Page 23 of Obsession (Dark Revenge)
“You are, so feed me,” he ordered.
“Feed you?” I gulped, memories of our last feeding session flooding my mind. “You have two capable hands, Master.”
“I was wounded last night,” he explained.
“What?” I asked, my heart racing. “Again?”
He nodded, momentarily appearing concerned, which left me wondering about the extent of his injuries. However, his demeanor quickly shifted, and he began to chuckle.
“God, Alison, you almost make me believe you care, judging by how worried you look,” he taunted.
I rolled my eyes. “I just wonder where I should aim the next time I kick you,” I quipped, crossing my arms.
Jared tightened his grip on my waist, pulling me closer, and his breath brushed against the side of my neck, sending a shiver down my spine.
“Feed me. It’s an order, slave,” he commanded.
I sighed, then picked up his fork and speared some of the eggs I had cooked. I held it up to his lips, and he ate it. We continued this process, and to my surprise, his hands remained in check. He simply allowed me to feed him without any distractions. However, it left me wondering if he had something unpleasant planned for me later. Often, when he acted “sweet”, it was a prelude to something bad. Nevertheless, I managed to feed him until he was full, and then he ordered me to find something for myself and return to eat beside him, where he could keep an eye on me.
I followed his instructions, and he even had me sit beside him as if we were a married couple or playing the role of one. This proximity set my mind racing, and I couldn’t hold back the question that lingered on my tongue, “When are you getting married?”
Jared tensed at my question, and I immediately realized I had made a mistake by asking. He had appeared so relaxed while we ate together.
“When all of this is over,” he replied through gritted teeth.
“You mean when this contract is over?”
“Yes.”
“And then you’ll marry that... Astrid?” I questioned, hesitating slightly when I mentioned her name because it left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Jared avoided eye contact as he nodded, and it brought back memories of that day in the car. He had worn the same haunted expression when I had told him to get out of my car and go inside. This time, I could see his eyes, and I understood why he looked that way. I had witnessed firsthand what Astrid had ordered him to do. But of course, he had taken those actions to protect me from her cousins. It would be challenging to act as if nothing had happened during this month if I never returned home.
“I’m sure you’ll have a lovely marriage,” I mocked, causing him to turn his head and glare at me.
“She will learn her place when I don’t have you to worry about,” he growled.
“There’s so much wrong with that sentence. But sure, Master, it’s the 18th century, and women ‘learn’ their place with a stern hand, correct?”
“Was that attitude?” he warned.
“A whole lot of it,” I admitted, challenging him today because I felt weakened after the way he had manipulated me last night, and because this impending marriage was eating away at me in ways I refused to accept.
Jared pushed back his chair and snapped his fingers, gesturing for me to bend over his lap.
“Are you serious?” I asked incredulously. “Here?”
“I fucked you on this table, but this makes you hesitate?” he retorted.
I crossed my arms, refusing to budge. I was aware that I was treading on dangerous ground, but I couldn’t bear the thought of his hands on me right now, not when I knew where those hands would belong in just two weeks, bound to another woman for therest of his life. It ignited a seething anger within me, similar to the rage I felt when Kyle and the others had acted without my consent, presuming they had any authority over Jared.
“Slave, I’m going to count. If I reach zero, you will regret it,” he warned.
With a defiant attitude, I lifted my shoulders in a dismissive shrug. This was my way of asserting some semblance of control, even if only for a fleeting moment.
“5,” he began.
I averted my gaze, refusing to meet his eyes.
