Free Cunning (Infidelity #2) by Aleatha Romig Page A

“…please. I was without options. Everything I’d worked for…” A renegade tear slipped onto his chest. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
    Nox’s strong arms embraced me, wrapping around me and cradling me against his chest. I became lost in him, overwhelmed by the beating of his heart, warmth of his skin, and masculine scent. We lingered unmoving for what seemed like ages. Beyond the heavy curtains of the hotel suite, darkness gave way to dawn.
    And then as if a switch had been flipped, Nox’s body stiffened and he rolled me back to the bed. With his head propped on his elbow, he stared at me.
    “Listen and listen carefully.”
    Welcome back, Mr. Demetri.
    “Here are my new rules…”
    It was surreal how he morphed from one man to the other. In his arms, I was Charli, and he was Nox. Listening to him now, he was Mr. Demetri, and I was his whore. The dichotomy both frightened and reassured me.
    Is that what he wants, to elicit two such different emotions?
    “…three more days, then you’ll move into my apartment.”
    My pulse quickened again. “Where do you live?”
    “Westchester County.”
    “I-I have classes. I have an apartment near campus. Maybe we could work…”
    Nox shook his head. “No. My rules. Break your lease.”
    “B-But that’s too far away…”
    “Arguing isn’t permitted.”
    My heart thumped against my chest. Westchester County … how?
    “Yes, Mr. Demetri.” I hoped he heard the dripping sarcasm.
    His eyes narrowed, twisting my insides. “I should punish you for that.”
    Okay, he heard it.
    “Perhaps there’s another…” I didn’t know what to ask or what to say.
    “I also have an apartment on West 77th.”
    Oh thank God.
    “It’s where you’ll stay—where we’ll stay.” He wasn’t giving me a choice. “I rarely go to the house in Westchester. The apartment is closer to my office, and it’s not far from Columbia. I’ll get you a driver and a car.”
    I shook my head. “I don’t like drivers.”
    “You don’t?” he asked with a smirk. “Was Isaac so offensive? He’s usually pretty quiet.”
    I wasn’t thinking of Isaac, but his response made me smile. “No, Isaac was fine.”
    “Well, princess, how many drivers have you known?”
    Nox didn’t know me at all. If he wanted to believe this money thing was new to me, I wasn’t going to burst his bubble. “It just seems like that would be intrusive. I mean, as if I was being watched.”
    “Oh, you will be.”
    “What?”
    “You will be watched.”
    His words prickled my skin. Everything he said had a definitive edge, almost daring me to question. This time I took the bait. “W-Why?”
    “Because you’re mine.”
    “I’m yours for the next year. I know that. What does that have to do with my being watched?”
    “Exactly what I said. I don’t make an investment without protecting it. You’re mine. From what I’ve seen, you’ve demonstrated your inability to make reasonable judgments. For the next year, your decisions, your safety, and even your sensibility are all up to me.”
    “Nox, I’m not a child.”
    “No, Charli, you’re not. If you were, I’d ground your round ass to this suite and make you write a thousand times that signing that agreement with Infidelity was stupid. Maybe by the time you were done, you’d understand it to be true.”
    I pressed my lips together to stop my rebuttal. He was a goddamned client. His hypocritical view didn’t make sense. Placing my hand against his chest, I tried another approach. “I can take the subway or the bus.” I willed my sarcasm to stay hidden. “Despite your lack of respect for my decision-making skills, I can manage mass transportation. I earned an A in my urban planning class at Stanford.” Okay, the last part was a bit much.
    “This isn’t debatable. I’m involved in some dangerous things. If you’re in the public eye as my…” He paused. “… companion , then you need to be protected. We’re not discussing it. Besides,