Sweet: A Dark Love Story Read online

  She pressed a hand to her chest as though to hold in her raging heart and took a deep breath. “What are you doing here?”

  “The better question is, the one you should be asking yourself, that is, Kat, is what are you doing here?”

  She shook her head, frowning up at him. “I won a vacation. It was supposed to be a private island, and I didn’t realize there would be other guests.”

  Declan laughed loudly, but there was a coldness underlying the sound that sapped any mirth. “Are you really that naïve, Ms. Evans? I’m not the guest. I own this place, and now that you’ve fallen neatly in line with my plans, I own you too.”

  Her brain spun as she tried to assimilate his words and grasp what was happening. “I…what?”

  His hand fastened around her upper arm, dragging her closer to his body, which thrummed with heat. “You belong to me now, Kat.”

  She shook her head, still confused. “I don’t understand. You’re not making sense.”

  He sneered, and it was such a familiar expression that it sent a pang shooting through her chest. “It makes perfect sense. Your father killed my wife and child, but he never paid for that.”

  She nodded. “I know. I’m so—”

  “Shut up.” He hissed the words through his lips as his head descended, bringing his face too close to her own for anyone who wasn’t her intimate partner. “Don’t you ever say that word again. You aren’t sorry. You can’t be.”

  “I was. I am!” She tried to wrench away, scowling when his hold tightened. “Don’t tell me how I feel.”

  Declan grimaced. “If you’re sorry, it’s in a vague and impersonal way. You’re not personally sorry, and you haven’t paid for it either.”

  Her eyes widened. “What do I have to pay for? My father is the one who killed your wife.”

  “And my child,” he snarled. “Don’t forget she was six months pregnant with Cordelia, which allowed the state to prosecute him for her murder too.”

  She nodded, her lips wobbling. “I haven’t forgotten.” His daughter’s name was familiar, though she was certain it had never been used at the trial. The defense had always called her “the fetus,” while the prosecutors had used “baby.” Her eyes widened as she suddenly remembered where she’d heard it before—Cordelia Academy. “Why am I here?”

  “Your father stole my family from me. You’ll just have to replace them, Kat.” His expression darkened. “Justice failed me, but I have a feeling revenge will be sweet.”

  She shook her head, rejecting his words. “First, I can’t just replace your wife and lost child. I know you’re hurting and not seeing things clearly, but that’s not what you want. It’s not what your wife would have wanted either.”

  He pushed her against the banister of the staircase, looming over her. “Don’t tell me what Hilary would have wanted. She’d have wanted to live and raise our baby, not have her life cut short by a criminal out to steal money so his daughter could have a new school wardrobe.”

  “That’s a lie. It always was,” she retorted, somewhere between angrily and gently. “It was simply a lie spun by the defense. He never used any of the money he stole from her…Hilary for me.”

  He seemed not to hear her, or perhaps he didn’t care about facts. “Your idiot father got himself killed while driving drunk before I could get revenge from him. Instead, my attention fell to you.”

  “This isn’t my fault. I did nothing to you, Mr. Mulgrew. I know you’re suffering, and I’m sor—”

  Before the word could emerge past her lips, his head came down, his mouth slamming over hers forcefully, and in a punishing fashion. She tried to jerk away, fighting his touch as he pressed almost savagely against her lips. Kat remained impassive until his lips suddenly softened, and the punishment aspect faded, changing to one designed to coax a response instead. It worked, dammit.

  This kiss hit with the force of a hurricane, battering her defenses and forcing pleasure to course through her. Kat was disgusted with herself when a low moan escaped her as she wrapped her arms around Dalen against the urgings of her brain. His mouth molded to hers, and their lips and tongues entangled as the kiss grew more passionate, making her feel things she’d never felt before with any other man she had kissed.

  She was deeply ashamed that he was the one to break the kiss first, lifting his head and laughing darkly. As soon as his mouth left hers, awareness crept back in, and she took a step back from, pressing her spine even deeper into the banister. Kat made a production of wiping her lips and glaring at him. “You had no right to do that. I demand you let me go home right now.”

  One side of Dalen’s lips curled, and he looked down at her with something that could have been disdain or just plain enjoyment at her suffering. It was difficult to tell with the man. “There’s no leaving this island, Kat. After all, you did win a private island experience,” he added with a dark chuckle.

  She rolled her eyes. “And I also won a scholarship to art school, but I think we both know that was B.S.”

  He lifted his shoulder in a careless fashion. “Yes. I wanted to take your most cherished dream and strip it from you.”

  She flinched at his words, shaking her head. “I don’t know why you’re doing this to me. I had nothing to do with what my father did.”

  “You might have been innocent in it all, but you’re still going to pay for his crimes. Sins of the father,” he said in a mocking fashion.

  She shook her head. “It’s obvious to me I can’t get through to you.” She reached for her purse, intent on digging out her cell phone, when she realized he held it in his hands. She extended her hand for it, wiggling her fingers slightly. “Give me back my purse.”

  “Sure, in a minute.” He flicked open her purse and rummaged through it. She reached for the bag, but he shielded it with his body, preventing her from getting hold of it. A moment later, she gasped with outrage when he lifted out her cell phone and threw it down on the floor before stepping on it. Pieces of plastic and metal flew everywhere, and the innards of the phone spilled out on the travertine tile.

  “I can’t believe you just did that. What is wrong with you, Mulgrew?”

  “Nothing. Everything.” He shrugged again, still rummaging in her purse. The next thing he withdrew was her plastic packet of birth control pills. “You won’t be needing these anymore.”

  Her mouth dropped open with shock when he casually slipped the package into his pocket. Up until that point, she had been convinced he was playing some kind of game with her, but had dismissed his words about expecting her to replace his wife and give him a child. His actions were a stark enforcement of the reality that he hadn’t been just saying that. The lunatic actually expected her to fall in line with his plans and have his child. “You’re insane,” she said softly as the realization swept over her.

  He ignored her observation while he continued rummaging through her purse, and the last thing he was looking for soon became clear. She cried out her protest when he removed her passport book, reaching for it with desperation. She couldn’t leave without that, and he knew it. Her fingers scrabbled to get to it, but it was in his pocket beside her birth control pills before she could do more than touch the spine. Anger coursed through her, stronger than any she’d ever felt, and her hand lifted of its own accord to slam against his cheek. “Give me back my passport now.”

  He blinked, but gave no other visible indication that he felt anything from the slap. “Do that again, and I’ll do the same. Now, let’s go over the rules.”

  “I have no intention of following your rules, Mulgrew, so save your breath.”

  “That’s fine and obviously your choice, but I won’t hesitate to punish you if you don’t follow the rules.”

  Kat shook her head again, at a loss on how to deal with the crazy man. “You have clearly lost your mind. I don’t know what you think you can accomplish here, but I won’t cooperate with you.”

  He pressed on as if she hadn’t spoken. “The rules are fairly simple an
d straightforward. You belong to me, and you require my permission, Kat.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Permission for what?”

  He gave her a smile that was sharp enough to slice her. “Everything, though that really applies more to occasions when we leave the island, Kat. In the meantime, I’m expecting there to be some hiccups as you settle into your new role.”

  “Do you really think I’m just going to passively accept being locked away by you to pay for something my father did?”

  Declan shrugged his shoulders. “I think there will be a period of adjustment, which is why I brought you here to my home rather than coming to you. There’s no one here but us, and it will be easier to deal with your defiance until it fades away.”

  “I’m not staying here with you.”

  “I hope you’re good swimmer then, because it’s fourteen nautical miles to the nearest island, and another twelve past that if you want one that actually has other people on it.”

  She glared at him as she crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not indulging your madness. Call your helicopter to take me back to the mainland now, and I won’t press charges for kidnapping when I’m returned to civilization.”

  He surged forward suddenly, pressing her against the wooden banister until she cried out from the pain of the ornate decorations digging into her skin. “I think we both know how unreliable the justice system is, but I won’t risk that anyway. You aren’t going anywhere off this island without me, and certainly not until I’m satisfied that you’ve been broken and learned your place.”

  The intensity in his gaze was frightening, and her heart rate sped up as she saw the unwavering determination in his expression. It struck her like a blow to the head that he was completely serious about this madness. He wasn’t just toying with her or playing some kind of twisted game. He had meant every word he said, including his plan to break her.

  Panic surged through her, and she wriggled away from him and gave in to the instinct to run as she slipped free of his imprisoning hold. Her sandals slapped on the tile as she pumped her legs and ran as fast as she could back the way she had come, out the foyer and through the front door, down the marble steps, and into the lush greenery surrounding the house.

  The grass and common signs of domesticated landscaping gave way to thick jungle within a few hundred yards, and she plunged into it blindly. Kat tugged her way free of vines that tried to keep her immobile, slowly pushing through obstacles in her path. Her heart raced in her ears the entire time, though not loudly enough to mask the sound of him behind her. Knowing he was chasing her gave her an extra burst of adrenaline, and she continued moving forward with all her strength.

  When she up abruptly burst from the jungle, it was into a clearing, and she sobbed with frustration when his hand fastened around her wrist, arresting her escape. She tried to wrench free from him, and he dragged her resisting body against him.

  “Watch out, you idiot. You’re about to run off a cliff.”

  She froze, awareness of her surroundings creeping in as the fight-or-flight response slowly faded. She had a good vantage point of the island from her view on the bluff, but if she had taken a few more steps, she would have ended up on the beach below, no doubt splattered across one of the rocky boulders shooting upright from the sand. She shuddered at the realization and sagged against him for a moment.

  As she turned, while still attempting to pull herself from his hold, a boathouse caught her gaze. “Is there a boat in there?”

  He didn’t look in the direction she was facing, but he did turn her the rest of the way to face him. His hands cupped her cheeks in a punishing grasp, and he shook her lightly. “You have run of the island, but don’t run off cliffs, you foolish girl.”

  She glared up at him. “I was trying to get away from you. Now answer the question. Is there a boat in the boathouse?”

  He inclined his head, smirking at her. “There is, but I keep the key near me at all times. You might as well disregard it completely, Kat. You’ll have no need for boat rides anyway. You’re going to be too busy satisfying my every whim and desire.”

  Before she could think better of it, Kat lifted her hand and slapped him again. She was appalled by the show of violence, because she had never been one to give in to violent impulses. After a lifetime of watching the people around her break into fistfights for the slightest provocation, and of being her father’s punching bag for sixteen years before he got himself killed, and she was sent to foster care, she had always cultivated a peaceful response. All that went out the window with Declan.

  His mouth tightened, and one of his hands moved from her cheek to grasp a handful of her black hair. She yelped when he dragged her head back sharply, exposing her throat. “I warned you not to raise your hand to me again.”

  She glared up at him. “Are you going to strike me then? It wouldn’t be the first time someone’s punched me.”

  His gray eyes darkened, and he radiated anger. “Who dared raise a hand to you?”

  She blinked, stunned by his abrupt change. “My father, his brothers, and my first boyfriend. Now you, right?”

  “I’m not going to strike you. You’re too lovely, and my father taught me never to hit a woman.”

  She started to sag with relief, and he jerked sharply on her hair to compensate, forcing her to maintain her bowed back and exposed neck in her vulnerable posture. A moment later, she cried out when his head bent, and he bit her on the side of her neck. It wasn’t sharp enough to draw blood, but definitely stung.

  “Let go of me.” She whimpered when he bit her again with the same intensity before changing the pressure of his mouth to suction, clearly intent on leaving a hickey. “What the hell are you doing?”

  “Marking you. I need to see your skin bearing proof of my ownership.” His eyes were glazed with passion, and before she had time to process what he was doing, let alone resist, Declan had pushed her to the ground. He pinned her wrists above her head as she bowed her body and tried to buck him off, seeming to easily ignore her attempts to resist.

  Hysteria shot through her, feeding her struggles, while he pressed down on her calmly, just waiting her out. She struggled for several minutes until exhaustion swept over her, and she slumped against the dirt and sparse vegetation underneath her. The fight didn’t drain from her, but the energy to sustain it had for the moment.

  “Stop fighting, Kat. Accept you’re mine, and give in gracefully.”

  “Fuck you.”

  Declan maintained his hold on her hands with one of his, his fingers long enough to wrap around both of her thin wrists and hold her easily, especially since she had worn herself out trying to escape. His other hand went between their bodies, and she stiffened with fright and outrage as she heard his belt clinking when he opened it. The rasp of his zipper was unnaturally loud, and the crashing of the ocean against the rocky beach below should have drowned it out.

  Seconds later, she could feel the heat of his erection as he pressed between the apex of her thighs, rubbing the head of his cock against her slit, covered by panties, but no other barriers between them. She turned her head away from him, biting her lip. She braced herself for his violation, and then grunted with surprise when he pressed his cock against her clitoris without removing her underwear.

  Pleasure sparked through her as he rubbed her through the silk, his shaft twitching against her with every shallow thrust. She was slick with pleasure and humbled by her inability to control her hips as they rocked against him. She cried out her protest as a small orgasm spread through her, hating what he was reducing her to and her inability to fight it.

  He promptly released her wrists so he could flip her dress up over her chest, exposing her belly and her silk-covered mound. It was actually a cheap knockoff of satin, but the synthetic material allowed him to glide easily up and down her slit.

  “Just stop, please.” She hated asking him for anything, but the unsolicited orgasm had mortified her, and she couldn’t deny her body w
as building toward another release. It was relief mixed with disappointment when he suddenly withdrew from her, a millisecond before cum splashed on her stomach. She flinched as though it were acid, bringing her hands up to his chest to push him away. “What are you doing?”

  “Marking you. I want to see my cum on every inch of your skin, Kat, before I slide my dick inside you.”

  She looked away from him, startled to see the sky was so beautiful, with the sun blazing overhead. With the turmoil going on inside her and between them, the sky should have been dark gray and filled with clouds, perhaps deluging them with a torrent in the process. The day didn’t have any right to be so beautiful when her life had taken such an ugly turn. “May I get up now? Are you done coming on me like I’m a fucking prostitute or something?”

  Declan threaded his fingers through her hair again, forcing her head to remain immobile as his lips crashed over hers in a possessive, demanding kiss that she couldn’t withstand. Once she had yielded, her tongue slipping out to trace his bottom lip, he lifted his head and laughed. His satisfaction was evident. “You’re not a prostitute, but you are my little slut. You’re going to do whatever I want you to, and you’re going absolutely fucking love it, Kat.”

  Tears scalded her eyes, and she blinked fiercely to hold them back. “I’m not a slut, and I’m certainly not your slut. I hate being called names like that.”

  “You’ll love them by the time I’m done breaking you. You’ll love being my slut, and you’ll embrace it enthusiastically. You’ll consider it a compliment as it’s intended rather than a disparagement.”

  She shook her head, trying to wiggle free from him without getting perilously close to the edge of the bluff. “You’re crazy. I don’t know how you think I could ever enjoy this.”

  “That’s simple enough.” His hand was still between their bodies, and his fingers penetrated the side of her underwear, slipping past the elastic to the wet folds inside. His fingers pressed into her, and her body tightened when her slit spasmed around him as though trying to draw him in.