He came sauntering in, rubbing the back ofhis neck, none the wiser of her little investigation. She kept hereyes to the floor as she tried to make herself urinate. She didn’tdare make eye contact for fear that he would see right through herlittle charade. Mr. Black was right – learning the skill of lyingmight just come in handy, especially around him.

Without so much as an acknowledgment, heunceremoniously undressed and climbed into the shower. Only thendid Elsa let out the breath she had been holding. Her mind wasstill racing with what little she had read and she was itching toget her hands back on that journal.

Chapter Eight. So that’s what she was to himand now his words from Thursday made perfect sense. He had statedthat she was no different than the other Chapters and she was dyingto know what exactly he meant by that. She was different. Shedidn’t need to read the rest of his journal to know that, but thatdidn’t keep her from wanting to read about the ones before her andto see what else he had written about her.

But could she handle what else was written onthose pages? His upsetting words were hard to forget. He admittedto enjoying her anxiety from the very beginning and she had onlygiven him what he wanted by reacting the way she did. He alsostated he was a sick and depraved fuck. Did he really believe that?If that was true, what a frightening thought. More thanfrightening. Mortifying.

It made her want to bolt in the oppositedirection and to call the authorities, but who would she call? Thepolice? What would they do when one of the FBI’s best was accusedof being sick and depraved? Like Mr. Black had pointed out, thoseare subjective qualities. After all, other than the slap, he hadn’treally hurt her physically. Her allegations would go over like alead balloon and no doubt her words would fall on deaf ears.

But the other side of him… the one he hadshown her in her apartment… where did that part of his personalityplay into all of this? Or was his duality all part of his damnedgame to lure her in only to cruelly punish her? Damn Mr. Black andhis secrets and games.

If she was Chapter Eight, then there wereonly seven others before her. She shook her head at the absurdnotion. Of course there were more than seven other women he hadrelations with in his lifetime. Maybe he just didn’t chronicle themall. Perhaps he only recorded his writings about the ones that heshowed a particular interest in.

“Why don’t you join me,” she heard from theother side of the shower door.

She wrinkled her nose in disgust. She wasstill fuming from what he had put her through. When she didn’trespond and rose to leave, the door slid open, steam billowing outall around her. His large hand reached out for her but she dartedpast him before his grip took a hold of her.

“Elsa,” his voice boomed, halting herattempted escape.

Glancing over her shoulder, hiswell-developed, wet physique came into view and she was unable tostop her eyes from taking all of him in – all 200 lean pounds andsix feet and however many inches he was.

He ran his palm over his face, wiping thewater droplets from his eyes and gave her an insistent look as hiseyes scanned her from head to toe.

“Ms. Cassidy,” he spoke strictly, “Shower.Now.”

“No thank you, I’ve already had one,” shehuffed before leaving him to finish his shower alone.

She checked the state of her dress to find itstill too damp to wear and went back downstairs to eat. Finding thesoup that Mr. Black had made earlier, she reheated it and seatedherself at the table. Halfway through her meal, he reappeared inonly a towel wrapped around his waist and seated himself acrossfrom her. She kept her eyes focused on her food, refusing to makeeye contact.

“How long are you going to be angry?” heasked without inflection.

“Until I’m not.”

“That man doesn’t deserve…” he startedin.

She dropped her spoon loudly into the bowland glared up at him. “How dense are you? I’m not angry aboutPatrick – I’m angry about what you did to me,” she said softly,barely able to hold back from breaking down again.

She could feel her temperature rising slowlyand her body heated under his stern, green-eyed gaze. When her eyesbecame blurred with angry tears, she only became more incensed withherself for not being able to contain her emotions.

Her expression grew somber and she rigidlychoked back her tears. “Haven’t you ever loved before?” Her throatbegan to close up and she forced her words out as she held hischilly gaze. “Haven’t you ever been so consumed with someone thatyou would do anything for them only to have them wreck youcompletely?”

Mr. Black leaned over the table, his normallyinsensitive eyes becoming liquid as he stroked her arm, but sheturned away and tried to make herself as small as possible, notwanting to give him the pleasure of seeing her pain.

“How could you do that to me?” Unwelcometears began to stream down her blanched cheeks and she swiped themaway quickly.

In a flash, he was kneeling next to her,pulling her to his chest.

“Let him go, Elsa.”

“You really are thick,” she pulled out of hisgrip to face him. “I let him go a long time ago. I only called himbecause… I don’t even know why. I drank too much and… And whatshould it matter to you? I’m just another woman on your long listof physical associations,” she blurted out. And just anotherChapter she reminded herself; a Chapter who was just like all theothers in his eyes.

Knitting his brows together, he backed awayfrom her and seated himself back at the table.

“Answer me: have you ever loved before?” sherepeated.

His jaw tensed and the gritting of his teethcould be heard. “I don’t answer personal questions aboutmyself.”

Elsa pounded her fist on the table as shestraightened up in her chair. “Then let’s fuck and get this weekendover with.”

He frowned as he pushed his damp hair off hisforehead.

“That’s what I’m here for, isn’t it?” shegriped.

“Sex isn’t the only thing I want fromyou.”

Surprised by the sudden unexplainablesentiment in his voice, she challenged him. “Prove it.”

Reaching across the table, he grabbed herhands and turned them palm up as he circled his thumbs over them.His lips parted but only a sigh was heard. He did this severaltimes, each time shaking his head as if he couldn’t find the words.Elsa became entranced as she watched his inner battle play outbefore her. His fingers continued sensually caressing her hands,the erotic tingling moving up her arms and hardening hernipples.

Hushed and barely audible, Mr. Black finallyfound the courage to speak. “Yes, I’ve loved.”

He gulped hard and shook his head again ashis mouth opened one final time before he clamped it shut. That wasall he was going to share; three words that carried the weight of athousand. His dark eyes showed the tortured dullness of lost loveand she knew he had been punished in his own way by love’s cruelfury and her heart ached for him.

Perhaps the harshness he had put her throughearlier was his way of exacting some kind of misguided revenge onthe one who had broken his heart. Or maybe he believed that doingwhat he did would force her to let Patrick go and keep her fromever loving another man again and being hurt.

In an instant, the realization hit her thatshe was not just another player in his game, but his muse – someonehe was trying to manipulate into seeing things his way. In his owntwisted reality, he really did believe that he was trying to helpher. But she didn’t need his help or to be fixed. Most certainlynot by a man with the kind of demons he was fighting.

Her thoughts were interrupted when heseductively moved closer, inching his way to her as his mouthdescended on her palms. His closeness was so bracing, she feltdrugged and her chest heaved as her breathing became uneven.

“Would you feel better if we stepped out andgot a bite to eat? Would you like that?” he asked, as he nibbledthe tip of her index finger playfully.