Extrait

Finding her voice, Maddy spoke out of turn, not thinking about the repercussions her words could elicit. “I would prefer you call me by my name.” She peaked up at him through her lashes. “Maddy, I would prefer that you call me Maddy.”

Aaron stopped with his bare back turned to her, taking several minutes to finally respond, he asked, “What makes you think you are allowed to ask that? If I wanted, I could call you slave…” He turned to face her, the contours of chest perfectly shadowed, his strength unquestionable. “…or whore.” His swagger was slow as he approached her, a hunter skilled in pursuit. “Would you prefer those names to ‘Mouse’?”

Sucking her bottom lip between her teeth, Maddy fidgeted with her hands, refusing to look Aaron in the eyes. She could feel his gaze touching her skin, his perusal of the woman barely half his size. The heat of his body rolled off of him as he circled her. It was the feeling of a soft blanket and lustful threat wrapped around her at the same time. When the deep resonation of his voice occurred again, she cringed, fearing he would strike out at her for the incorrect answer. “Why do you dislike the name I have given you?”

Continuing to fidget, Maddy trained her eyes on her feet, not daring to look up into the endless green she knew stared down at her. Gripping her under her chin, Aaron pulled her face up to look at him, his eyes searching hers for the answer to his question. “You will speak when I tell you.” Dropping his hand from her face, he took a step back placing distance between them. “Now answer me.”

Her heart pounded against the walls of her chest, her throat constricted, making it difficult for her to breath. Fear consumed her as she stood in the shadow of the man who’d taken at least two lives that day. Barely a whisper, her voice squeaked out the answer to his question. “Because a mouse is a furry little rodent, something detested.”

Aaron stood thoughtful and silent above her. When he didn’t respond, Maddy quietly added, “I guess it’s better than Xander’s name for me.”

Laughter bellowed out, causing the toned muscles of Aaron’s broad chest to flex and relax before her eyes. The sound of his amusement so real, it caused her to want to smile in response to seeing a piece of his mask falling away, revealing parts of him not witnessed by many people. Containing himself, Aaron’s eyes sparkled as he asked, “And what, exactly, is Xander’s name for you?”

A scowl creased the fine skin between her eyes, her mouth pulled into the pout of a sulking child. “He calls me ‘cricket’…an insect. It’s odd that you both refer to me as nothing more than a common household pest.”

Aaron’s smile faltered as he looked down upon the beautiful girl who didn’t fully understand her role. “No, Madeleine, you are not a common household pest…”

Maddy looked up at him, anticipating what he would say next.

For a fleeting second, he looked genuinely amused, but his expression was quickly replaced with indifference and contempt as he stated, “you are lower than even a pest in your role as a slave.”