Free The Erotic Dark by Nina Lane

whispered.
    Gabriel leaned his shoulder against the stall and crossed his arms. “Insider trading. I worked with Preston and was on the board of directors for a major electronics company. I received word about the decline of a certain stock and took advantage of it. Unfortunately, I didn’t cover my tracks well enough.”
    Lydia smiled faintly. “Neither did I. What about Kruin?”
    His expression darkened. “Kruin. He owned a protection services company.”
    “You mean bodyguards?”
    Gabriel nodded. “He had a contract with Preston and served as his bodyguard for a short time. There was an…incident involving a man whom Preston was blackmailing. The man came to talk to Preston one afternoon. Voices were raised, Kruin lost his temper and…well, the man died.”
    Shock reverberated through Lydia so violently that she grasped the edge of the stall to steady herself. “Kruin k-killed him?”
    Gabriel didn’t reply, but the look in his eyes spoke volumes.
    “My God,” Lydia whispered.
    “It was his idea. The whole notion of disappearing.”
    Lydia’s hand trembled as she stroked Pirate’s nose. A horrible whisper of intrigue rose in her at the thought that she was subjugated to a man who had taken another life. She pressed her forehead against the horse’s warm neck and closed her eyes, wondering what kind of twisted person she was becoming.
    “He’s not dangerous.” Gabriel’s voice was gentle. “He committed an appalling crime, but he will never endanger you. Just the opposite, in fact. I promise you that.”
    Lydia didn’t respond. She felt Gabriel’s hand touch her shoulder.
    “Dinner will be served shortly. Let’s go back.”
    She gave Pirate one last stroke before following Gabriel out of the stables. They walked back to the house without speaking, only the noise of crickets and mosquitoes rising around them. Gabriel held the door open for her as they entered the house.
    Preston and Kruin were already seated at the dining table. Lydia gave Kruin a surreptitious glance, her heart thudding again as she recalled what Gabriel had divulged. She was strangely relieved to discover that despite her newfound knowledge, she was no more afraid of him than she had been for the past week. Perhaps she had simply reached the limits of her fear.
    “Good evening, Lydia.” Preston gave her a smile and held out a glass of wine. “Come and sit down. You must be hungry after all your exertion.”
    Lydia stiffened with dislike of him, even as she realized he was right. For the past few days, she had been devouring the delicious meals presented at the table, her body craving the innumerable flavors and textures of food just as it was beginning to crave such manifold sexual pleasures.
    With a shiver, she took her place next to Gabriel. She sipped the wine, a white Riesling that tasted like the crisp air of winter. They began dinner with a fresh spinach-and-walnut salad lightly coated in a vinaigrette dressing, followed by grilled salmon with lemon cream sauce, asparagus tips, and roasted baby potatoes dotted with rosemary.
    “Mmm.” Preston lifted a forkful of moist salmon to his lips, closing his eyes with pleasure. “Delicious. We must provide our cook with a raise, don’t you agree?”
    “It would be well deserved,” Kruin agreed.
    “And we always provide that which is well deserved,” Preston said, amusement lighting his blue eyes as his gaze swept to Lydia. “As you are beginning to learn, my dear Lydia.”
    “I believe she has not yet learned proper docility,” Kruin said. “She is far too resisting.”
    “She’s like a wild horse,” Preston replied. “As I told you, it will require more effort to bring her under control. And yet you may rest assured the result will be well worth it.”
    Lydia did not like being compared to a horse, but she bit her tongue and kept her gaze fixed on her plate. She broke open one of the little potatoes, which issued a plume of steam scented with butter and