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Ivy scooted up in bed, suddenly feeling very much awake. “Is something wrong?”

Cullen looked at her in the darkness. She could see the whites of his eyes and contours of his face, but some of his expression was unreadable. “Now that we’re married, you need to know the risk. I can finally tell you.”

She felt her stomach tighten. “Oh, boy. This is going to be bad, isn’t it?”

“I told you my father isn’t a terrorist or anything of the sort. But the government sees things a bit differently.”

Ivy groaned. “Should we really be having this conversation here? Aren’t you worried the room might be bugged?”

“Oh, I had the room swept for listening devices while we were getting married,” he said, as if he was talking about merely having the pillows fluffed.

She laughed and rolled her eyes. “How comforting.”

“Like I said, my father isn’t a terrorist—“

“Why is it that the more you say he isn’t one, the more I feel like maybe he is?”

“I suppose it depends on your definition,” Cullen allowed.

“That doesn’t sound good, Cullen.”

He took a deep breath and started again, his voice controlled. “My father is a man of principle. And what he believes is that the government has become too intrusive in our lives. He acted on that belief, and because he acted, he will likely never be safe again.”

“How did he act? What exactly did he do?” Ivy said.

“He set up a portal on the deep web that allows whistle-blowers to leak secrets about the U.S. government.”

Ivy shook her head. “I’m not sure I get it.”

“You don’t have to get it,” Cullen told her. “The details are very complicated. But the bottom line is that the United States government doesn’t like people exposing their abuses of power. And that’s exactly what my father is dedicated to doing.”

She thought for a long moment. “That’s why the FBI is looking for your father?”

“Interpol has my father listed on their Most Wanted list, and the FBI seems to concur. Many, many countries are threatened by my father’s efforts to allow people to freely access information. And so he’s on the run.”

“But you know where he is,” she said.

“I have a rough idea. He moves locations frequently.”

Ivy let out a slow breath. “Cullen,” she said. “Your dad sounds dangerous.”

He grabbed her hand. “My father isn’t a violent man—at least, not towards the general public,” he said.

“Not towards the general public? What does that even mean?”

“I don’t want to get into
all
that
,” Cullen said. “The point is that I support what he does in spirit, even if I don’t exactly join his crusade. And even if I didn’t agree with him, he’s my father and I won’t turn him in.”

She nodded. “But the FBI doesn’t like that you protect him.”

“No,” Cullen said. “And now that we’re legally married, they won’t like you either.”

Another chill ran up and down her spine. “I’m trying my best to be strong,” she told him. “But it’s all new to me.”

“I know,” he said. “And you’re doing wonderfully. You’ve been so honest with me, telling me everything. You’ve held nothing back.”

As he looked into her eyes and said those kind words, Ivy experienced a pang of guilt. She dropped her gaze and her jaw tightened. “Well,” she said, “that’s not entirely true.”

Cullen pulled his hand away. “What do you mean?”

She looked up at him again. “There’s just one incident that I didn’t mention to you. I should have told you, but at the time—“

“Just tell me now,” he said, his voice lowering.

“Well remember how Xavier Montrose took me to lunch?” she said.

“Yes.” His voice was abrupt and cold.

“He wrote me an email that same day, and I found it when I got back to work. He told me about the surgery where that woman died, and he made some horrible claims that you might have done something…intentional.”

Cullen hopped off the bed and began pacing. “He wrote you something like that and you never told me?”

“I didn’t want to upset you.”

“Well I’m upset now,” he rasped.

“He forwarded me an email from the chief of surgery at the hospital, and it said something about an investigation—“

“What did it say? I need to see that damn email, Ivy.”

“It’s—it’s on my work email account. Well, I deleted it, actually.”

Cullen made a noise of frustration as he paced. “I don’t understand why you withheld that from me.”

“It didn’t seem nearly as important as the fact that the FBI was trying to interrogate me,” she said. “And anyway, you told me about the surgery. You gave me your side of it, Cullen. There was no reason to bring it up.”

“What other communications have you had with Xavier Montrose?”

“None. That was it.”

“I don’t see how I can believe you now,” Cullen replied. He’d stopped pacing and he was facing the bed. “Just when I was beginning to trust you, Ivy, you disappoint me yet again.”

She sighed. “I’m telling you now so that you know everything, so that there’s no more secrets between us. I didn’t have to say it. I could’ve continued keeping it a secret and you never would have known.”

“Is that so?”

“It is. And the more horrible you make me feel now, the better the chance that I keep the next thing to myself.”

Cullen strode toward the bed. “You’re forgetting how this arrangement works.”

“We’re married.”

“That doesn’t change our arrangement,” he said. “Did you think that being married means you have nothing to learn from me?”

She shook her head. “This is crazy. It’s our wedding night. I don’t want to fight.”

“Then submit.”

She stared at him a long time. Finally, she sighed and dropped her gaze. “I’m sorry, Sir.”

“For what?”

“For not telling you about the email, Sir. It will never happen again.”

“And you know that you must be punished for your mistake and your willful arrogance.”

“Yes, Mister Sharpe.” She felt angry and annoyed and confused.

But then again, wasn’t another part of her a little bit excited, despite herself?

That was frustrating, too.

She didn’t want to be excited. She wanted to just be angry.

“Lay on the bed, on your stomach,” he said flatly.

She did as he told her to, and then she heard Cullen unzipping his suitcase and rummaging around. Moments later, he was leaning across the bed and binding her ankles with rope. The rope extended to the bedframe, tying her to it so that her legs were spread. He did the same with each wrist.

He was efficient, well-practiced and fast, as if he’d done this many times before in his life.

Her arms were stretched out over her head and her legs were also outstretched. She was tied up and completely helpless when he was finished.

Neither had spoken a word in minutes.

“You’re being punished for your lack of honesty and your unwillingness to submit to my authority,” he said. “Do you understand?”

“Yes, Mister Sharpe.”

“And now you wait, just as you made me wait before you told me that nifty little story about the email from Xavier.”

She heard footsteps on the carpet. A moment later, she heard the door to the hotel room open and close.

Ivy tried to crane her head to look, but it was nearly impossible from the position she’d been tied up in.

“Cullen?” she called out.

There was no answer.

He’d left her alone in the night, tied up on the bed. How long would he be gone?

Is he insane?

All of this because I didn’t tell him about that stupid email?

Meanwhile, he has piles of secrets that he keeps from me. His father’s some kind of political nutcase who’s got half the world trying to capture him. And I’m sure there’s plenty more he hasn’t bothered to tell me yet.

She grit her teeth and tried not to get overly upset. But it was difficult. This was her wedding night, and it had gone from magical to maniacal in just moments.

It wasn’t fair.

Cullen Sharpe was ridiculous, and petty, and completely erratic in his moods.

I never should have told him about the email from Xavier. Why did I let my stupid guilty conscience get the best of me? Everything was going perfectly until I opened my mouth.

She continued to think through what had happened, getting more and more frustrated as the seconds ticked by.

Dragged by, was more like it.

Time was going slowly and she was becoming uncomfortable. Her limbs weren’t in pain, exactly, but not having freedom of movement was starting to drive her out of her mind.

“Cullen!” she shouted after more time had gone by.

Where on earth could he have gone at this time of night?

A man like him could probably go anywhere he pleased. Maybe he was having a drink at the hotel bar.

In his underwear.

She almost laughed, but then the silence got to her and her smile faded.

She struggled against her bonds and then made another muffled cry of frustration.

More time passed. She had no real conception of how long he’d been gone, and she was truly starting to despair, when suddenly the door to the hotel room opened and someone came inside.

“Cullen?” she said.

There was no answer.

Now her heart was starting to beat fast. What if it was Lucas, or even worse, that thin-faced man, come to hurt her?

She started struggling again. “Help!” she said. “Please, don’t…”

“Quiet,” the CEO’s voice said from nearby.

She was furious. “Why would you intentionally scare me that way? You know that the FBI came in here. And then you just leave me alone—“

“Quiet or I’ll put a gag in your mouth. You won’t like it.” His voice was pitiless.

“I hate you,” she said. “I hate you.”

“Keep talking and your punishment will only get worse,” he said.

She almost said more, but bit her lip and silenced herself.

“Good,” he said. “So you do have the ability to listen from time to time.”

She turned her head and saw he was standing to the side of her bed now, holding his belt.

Ivy was going to ask him not to do it.

And then he was spanking her with the belt.

He spanked her five times with it, across her buttocks. She kept her eyes closed and her mouth shut, and each time it stung, and the last time, she couldn’t keep from letting out a yelp of pain.

When he was done, he untied her wrists and ankles. She slid away from him on the bed and curled up by the headboard.

He was staring at her. “Did you think this would stop just because we’re married?”

Ivy shook her head. “I think you’re cruel.”

“You need to learn.”

“And you’re just a scared man who needs to dominate a girl because his life is spinning out of control.”

There was a long silence and she knew that her words had cut deep.

“Is that what you think?” he said, his voice not betraying his opinion.

“Yes,” she said, not backing down.

Her ass was sore, burning, and so were her wrists and ankles.

“That’s unfortunate,” he said, climbing into bed and lying on his back, closing his eyes, and falling silent.

She watched him for a long time, thinking he might say more. But he never did.

Ivy lied awake, the night drawing out, the shadows in the room playing tricks on her eyes. Everything had become strange and surreal and threatening.

Cullen was sleeping.

She wished she could sleep as easily as him, but now she was restless and upset.

Is this how I want to live?

Ivy wasn’t sure whether she’d made the biggest mistake of her life, or whether she was just overreacting to Cullen’s form of punishment.

You knew this was how things would be with Cullen Sharpe. He never hid any of it from you. So don’t act surprised now.

Perhaps, she realized, it had more to do with the way he’d been treating her up until the punishment. It had almost felt normal. And now she had to remember and deal with the fact that life with Cullen would never be normal.

Never.

Cullen muttered something.

“What?” she asked.

He muttered something else. His words weren’t clear.

Ivy moved closer to him on the bed. “Cullen, I can’t hear what you’re saying,” she told him.

“…don’t be silly,” he said.

“Silly about what?” she asked.

“The blood vessel isn’t blocked,” he replied.

She suddenly realized he was talking in his sleep. “Cullen?” she asked.

“I told you,” he said. “I told you, didn’t I?” His voice sounded suddenly anxious.

“Shhhh…It’s okay,” she soothed, not sure what to do.

“Try and stop the bleeding,” he said. “We have to…we have to…” his voice was getting more and more desperate and he was starting to make thrashing movements. “We’re losing her. Christ, please don’t…”

“Cullen, you’re having a nightmare,” she told him.

“Oh no,” he called out, and the sound of torture in his voice struck her to the core.

“Cullen—“

“No! No!” he shouted. “No!”

She shook his shoulder. “You’re dreaming. Cullen, wake up!”

His eyes snapped open and he stared up at her. His forehead was beaded with sweat. His breathing returned to normal. “Shit,” he said. He seemed slightly confused.

“You had a bad dream.”

He nodded, seemingly relieved that’s all it was. “A dream,” he repeated.

“Are you okay?”

He nodded again but didn’t answer her.

Ivy sighed. “I want to touch you,” she said, “but I’m not sure you want me to right now.”

Cullen turned his face towards her. “Lay down, Ivy.”

“What—“

“Just. Lay down. On your back.”

She did as he said, uncertain as to what was happening. She lay on her back, and then he suddenly was grabbing her hips and pulling her across the bed and climbing on top of her.

His body was rock hard, damp from sweat, and his eyes were intense.

Cullen spread her legs and then slid his boxers down, revealing his shaft. It was pointing straight up in the air. “I need you,” he said.

“I need you too,” she told him.