Bitter Truths: A Twisted Arranged Marriage Romance (Crimson Falls Duet Book 2) by Dani René (best fiction novels to read .txt) 📗

blurry when Darius moves away just enough so I can see the satisfaction on his face. “Such a pretty doll,” he coos, and my heartbeat thuds in my ears, echoing loudly as I claw at his hand.

I don’t doubt he knows what he’s doing, but fear overtakes the need to be brave, and I allow my tears to trickle from the corners of my eyes. Slowly, ever so fucking slowly, he eases his hold and I cough as my lungs suddenly fill with much needed air.

“Were you wet?” he asks again. “Because I can smell your sweet juices from here.” There’s confidence in his words. He knows I was. But he enjoys humiliating me by asking the questions.

“Fuck. You.” Is my answer, which earns me a chuckle when he finally releases me. “I’m trying to get to know who you are. To learn how I can help you.”

He turns away, his focus on the window, and for a moment, I wonder if I could tackle him and steal the key. But he’s big. And there is no way I can fight him.

“The only way you can help me is by making sure your daddy pays me the money he owes.” He settles back on the chair, resting one foot over the opposite knee. Those eyes, so familiar yet so strange lock on me. “And when your husband finally wakes up and comes for you, I’ll make sure he knows how much you loved being my little captive.”

“He won’t believe you,” I snap. “He knows I love him and I will not leave him for someone like you.” He flinches at my words, but it’s brief, only a split second of emotion mars his face before his mask returns, firmly in place.

“Someone like me?” he challenges. “That’s interesting. Do you know that Lycan and I have very similar interests?” he asks then as he leans forward, his arms resting on his thighs as he looks me in the eye. “Because there are things you clearly don’t know about my dear younger brother.”

“He doesn’t kill people,” I spit angrily.

“Maybe he doesn’t do it himself, but he has a team of men who work for him. Do you think he just dresses in those expensive suits because he wants to?” This time, Darius is on his feet. “The man I just killed moments ago, the man whose blood you saw on my clothes, was a rapist and a murderer. Would you like me to have saved him?”

My mouth falls open in shock at his confession. I saw the blood, but I didn’t think he really killed someone. I don’t know why, but mostly, I’m shocked he admitted to it. That was something I most definitely wasn’t expecting.

“You… He… Are you serious?” I ask, still unsure of what else to say.

Darius chuckles, the sound reverberating through his chest. “Sweetheart, you’re far too innocent for this world.”

“I’ve seen and heard enough to make sure I don’t believe everyone is good,” I throw back. “But you, I can see goodness inside you, and you can’t deny it.” The challenge is there. The need to have him admit he feels something burns in my veins.

“I do bad things to bad people, it doesn’t make me good,” he bites out as he runs his fingers through his hair. He tugs at the strands, and I slowly move, needing to see the hunter that hides under the façade of a bad boy biker.

I’m on my feet, behind him, my hands trembling as I reach for him. The tension in his shoulders eases slightly as he stands still, allowing me to touch him. “You can’t deny that this feels like something human.”

Fear skitters through me when Darius suddenly spins on his heel, his glare locking on me. “Do you like dangerous men, little one?” he asks, dropping his voice an octave, making it vibrate in his throat, sending warmth racing through me. “You can’t fix me.” There’s an edge to his words, and I want to poke at it, to push him further.

I keep my stare on him. “Nobody can be fixed. We’re all broken in some way or another, but we can find ourselves in a better place.” My voice is nothing more than a whisper filled with emotion I didn’t expect to feel.

Darius’s eyes flicker with pain. Heartbreak settles in those green orbs, and I can read every emotion dancing across his face as if he were an open book.

“We learn to live with our agony, we immerse ourselves in the discomfort we want to run from, and when we do that, we find happiness,” I whisper earnestly, recalling my past. The demons that I’ve lived with. Not even Lycan knows the full truth about me. About why I enjoy what I do. “Forcing people who care out of your life is a coping mechanism.” My bitter truth is Darius’s. We share hurt, I’m almost sure of it.

The corner of his mouth quirks, his eyes blaze, and his hands find my hips, gripping me painfully, but possessively. “Did my brother teach you about pain, little one?” His dark brow lifts in question. “Because if he didn’t, I would love to be the one to show you just how beautiful it can be.” When I don’t respond, something sparks in his eyes, and he nods. “You already know about it. Is that why you’re not scared of us? You enjoy it.” His realization is my silent confession. “You’ve lived through trauma.”

And there it is.

But I don’t respond. I don’t agree and tell him about what I went through. Instead, I push away from him and ease myself back onto the mattress. Suddenly, I miss Lycan. My chest tightens at the thought of him in hospital. Hurt.

“He’s alive. He’ll be coming for you soon,” Darius says, as if reading my mind. “But you need to tell him the truth, little one.” He’s right. But I can’t. He won’t love me if he knew. My captor heads for the door, but