CHAPTER 42

Axel woke up a couple of hours later. Claire was sprawled on the bed, fully dressed. He vaguely remembered her pulling on his shirt before she fell asleep. In everything they had done, Claire had not let him enter her. What they had done was an experiment, Claire's way of discovering real pleasure for the first time. She would not let him show her there was more. She seemed too terrified to.

Claire's father had hurt her deeply, he realized. It would take years for her to heal from the physical and emotional damages, and even more time for her to let him in. Sure, she pleasured him, but he wanted more. He wanted her heart, and everything that came with it. He pushed her arm slowly off his feet and rose. The house was silent, too silent.

He padded down the stairs in only his shorts, silently creeping through until he reached the surveillance room. He glanced in and found Donald and Jubril hunched over the security feed, watching the situation outside with keen interest. Their men were s