All Chapters of Cherished By the Devil: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

POPPYI hadn't slept that night. I had tried to act normally, despite knowing that at least one psycho had kept his eyes on the feed from the cameras installed in this room. I hadn't seen any in the bathroom, so I'd deemed that place potentially safe to shower and change my clothes, but once I'd returned to the bedroom, that fragile feeling of being safe had been gone, and my fears had returned with vengeance.I had tossed and turned, constantly alerted by every sound I'd heard coming from the corridor. Finally, with the first light of dawn, I gave up, dragged myself out of bed, and took a long, cool shower, hoping to sharpen my senses. “You will not fall apart, Poppy,” I whispered to myself as I stared at my reflection in the mirror. “You will get yourself together and find a way out.”I entered the walk-in closet, turning to the left side, which was currently filled with all kinds of women's clothing. Blowing out a breath, I went through the expensive-looking dresses, hoping to find

GREY“I still think you should give her back to Bellezza.” Lanzo paced in circles in my office, his hands opening and fisting on his sides.I shrugged off my suit jacket and loosened my tie. “Nothing bad would have happened. She had a tracker anyway.” I refilled my whiskey glass and walked to the sofa. “But I certainly didn't expect that from her. She's… fucking amazing.”I sat down, a wide grin stretching across my face. I had watched the feed from the mansion cameras before I landed in New York. I'd seen her getting ready, but I had underestimated her. The way she'd stolen the phone from Marco… Damn. My cock strained in my pants as I recalled it.“She's dangerous.” Lanzo snatched his glass from the table and sat in the armchair opposite mine.I snorted. “If so, then we have more security issues than we thought.”“I'm serious, Grey.” He frowned, leaning forward in his seat. “Her skills mean something. I would go with a theory that whoever that guy from Chicago is, she stole money fro

Grey tilted his head to one side, his predatory eyes assessing me. “Do I scare you now?” he purred.I pressed my lips together. Ardian had killed more than a few people, too. I'd witnessed him shooting one of his guards for stealing from him, but this was something different. Grey had been trained to assassinate people. He had killed because he'd been told to.My body shivered, and I quickly decided that drinking whiskey wouldn't be an entirely bad idea. I poured the liquor to swallow down the lump in my throat before I asked, “How old were you when you killed for the first time?”He hummed a laugh, wagging his index finger from side to side. “It's my turn to ask,” he crooned, leaning back in his seat. “Tell me what happened to you after you left that hospital.”My insides tied into knots. I didn't want to recall my past. I'd closed it behind a thick door long ago. But I knew I had to give him something genuine, a real piece of me, even if going back there could reopen my wounds…I dr

POPPYA few hours ago, Abigail had come to tell me that Grey would not join me for dinner. Relief would have been an expected reaction, but instead, I'd felt disappointment. I had a hard time understanding my emotions. I should have known better. I should have at least tried to keep my distance. And yet, a part of me nearly enjoyed that new arrangement…“I'm such an idiot,” I groaned, taking off the dress I had chosen to look more sophisticated.What in the world had made me dress up for him was beyond any logical explanation. Why the fuck would I try to get on his good side? Of course, it was better for him to like me since that would keep me alive. But this was not a relationship, for fuck's sake!Fine, I would have lied had I said that my heart hadn't flipped slightly as he'd said that my enemies were now his. As much as I would love to be a strong and independent woman, I had to face reality. I needed Grey's protection. No authorities were able to protect me from Ardian or other f

GREYMy eyes opened with the first, hesitant light of dawn. I breathed in her scent, and my lips stretched into a smile. She was sleeping beside me, her head on my chest, her slender hand on my stomach. To my surprise, I felt comfortable as she lay this way, something that had never happened with any other woman. Not that I had ever allowed any other woman to fall asleep beside me. There had always been a chance that a woman I'd just fucked would have turned out to be an assassin. But now? Those worries were gone, mostly because Poppy wasn't just some woman. She was mine.She didn't even stir as I carefully lifted her head and arm before moving her to her side of the bed. She had all but fainted after the fourth round, or was it the fifth? A smirk pulled at my lips as I thought about it. She would need to work on her stamina to keep up with me. Otherwise, she was bound to faint quite often…I cautiously rose from the bed and walked to the bathroom. Then I plugged the bathtub and turne