Hush Darling (Villains of Kassel #1) Read Online Lydia Michaels

Categories Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Dark, Erotic Tags Authors: Series: Villains of Kassel Series by Lydia Michaels
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Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 72233 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
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James learned to rely only on himself. He appreciated his crew but needed no one, including some inexperienced woman who hoped to get past his boundaries with tenderness when he knew perfectly well it was impossible not to hate him after all he’d done to her.

That prissy act of hers might fool others, but he knew firsthand how much depravity loved to hide under polished surfaces. The upper class was the most twisted of all.

Two fingers, and he had her writhing for more. Why? Because some part of her knew she couldn’t get away with such whorish behavior anywhere else. She was using him as much as he was using her.

What an act she put on, pretending she could possibly care about him. She might think she could match his darkness, but she had no idea how dark he could go. They didn’t call him Black Jack for nothing.

Meeting his cruelty with tenderness was a tactic. A smart one. One that could have crushed him had he stayed a second longer in her presence.

No one had ever tried to nurture or hold him. Not his mother. Not the whores at port. And certainly not the men on his crew.

Those soft lips and the way she caressed his cheek. Did she have no self-preservation? He was a goddamn bastard, purposely showing her how rough and uncaring he could be. What the fuck was wrong with her? Why couldn’t she hate him? He needed her to hate him or he would never gladly let her go. And she needed to go. Women like Wendy had no place on his ship.

He recalled how she looked up at him like some sort of protector, and his jaw tightened. He’d threatened to degrade her because he wanted to taunt her. He never expected her to accept her fate so easily.

His grip tightened on the rail as he breathed in the briny sea air. This was the church he prayed to. The wide-open isolation always had a way of bringing clarity, and he slowly came to realize everything he needed to do.

It was time to finish what he’d started. He was determined to see this through before the black sky fully faded with the encroaching dawn. He needed to be done. With all of them.

Attachment was dangerous. The sooner he cut ties, the better.

He lived only for himself because that was the surest way to survive.

She didn’t belong here. She had a life and a family, a home, and a function in society. Any impression she gave that he could possibly fit into her world was a lie, a taunt to punish him the way he threatened to punish her.

He’d underestimated her. Now that he’d cleared his head, it was apparent she was only trying to use her body to manipulate him and gain the upper hand. It was a psychological game for sure, but he at least had the common sense to realize he was being played.

She thought she could outwit him by using his name? He would punish her every time it crossed her lips until she learned.

James… Never before had his name sounded like such a whispered caress.

James… He’d warned her not to use it, but she went ahead and disobeyed him anyway.

James… He wanted her to breathe it against his ear, over and over again, as he buried himself in the sanctuary of her body.

“Fuck!” She was not his fucking sanctuary! What was wrong with him?

China rattled at his back, and he spun on Gentleman Starr, holding a tray of steaming coffee. The man nearly spilled the entire thing when James growled at him.

“What do you want?”

The entire crew would be up and moving soon, and whispers about the woman in his cabin would turn to speculation he didn’t need.

“Just bringing your morning coffee, sir.”

He hadn’t slept. Coffee was a good idea. It would help him focus on his objective. He considered how little she’d eaten last night. “Have another tray sent to⁠—”

“Already done, sir. Or—at least—I tried. She turned me away.”

“I beg your pardon?”

Gentleman Starr fidgeted under his moth-eaten dress coat. “I personally delivered a tray—some fruit and eggs, a little tea to soothe any soreness.” He cleared his throat. “She ordered me to take it away.”

“She ordered you?”

“Yes, sir.”

He ground his molars. “Who’s the fucking prisoner here? Take the tray back to her and command her to eat. Tell her I demand it.”

“Sir, I told her you’d be disappointed.”

“And?”

“She, uh… Well…”

“Spit it out!”

“She said, ‘good.’”

James had to laugh. The little bitch was pushing her luck.

“Go tell her if she doesn’t eat some fucking breakfast, I’m going to come down there and shove something far worse down her throat.”

Gideon’s eyes widened. “Yes, Cap’n.” He set the steaming tray aside and scuttled off to follow orders.

The longer James contemplated her defiance, the harder his cock grew. Was she hoping he’d punish her? Was that what she wanted?


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