Give Me More by Jenika Snow Page B

see a red, raised scar that started at the top of his hairline and disappeared beneath the dark strands.
    “Admiring your handiwork?” he said just as the lock on the front door clicked into place. He then went for the chain, slid that into place, and grinned wider.
    Telling him Sergei was coming was on the tip of her tongue, but if Rick didn’t know already, telling him could have him leaving. She didn’t want that. She wanted Sergei to find them, to end this.
    God, do I really want that? Sergei will kill him.
    Yes, she knew that, should have felt sick for even thinking that … knowing what Sergei would do, but no, she wanted Rick out of her life for good. Permanently.
    Zoey moved away from him, but he kept advancing. There was the back door that she could try to make a run for, because at least if she was outside she wouldn’t be trapped in here with Rick. He’d chase her. She knew that.
    “It took me a while to find you, seeing as you never told me your sister’s name.” He was still grinning, still slowly coming closer. “But I have my ways, Zoey, and I wasn’t about to let you go.” He lifted his hand and touched the scar. “And I get to look at this reminder every day. It helped me keep focused on the end game.”
    Before she knew where she was headed she found herself further away from the backdoor, and more toward the back bedroom. That was not where she wanted to be. She shivered at the thought of how long he’d been in the house, and of how long he’d been watching her. Rick stared at her, looked his fill of her body, and she felt disgust. She’d dressed up for Sergei, wanted to look beautiful for him, but here Rick was, tarnishing all of that, making her feel like she was covered in oil.
    His smirk turned more sexual, more disgusting.
    “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so dressed up.” He tilted his head, and she felt as though he could see right through the material. She wanted to cover herself. “You never dressed like that for me.” The way he said the last part had a hint of anger in it.
    All that strength she’d felt grow in her, that happiness she felt after meeting and being with Sergei, all seemed to vanish. In its place were hopelessness, sickness, and this trapped feeling that settled right over her chest. In this moment all she could think about was the past, and the horrible things Rick had done and said to her.
    Taking several more steps back, she hit the wall by her bedroom door.
    “He’s made you his whore, Zoey,” Rick said, his smile gone, his anger more pronounced.
    Her heart pounded so hard, she felt as though it would burst right through her ribcage. She felt her eyes widen when she realized Rick held something … a pair of her underwear.
    Oh God.
    He was sick, disgusting, and all she could do was watch as he brought those panties up and smelled them as he stared right at her.
    How long had he been in her house? How much had he seen? It was clear he’d gone through her things. Chills raced up her spine.
    “I miss the smell of you.” He dropped his hand to his side, his hand tightening on the fabric. “I miss everything about you. Even if you did hit me hard enough to crack open my skull, I still want you.” He moved closer, and she slid to the side, away from him. “I woke up after you hit me with enough blood around my body that I was surprised I survived.”
    She didn’t speak, couldn’t even breathe.
    “I found my way to the hospital, told them I’d been mugged, and I healed, my only thoughts on finding you.” He moved closer. “But you’ve been a bad girl these last three months, defiling yourself with some thug .” He all but spit out the word. “Once I’ve shown you who you really belong to, that you can’t get rid of me, I’m going after your little boyfriend.” He tossed the panties aside and snarled out like some kind of feral animal.
    He clearly didn’t know who and what Sergei was, but that would work to her advantage. If Rick had been