Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 69524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 348(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 348(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
I take my time carrying her to my bedroom, admiring my work. It’ll be a shame to wash the paint away, so I etch the memory of her perfection into my mind.
She’s mine.
I knew it was only a matter of time before she accepted our bond, my claim over her. She’s been thorny since she woke up this morning, but now she looks serene. Subdued.
Her eyes are closed, and her breaths are deep and even. Her long, dark lashes fan her cheeks like a sleeping princess in one of her favorite animated musicals. That enchanting freckle on her cheekbone marks her as a unique, proud woman. I sensed it in her when I first laid eyes on her. Even then, my need to possess her completely had been inevitable.
My chest aches just looking at her. I want her so badly that my craving consumes me. My cock is still hard, but I have enough self-control to spare her from my selfish lust. There will be time for that later. She needed pleasure first.
I was right to seduce her in the studio. It served as a reminder of how good it can be between us.
Her accusations of stalking and kidnapping had stung a bit—as had the shocking blows with the lamp and the table—but I’m confident that I’ve done nothing wrong. She just didn’t understand why I had to do everything that I’ve done to win her heart.
I meant what I said to her. It was the only way.
This is how it has to be between us: raw and dark and real.
Our connection is the only thing that matters to me now, the only real thing in my world.
She is my world.
My Abigail.
My sweet pet, my little dove.
All mine.
I step into my ensuite bathroom and carry her toward the bathtub. She’s almost completely limp in my arms, so I carefully crouch down to turn on the water while I keep her in a firm hold. When I’m satisfied with the temperature, I ease off her dress and set her down so that she’s reclining in the bath.
She’s so still, and she allows me to position her like a doll.
My stomach knots.
What happened to my fierce pet who fought me with all her might? She should be looking at me with a lazy smile and utter devotion shining in her gemstone eyes.
“Abigail.” Her name rasps from my tight throat.
She doesn’t respond in any way. Her cheeks remain rosy from her orgasms and the heat of the rising water, but her expression is frozen.
I cup warm water in my hand and carefully wash the paint from her heartbreaking face.
It’s not only her beauty that’s making my chest ache now. There’s a dull throb in my heart with each heavy beat.
“Abigail.” Her name is almost a growl this time, a warning that demands her attention.
“What do you want, Dane?” The question is soft and flat.
She sounded like this when she first woke up in my arms this morning. I’d thought she was woozy from the lingering drugs. Now, I don’t know what to think. I don’t know how to interpret this strange mood.
“I want you to look at me.”
Her eyes open, and they instantly shine with fresh tears. They mingle with the warm water as I wash the last of the paint from her cheek.
“You’re okay,” I soothe her. I suppose our scene in the studio was intense. Some residual emotion is understandable. “Stay here with me. You’re safe.”
She closes her eyes again and turns her face away from my tender touch.
She doesn’t say anything in reply.
“Talk to me,” I urge.
“What do you want me to say?” That flat tone sets me on edge. It’s far more disturbing than when she was screaming at me.
“I want you to say that you’re all right. You know I’ll always take care of you. Tell me, Abigail. Tell me you’re mine.” The last is rough with something like desperation.
Her next breath shudders as she inhales, but that’s the only sound she makes.
“Answer me,” I command.
“I’ve never been less safe in my life.”
Her whispered words are a dagger to my heart.
“No,” I refute. “I will always protect you. Always.”
I’ve killed for her. I would do anything to keep her happy and safe.
Her eyes remain closed, her expression completely blank.
“There’s no one here to protect me from you.”
I reel back as though she’s sucker punched me.
“You can’t mean that.” It’s an order. I won’t tolerate it.
I can’t bear it.
“What do you want me to say, Dane? Just tell me what you want to hear, what you want me to do. You’ve made it crystal clear that my wishes don’t matter. You won.”
I bare my teeth like a cornered animal, but she doesn’t open her eyes to see my anguished expression.
“This was never a battle of wills,” I correct her. “I don’t want to win. I just want you. All of you.”