My fingers etched brambles and barbwire going around his side, pulling him into me. Q flatly refused to come. Back muscles tensed as he denied my request.

I groaned, loving his strength. His control. But I wanted him closer. Glaring, I pressed against him from toes to chest.

Q ground his teeth, eyes growing heavy with lust. He stood perfectly still, not uttering a word. His power, his rage, filled the library, threatening.

“Tell me…” I murmured. “Speak to me…”

Q sucked in another shuddering breath as I stood on tiptoes, licking his bottom lip.

He softened. The ridges of muscle at the base of his back trembled, leaning into me. “I will never get enough,” he whispered. “C'était la plus grosse erreur de ma vie à te renvoyer à lui.” It was the biggest mistake of my life sending you away.

Effervescent happiness. Complete sublime joy.

“You’re willing to keep me? To hell with the police?” I licked the seam of his lips, capturing his ragged sigh.

“There was no deal with the police. They congratulated me on saving such a strong slave.”

Time froze. What?

I pulled away, crying out as Q snapped, “You can’t tease and expect to get away without paying.”

Arms tightened around me, plucking me from the floor as if I weighed nothing. Q carried me to the desk, swiping the contents off in one swift move. Pens clattered, papers fluttered, and a laptop smashed to the floor.

Practically throwing me on top, he pressed h*ps violently against mine.

Heat smoked and words disintegrated to cinders, but I clung to lucidity.

I arched, clawing his forearms. “Stop… what do you mean?” My body swept control away, but I needed to understand. What the hell did he mean?

Q groaned, thrusting his hard cock. I automatically wrapped legs around him, thrilling, filling with lava and need.

“The police know what I do. Once the girls are…better… they find their loved ones and return them.” His eyes snapped closed as he thrust again, body shuddering with desire. He chuckled darkly, bowing over me. “They’ve been meddling in my love life since I was sixteen. They thought you were different. Hinting that I’d touched you, rather than helped you.” Eyes burned me with hot jade. “It freaked me the f**k out. They saw the truth and I knew I had to get rid of you before I killed you, or worse… turned you into what other sick masters do to their slaves.”

He stopped thrusting, the sudden silence chilling me.

“Don’t you see? I cared too much to do what I wanted. I made a promise. I won’t ever break that vow again.”

My world shifted, turned from round to flat. Black and white became colour, night became day.

Finally.

The puzzle of Q Mercer made sense; I fitted the final piece. I wanted to hug and bite and slap and f**k him to death. He gave me up because he cared for me. Even though he swore he never could.

I laughed. Men. Glorious stupid, egotistical men.

My man.

Mine.

He stared deep into my eyes, not moving apart from a small pulse of his hips, barely detectable. I rocked, moaning as the seam of his fly teased through my dress.

“Break your promise. Now. With me.”

Q shook his head, even as h*ps pressed harder. “I can’t ever let myself free.”

He groaned as I shot up and kissed him. Wrapping arms around his neck, I threw my entire being into the kiss.

He fought for a millisecond, before kissing me back, plunging tongue deep and violent, taking possession completely. Brain muddled, breathing caught, and I no longer thought. I only felt.

I nipped at his lip, fighting his tongue with mine. We fought our wordless battle, hearts racing to the same beat.

He broke the kiss. Instead of lust and unbridled need, he was… sad, remote.

I spread my legs further. No way would I let him over think this. He hissed as I arched my back, purring against his rigidness. “I need you—I need you to hurt me.”

Something dark thickened the air, and I hid my smile. Quincy was losing to Q. Black desires slowly tearing at the cage he locked himself in. I’m winning.

“You need me? Or you want me?” he growled, mouth pursed as he thrust hard.

I trembled and writhed, taunting, dangling the wanton little slave in front of a diabolical master. I panted, “Is there a difference?”

In my mind, there wasn’t. Both were important. Life and death important with how my body heated and summoned for release.

He grabbed my nipple through the silkiness of the dress, twisting, dragging another cry from my throat.

“Do you need me as a man, or as your master?” he bit the words into pieces, a vein on his neck stood out as he unzipped his pants, pulling his straining erection free. “Is this what you’re begging for, esclave?”

I nodded, unable to look away from his huge, delicious hard cock. “Yes. God, yes.”

Fingers bunched my dress up my thighs, and he pushed aside my knickers. His finger disappeared inside with no gentle foreplay, but I was drenched for him. I bowed around his touch, whimpering with gratitude. So long. So, so long since I felt such rhapsody.

He smeared wetness over my clit. My legs bound tighter, squirming away from the sharp edged pleasure. “Q… Master.”

Never breaking eye contact, he curled fingers around my bird tattooed wrist, locking me in his dominance. His touch oozed sexual prowess, bending my will with nothing more than pressure.

“Do you promise to tell me if I go too far? Do you promise you’ll never let me take away your spirit, your fight, your strength? You promise you’ll always stay strong.” His finger speared deep, stroking my g-spot.

My mind shot blank. He wanted me to promise? Fine. I could promise. I came here to give him everything. If he needed it in blood, I would sign. I would autograph any contract, if it meant Q gave me himself entirely.

His finger thrust, pressing incredibly deeper, dragging dark needs to the surface; I clenched, hungry, desperate for more. “Answer me, esclave,” he rasped.

I looked deep into his eyes, imprisoning both of us. Irises were dark and smitten, lids heavy with lust. “I vow to fight you to the death before I let you break me.”

Q withdrew his fingers, reaching over my head for a letter opener. The sharp glint of the blade sent my heart winging wild.

“I’m a businessman, Tess. I don’t take promises lightly.”