? Buying women bath salts. You don’t really know me.”

  “I know you’ve never been treated like anything other than a babysitter. I imagine this is the first week you’ve had a decent meal every night. I also imagine you’ve never had anyone to talk to who not only listens, but also understands.”

  She took a step back at that, and he noticed when he mentioned stuff about her, she always withdrew into herself. Almost as if she was afraid that he’d see too much. He saw her. He saw deep inside her soul, and what was more, he recognized it. She yearned for someone like him, even if it did scare her. That was okay.

  He was going to take care of her, and show her another life, one where she didn’t get another person’s baby thrown into her arms, and told to deal. From now on, she’d be priority number one, no one else.

  “I like lavender,” she whispered.

  Reaching into the drawer, he pulled out three of the salts. “You can take as long as you want.”

  “You’re not going to stay and watch?” she asked, as he made his way toward the door.

  “We’ve only just met, Lori. I don’t think you’re ready for that.” He winked.

  Leaving the bathroom, he grabbed his cell phone, and quickly checked his emails. He had Maurice on tracking duty. He knew at least three of the six different identities that Xavier often used, and with those, he was able to track his movements all from the comfort of his own home.

  Maurice had sent him a breakdown of all the purchases and stops that Xavier had made, and it wasn’t all that impressive. A couple of motel stops, Italian and Mexican restaurant purchases. What he did find interesting was the bill for two. A woman? A job? Maurice attached the images that had been taken by cameras within the area, and he saw that Xavier had a different woman at each stop.

  Interesting.

  He didn’t know what the big deal was with Xavier. Sure, he killed a load of people, and didn’t have a soul—that wasn’t new in his line of work. As far as he was concerned all Boss was doing was collecting killers like normal people collected trophies.

  “Are you still there?” she asked.

  He put his cell phone away, not bothering with Boss’s email for now. He focused on the woman a few feet away in his bathroom.

  “I’m still here so don’t try to make a run for it.”

  “Pity because that’s what I was planning. To run out of a house showing off my bare ass.”

  He smirked at her sarcasm. “You know I’ve got no problem spanking that ass.” He could imagine her eye roll.

  Now, if anyone else gave him that kind of sass, he’d have ended them long ago. She was different, and he wanted her.

  His cock hardened just imagining her standing before him with her large tits thrust out, begging to be touched. He’d worship every single inch of her, and would do so every single day because that was what she deserved, and he’d be the one to give it to her.

  It had been weeks now since he’d fucked a woman, which was a rarity for him. His life had always been a crazy mix of sex and killing. Now that Lori had entered the mix, she was all he could think about, leaving him with the worst case of blue balls.

  Movin
g toward the door, he leaned against the frame, and stared in. She had enough bubbles in the water to hide her body from view. The scent of lavender was heavy in the air. He liked it. She’d pinned her hair on top of her head, and she smiled at him. She looked like a fucking angel.

  “Do you even know how to spank?” she asked.

  “You’re really going to ask me that? I kill for a living.”

  She didn’t know who she was fucking with. He was trying to be a gentleman, and she was baiting him as if he’d never played this game.

  “Yeah, I don’t think this is a good idea. I can’t believe I’m even having a discussion with you right now. I forgot about what you’ve done.”

  “Carlton was an asshole who deserved to die. Don’t forget that, sweetheart.”

  “Did he really? Do people really deserve to die?” she asked.

  He smirked. “What about child abusers, rapists, and shit like that?”

  She sighed. “I don’t know. How can you? I mean, did you go to some kind of school to learn how to do it?”

  Chains moved to take a seat on the toilet. It was the first time a woman had ever been interested in hearing about his life, and he was intrigued by her.

  “My life wasn’t a good one. Since I was a kid I’ve been taught how to use a gun, every kind of weapon, and of course, use these.” He held up his hands. He’d killed a lot more people with his bare hands than he’d ever done with a weapon.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Why are you sorry?”

  “I can’t imagine you had a good childhood, and I find that incredibly sad. I feel yours was shattered even before it began.”

  He stared at her, seeing the sincerity in her gaze. Chains had witnessed a couple of men at Killer of Kings fall for different women. He’d often wondered what had made their women fall for them. He wasn’t an expert, but he didn’t imagine killers rated high on dating sites.

  The whole risk of being killed ruined any chance of that. Hitmen learned early on that close relationships were a weakness to exploit. “You haven’t had a good childhood either. You’ve done nothing but care for kids that aren’t yours.”

  “They’re still my brothers and sisters.”

  “Doesn’t make it right.”

  “It doesn’t make it wrong either,” she said.

  He smirked. “You’re telling me that you’ve never thought about leaving? About having that once in a lifetime chance where you didn’t have to change shitty diapers or worry about getting them to school, or even have to listen to another pregnancy announcement?” He saw the tears in her eyes. “It’s not wrong to be selfish, Lori. It’s your life as well, and you need to see that.”

  She sat up in the water, and stared at him. “You always make it sound so easy. Like it’s not going to ruin everyone’s life. I’m not like you. I can’t be selfish.”

  Was he selfish for keeping her prisoner? He thought he was doing her a service, but what the fuck did he know?

  He moved from his seat, kneeling on the tiles close to the tub. Resting his arms on the side of the bath, he stared at her, wishing that the bubbles would disperse and he’d get a nice view of those perky fat tits.

  “Whose life are you going to ruin?” he asked. “I hate doing this as I hate seeing you upset, but there hasn’t been a notice issued that you’re missing.”

  “What?”

  “I checked. I went by your place, and no one in your family has reported you missing.” He saw the tears fill her eyes.

  “They don’t care?”

  Chains gritted his teeth as anger began to flood his veins, his muscled tensing. He didn’t want to see her cry, and certainly not for assholes. They didn’t deserve her.

  Reaching out, he swiped a tear off her cheek. “Don’t cry for them.”

  “I’m … not loved. They don’t care about me. I sacrificed everything for them.”

  She pressed her face against her hands, and Chains couldn’t handle it anymore. Climbing into the bath, fully dressed, he pulled her into his arms. He wanted her. He cared, and Chains knew he’d do anything to make sure she’d be all right.

  ****

  Lori had known. Deep down she’d known that her parents didn’t really care about her. They never asked her about her day, always speaking about their own problems. This just … hurt. She’d hoped that they’d miss her, but clearly, she’d just been another child in a long line of them. Lori felt small and alone, like a little girl craving her parents’ love. But she was a woman now—a lonely, pathetic woman with nothing to her name.

  Chains held her tightly, and even though she was naked, she welcomed his touch. Craved it. Needed it. She had no one else, which was really pathetic. This killer cared about her more than her own family did. He’d killed Carlton for hurting her. In the short time she’d been with him, even though she’d been chained in the basement, he’d taken excellent care of her. The time they shared, she actually relished those visits. She didn’t want to lose his touch, not now, not ever. She was the star of some twisted fairy tale.

  He stroked her hair, and she closed her eyes, resting her head against his sodden shirt.

  “You’re not alone,” he said. The deep rumble of his voice calmed her.

  “You don’t know me.”

  “Then tell me everything. Show me who Lori is, and I’ll tell you about myself.”

  “You’ll want something though. Everyone always wants something.”

  She lifted her head up, and he offered her a smile. Why did she feel so comfortable with him? He’d admitted he killed and it was what he did for a living, but she felt comfortable with him. Safe.

  “Don’t leave. Don’t try to run. That’s all I ask.”

  “Really? Out of everything you could have or want, you just don’t want me to run away?” she asked.

  “No. I want you to give us both this chance. I won’t hurt you. I won’t even touch you. I just … I’d like to know you.”

  “No one cares who I am.”

  His palm cupped her cheek, the pad of his thumb rough against her skin as he stroked her skin. “I care. It’s why I want you all to myself.”

  She rested her cheek against his touch, closing her eyes as she did so. “Yes.”

  “What?”

  “I promise I won’t run, but you’ve got to let me outside at least once. I promise I won’t scream or beg for attention. We could just walk up and down the street.”

  “Why does going outside mean so much to you?” he asked.

  “Because it’s something I’ve always done. If Mom and Dad were fighting, I’d leave the tiny flat, and go sit on the swings near where we lived. If the smell was too much, sleeping outside wasn’t a problem. It helped me think.”

  He sighed. “We’ll go out after you’ve eaten something, and it’s dark.”

  “Why do we have to go out in the dark?” she asked.

  “I don’t like the day very much, and to relax, there has to be at least a little darkness. In my life, shadows are a comfort.”

  “This is so strange. I guess you’re the bogeyman, aren’t you?”

  “You’re quite comfortable in my lap. Is that not strange to you?”

  She stared at him, and he did the same right back at her. “We’re both strange.”

  He winked at her. “Are you going to cry again?” he asked.

  “No, I’m all cried out.”

  “I don’t want to see you cry, not for them, not for anything. It hurts me.” He rubbed at his chest, and she melted. Already he cared enough not to see her cry.

  Chains climbed out of the tub first, grabbing a towel, which he held open in an offering. “Are you ready to come out, princess?”

  She giggled, cautiously stepping up, and into the towel. Each little act that showed he cared filled her with such warmth. She was growing addicted to his touch, to the way he spoke and cared about her. Lori prayed it wasn’t an elaborate act because she’d never been a great judge of character when it came to men.

  He nev
er raised his voice either. She appreciated that. It was a rest for her soul not having to walk on eggshells all the time.

  He led her out into the bedroom. She found some clothes already waiting for her. “I’ll have food ready downstairs.”

  She watched him leave, and knew instantly this was a test. If she tried to run for it, she’d go back to the basement, and wait until he built up some trust. She quickly got changed, and found herself across from a large mirror with an elaborate gold leaf frame. The clothes fit perfectly, and rather than making her look fat, they fit to every curve as if they’d been designed her for.

  Looking into her own eyes at her reflection she seemed … happy. How weird was that? Alone with a man she barely knew who’d been taking care of her, and she was happy. None of this made any sense to her, and yet it did.

  Rubbing her hands together, she took a deep breath. She didn’t want to run. Even if she knew she could get away with it. The life he’d taken her from wasn’t anything to covet. In fact, the life she’d led had been a fucking nightmare. Work, dealing with kids, and more work. Loneliness and sadness. She didn’t want to go back to that life, and yes, she did also want to be a little bit selfish.

  Chains made her feel so many things. Carlton had disgusted her, and she’d hated his touch. She never wanted any part of him or his lifestyle, and always fought to stay away from him. With Chains, it was different. She wished he’d take what he wanted, but he had the control of a saint. He always looked her up and down, but it felt like a caress, a brand of ownership. She wanted to belong … to him.

  Her body felt alive when she was with him, and she liked to push, just a little, to see if he’d snap. He wouldn’t snap. She knew it deep down in her core. Out of the entire world filled with women, Chains had picked her.

  When everyone else overlooked her, and she’d been cast in shadow, feeling lost and alone—he’d noticed her.

  Leaving the bedroom, she passed several windows, and even the main front door, and stepped into the kitchen. He stood, arms folded, leaning against the counter. Putting a hand on her hip, she winked at him.