Escaping The Beast: A Darkhills Romance (The Darkhills Series Book 2) by Elizabeth Greene (young adult books to read TXT) 📕

set led to a floor-to-wall tiled ensuite bathroom and the other looked as though it were some kind of walk-in closet.

Katherine stepped further inside the room and stood beneath the sparkling chandelier. A pair of French doors that stretched from floor to ceiling, leading out onto a small balcony beyond, hosting a little bistro table and chairs. Heavy golden drapes hung from the ceiling, their velvety appearance offering the promise of warmth and protection from the outside world.  An elegant but far too small writing desk stood to one side of the doors, Katherine doubted the little thing would be able to comfortably host a laptop let alone anything more. Then again, it looked like an antique and she doubted many ladies writing desks needed to host a vast array of equipment or papers back in the 1800s or whenever it was made.

Her eyes strayed back to the large bed and she had to admit she was drawn to the promisingly soft and inviting cream sheets and heavy gold, velvet blanket that lay folded expertly at the base of the bed. Everything about the bed whispered the sweet promise of the best night’s sleep of her life, and she could at least be appreciative to Lord Nightingale for that. She wanted to bury her face in the plush-looking pillows and pretend that this was all some kind of bad dream. In reality, she knew she would most likely be screaming her anger into those pillows just as soon as her host left her in peace.

Katherine turned around and faced Lord Nightingale once more. He stood quietly beside the entrance to the room, watching her as she took in her new quarters for the next two months. Once again, she found his expression unreadable. So she let her eyes wander over him, to glean what she could from him. She’d clocked the tailored suit the moment she had walked in. It was most likely designer but it was understated enough to not be too flashy. His tall, lean physique stood proudly, his arms relaxed by his side. He didn’t fidget or have his hands buried in his pockets, or folded against his chest. He was a man who was incredibly comfortable in his own skin. His shoulders were broad, his crisp white shirt was unbuttoned at the top, revealing the slightest hint of his muscular neck.

She finally took in his face, letting herself truly see him for the first time. He was clean shaved and had a jaw that could cut ice, his lips were surprisingly soft-looking, they were almost warm and inviting. His hair was black and cut short at the sides, Katherine wondered what he’d look like if he wore it a little longer. His nose was straight and his cheekbones high, above them rested a pair of eyes that did something to her.

They were dark and watched her with interest. They weren’t intimidating, nor encouraging, they simply held her firmly in their gaze. There was something incredibly enticing and dangerous about those eyes. Katherine found she didn’t particularly want to look away, eager to catch a glimpse of some kind of reaction from him.

She stepped forwards slowly until she stood before him, his eyes watching her every move.

“Thank you, Lord Nightingale, if you don’t mind I would like to turn in for the night.”

She lifted her chin in a silent challenge, testing him to see if he would be as good as his word and not expect anything from her. Just because she had asked him to take her to her room, it didn’t mean she wanted anything else from him.

His eyes dropped to her lips for the briefest of moments, before he nodded and stepped around her.

“As you wish, Miss. Daxton. If you require anything else please ask, or if you cannot find me, please inform my manservant, Mr. Jones.” He said softly as he exited to stand outside her room.

“There is one more thing I would like.” Katherine said, taking hold of the door.

She leaned towards him ever so slightly and purposefully lowered her voice to a soft husky tone. She had a theory about her adversary but needed to be sure.

“Name it.” His eyes dropped to her ruby lips once more, before he seemed to gather himself, returning his gaze to hers.

Katherine celebrated internally. His poker face had slipped. He had shown her one of his cards, giving her an advantage. He was attracted to her. Her mother had told her at far too young an age that men only looked at a woman’s lips if they were interested in her. She didn’t like to use her feminine wiles as a weapon, but considering she was being held prisoner by the Devil himself, she needed every tool in her arsenal.

“I need a lock on the inside of this door.”

She enjoyed the brief flash of surprise that registered in his dark eyes, right before she closed the door on him.

Chapter Four

Katherine

Katherine awoke the next day to a buzzing by her head. She slapped around and rummaged beneath the pile of pillows until she found her cell phone and swiped the screen. She rolled over and lifted the screen to her face. It was seven in the morning, which meant she’d gotten approximately four hours of sleep. Usually, she’d bounce out of bed and start tackling her daily to-do list. But this morning, with everything considered, she just wanted to bury her head in the pillows and go back to sleep. Even if her dreams had been filled with elusive glimmers of dark eyes that she could never quite chase down.

Slipping down under the thick, downy duvet once more, Katherine decided she’d hide from the world for a little while longer. She had to admit, the mattress was like a soft, heavenly cocoon. Maybe she could spend the next two months hiding in bed. There was absolutely zero chance that her father would return, with whatever amount of money he owed