Free Monster by Francette Phal Page B

close to her that she could smell the citric notes of his cologne. Held completely at a disadvantage because of his towering height, she had to crane her neck up to meet his gaze, and Eden shuddered at the unadulterated rage that blanketed his savagely handsome face. The murderous glint she spied in his emerald eyes made her want to run for cover. “Let…let go…” She attempted to pull away with futility, finding that the manacle of flesh around her arm seemed to only grow tighter.
    “You vindictive little—” he thundered, but stopped himself before he could say the word that was on the very tip of his tongue. “Be very sure that you are ready to carry out that threat, sweet pet, otherwise you will not like what will come after,” he spelled out with deadly calm, but the tension of at his jawline was a clear indication of his restraint.
    Fear breathed down her spine, telling her to tread cautiously, but that warning went unheeded as Eden squared away with him, refusing to back down. There was too much as stake now to allow him the upper hand in this. She couldn’t afford to cower, not when there was Liam to consider. “You don’t like being threatened, Dominic? Welcome to my world. That’s exactly how you’ve made me feel every single moment I was married to you,” she fired back, looking him dead in the eye to convey exactly how serious she was. “I won’t let you bully me anymore. You may have the power and the money, but I know all your secrets. And if you push me, I will go to the press. Now let me go.” She was surprised to find her request obliged when he released her. Eden distanced herself from him quickly enough, putting a hand to her arm to nurse the area where he’d held her. “See, Dominic, I can play just as dirty as you can. Being your wife has taught me a lot.”
    In the ensuing silence he was a veritable statue, his face was devoid of any emotion. He simply regarded her, but then the corner of his mouth quirked upwards in a smile that the Cheshire Cat would’ve envied. “Yes, but apparently not enough,” he pointed out with cool temperance, turning his back to her, ambling to the liquor cabinet on the far right that she hadn’t noticed until now. With his body concealing his activity from her, Eden heard rather than saw him pour a drink into the short glass. “But I must say, I’m enjoying this side of you,” he lauded, raising the glass towards her with that damnable grin. “It pleases me immensely to know there’s more to you than what’s between your legs.” He tossed back the drink and scrunched his face a little at the burn. “Although I must admit, I have sorely missed being between your legs.”
    The heat that sluiced over Eden’s skin at his candidness was blamed entirely on her anger. “You’re disgusting.”
    “No, what I am, is incredibly horny, but more on that later.” He poured himself another shot, but drank it much slower than before. In his progress back to her, Eden took him in, incapable of doing otherwise. A year hadn’t changed him much. He was still agonizingly handsome, his thick dark hair well-coiffed to fit the aesthetics of his sharp, patrician features. The tailored suit he wore, Hugo Boss, if she remembered the name of his favorite designer correctly, fit him to perfection, cut and fitted to his athletic regal physique. He’d always carried himself with an air of superiority that went hand in hand with the understated sex appeal that seemed to lure the fairer sex.
    “Or we can do something about now.” Eden’s faced warmed as he cast a knowing glance her way, and she cursed inwardly at being caught staring. “I want to bend you over my desk and—”
    “You’re such a pig.” She made to retreat, heading towards the door. She stopped and turned. “You have until tonight to give me back the money and then I want a divorce.” Eden had her hand around the silver handle, all she needed to do was pull down and freedom would’ve been hers,