The Dark King by Jordan Summers Read Free Book Online Page A

nice, cultured, polite. This man was judgmental, bullheaded, and beyond rude. Until this moment, Taylor had thought she'd met every type of man that existed in the universe, but she'd been wrong. Hades deserved a category all his own.
    His lips parted in surprise as the thought slipped through her mind.
    Taylor’s scowl deepened. She supposed she should be grateful that he was no longer growling.
     
    ***
     
    Hades fought to get his temper in check as she showed Taylor around the Keep. When he'd seen her standing next to Perseus and Kon, talking her way past them, something inside of him snapped. Not only did he want to destroy the two males for drooling over her, which was utterly out of character, but part of him was outraged that she'd attempted to escape him . No one tried to escape him. No one would dare....except Taylor.
    He'd known better than to accept Linx's proposal. Something had told him that the Earth woman would be trouble, but Hades had ignored his instincts because he hated owing anyone, and now he was acting like a cat high on space blossoms.
    The images of her dancing flashed through her mind. He hadn't been trying to read her thoughts, but they'd been impossible to ignore. Now Hades couldn't stop picturing her naked.
    He was relieved that she wasn't a sex companion. More relieved than he should be. If she had been, Hades would have hired her instantly, even though part of him would've found the end of the chase unsatisfying. He wasn't sure where that left him.
    "Why did you run?" he asked, to keep his mind from replaying the naked image.
    Taylor's perfect brow flickered. She looked at him like he'd lost his faculties. "You told me to," she said. "Remember?"
    Hades' grip on her hand tightened. He forced himself to loosen it. Earthlings were weak. He didn't want to bruise her, or worse, break her bones. "It was a temporary loss of control. It will not happen again." He sighed. What had he intended? He wasn't sure, but he knew he had to stop whatever it was. "I didn't mean to drive you away from the safety of the Keep."
    She stopped walking, making him halt, too. "How was I supposed to know that? When someone tells me to run, then turns into a Monster Kitty, I don't pause and ask for clarification."
    Hades couldn't seem to tear his gaze away from her full lips. The woman had a mouth made for kissing, among other things. He felt his cock rise as he wondered what she'd taste like. She was still talking, but he'd missed part of what she'd said.
    What had she called him ?
    Taylor flushed under his regard and cleared her throat. "I thought you planned to take me to my room."
    His mouth clamped shut. "Of course, this way." Hades led her down the stone corridor toward his chambers. He'd ordered her put here before he'd even met her. Now he was questioning the wisdom of that decision.
    Several rooms branched off as they neared the end of the hall. He stopped before a door on the right. "You should have everything you need. I'll be by in a few hours to escort you to the Pit."
    "About that," Taylor said.
    "Be ready. I do not like to be kept waiting." Hades strode down the hall without a backward glance. He knew if he stayed that she'd have to be worried about more than a Monster Kitty.
    Hades didn't know what had come over him. He never acted that way around a female. He'd nearly growled aloud when Perseus approached Taylor. He shook his head and shoved the doors to his chambers open.
    The gray stone walls were punctuated by shafts of light. He'd made sure that his chamber would open to the outside. It had taken months of excavation, but it had been worth it. Emerald green fabrics draped his bed and thick furs lined his floor. He strode across them into his bathing area, which consisted of a waste disposal, a modest sink, and a deep bath. With a flick of a switch, water would cascade from a hole in the ceiling and fill the tub or he could simply stand under it to bathe.
    Hades walked over to the copper basin to splash