Penmort Castle (Ghosts and Reincarnation #1)(44)
Author: Kristen Ashley

It was something that made her say, “And what form of gratitude does a diamond bracelet buy you?”

She watched his face go blank and his arms seemed to convulse around her.

Then she watched, with no small concern, as his eyes narrowed.

“I’m sorry?” he asked and his voice had an edge, an edge that said quite clearly she should be very careful with her answer.

She wasn’t.

“The bracelet,” she replied, shaking her wrist as if to remind him, “I just want to be certain what I owe you for the bracelet.”

She watched a muscle jump in his jaw and it took everything she had not to jump off his lap.

Or worse, beg him to let her take it back.

“Would you care,” he said, very slowly and equally dangerously, “to tell me what the f**k you’re on about?”

Even sensing he was angrier than she’d ever seen him before, and it was not in doubt that Cash Fraser had a formidable temper, she kept playing her game. “I’m not on about anything. I just don’t want any surprises. I like to know what’s expected of me, you know that.”

He watched her for a moment before he stated, “Something’s changed.”

“Nothing’s changed,” Abby returned.

His arms got tighter on hearing her lie. “Something’s. Fucking. Changed.”

Oh dear Lord, Abby thought. He was saying “fuck”.

He didn’t shy away from using that word. Except when he was angry he used it a different way.

And he was using it that way now which Abby knew wasn’t good.

She ignored his ominous use of the f-word and repeated her bald-faced lie, “Nothing has changed.”

His eyes were still narrow, his brows were drawn and he watched her mouth while she was speaking as if it was fascinating in its hideousness.

“Yesterday,” he said, his words still slow and dangerous as he went on, “I left you sweet and smiling in my bed and now you’re acting like a common whore.”

That stung but Abby hid it and returned coldly, “I’m not a common whore, Cash. I’m an uncommon one. You know that too because you made it so.”

At that he moved swiftly. So swiftly, her breath flew from her lungs.

She was on her back on the bed, sucking in air and he was on his side looming over her threateningly when he clipped, “You opened your legs for me Abby, you begged me to come inside. I didn’t f**king make you a whore.”

“Really? Then why did you pay me after with hundreds of pounds worth of new robes?” she replied acidly.

She hoped to all that was holy that she hid the fear that shot through her when she saw his face darken.

“That wasn’t f**king payment,” Cash growled.

“It seemed like it to me,” Abby retorted, making her awful lie sound real and, as intended, she successfully struck her target.

His darkening face turned thunderous.

“You’re a f**king piece of work,” he snarled, pushing off her and exiting the bed muttering, “unbelievable.”

At that point, Abby should have kept quiet.

She really should have.

But Abby often did stupid things so she didn’t.

Instead, scrambling off the bed, she asked when she’d gained her feet, “It was a simple question, Cash. Why do you sound so surprised?”

His dark eyes speared her and he answered, “Now, that’s a good question, darling, why am I so surprised?”

Abby watched, holding her ground with effort, as he came close, so close he was an inch away.

Then he dealt a deadly verbal blow. “I shouldn’t be surprised. You’ve made it perfectly clear you’re determined to hold onto a dead man so given time to shut down, you f**king took it.”

And that’s when Abby lost her phony cool composure and also lost her temper. Not solely angry at Cash and what he said but also angry at herself because she was so, embarrassingly, transparent.

“I don’t believe you just said that!” she snapped, her voice rising and becoming shrill.

“Believe it, Abby,” he clipped back, his voice rising at the same time it dipped deep.

Her voice was no longer rising, it was loud when she yelled, “You don’t know a thing about me!”

His face moved close to hers and he returned crudely, “I know I can make you forget him when my mouth is between your legs.”

“Oh my God!” Abby screeched, arms straight down, hands balled into fists in an effort not to slap him.

But he carried on. “And I know you’re full of shit. I know this whole act is full of shit. You’re terrified. He died and then you sacrificed yourself to him but you didn’t have the f**king courage to slit your wrists to join him, did you Abby?” She gasped at his cruel question but he didn’t give her time to answer. “Instead you’ve done the next best thing. I don’t know how you’ve managed to so royally f**k up your life to get where you are now. I do know you’re pretty f**king comfortable letting a man pay for your company but you’re scared shitless of giving it away.”

“Don’t think, Mr. Fraser, with all the clever skills at your command, that you can actually read my mind while you f**k me,” she shouted.

“Darling,” he shot back tersely, “I didn’t have to f**k you to read you. You’re an open f**king book.”

“Don’t call me darling,” Abby snapped.

“I paid for you, Abby, I’ll do whatever the f**k I want,” he bit back.

It was at that point Abby realised she was breathing heavily and so was Cash.

She stared at him, heart beating, breath coming fast. He held her glare and returned it until Abby could take no more.

She looked over his shoulder and asked with saccharine sweetness, “If you’re through with me this morning, Mr. Fraser, I’d like to go home.”

She let out a shocked gasp when his hand closed around her neck and he jerked her forward, her body slamming into his and his face coming within a breath of her own.

“I’m through with you Abby, for now. But you better f**king be ready tonight. Six o’clock. I’ll pick you up at your house and if you make me wait, there’ll be consequences.”

“I’ll be ready,” she snapped.

“Wear the f**king bracelet,” he returned, his beautiful voice had turned ugly, “and don’t wear any f**king underwear. You want to know the price of that bracelet? It’s you sitting next to me at dinner and me knowing the whole time there’ll be no obstacles when I f**k you after taking you home.”