“That’s what I thought,” he growled,loosening his grip on my throat and then turning me around to gripmy hand. Fucking asshole.
We were silent as we continued our walkalong the beach heading back toward the house. I just focused onthe scene of the sky and water ahead of me. The breeze of the oceanblew through myhairand as thesun finally went down, a chill began to creep over my skin. Being anaturalredhead, I had readsomewhere that we don’t adapt well to changes in temperature, and Ifound it so true as I was always cold when others were warm, and ondays I did find myself too hot, I was a cranky little bitch aboutit.
“What day is it?” I asked, innocently,suddenly feeling brave again. I was hoping for some sense of timeto finally come back into my life. I couldn’t even remember whatday I had been taken.
“Friday,” he replied. Fuck, it must havebeen well over a week since I went missing.
“Will you be goingintowork tomorrow?”
“No. I’ll be working from my home office,but I’ll be around here and there,” he saidwith a hint of enthusiasmI found unsettling.
“Oh, goody,” I replied excitedly, but hesensed my sarcasm. He chuckled at me.
“There’s my little hellcat.” He smiled,tucking me into his side, shielding the chilling wind with his arm.“I thought I scared her away.”
“Fat chance,” I replied. “You don’t scareme.”
Ah, fuck, that was stupid.
“What the fuck did you just say?” hesnarled, grippingmy arm andwrenching me from his side.
God, this hot and cold shit was getting old.Would I ever learn? He gazed down at me with a fierce intensity Ihad not been prepared to meet. I peered up at him like a deercaught in headlights, unsure of what to do as I was quicklyreminded of our earlier issues back in the house.
“Nothing,” I replied quietly.
“Nothing?” he said, raising his eyebrows.“You see? Even now, you’re terrified of me. I know you are and youshould be. I can see it in your eyes, so why bother to lie? There’sno hiding anything from me, Jaden. When will you learn this?”
I tried to pull away from his grip, pissedoff at hisrevelation, butthistime, he refused to let me go.
“You just don’t get it, do you?” I suddenlyyelled at him, breaking free of the headlights. “I’m not supposedto be here! Shit like this doesn’t happen to people like me! I’m afighter—always have been, always will be—so you asking me to justgive all that up and surrender my life to you doesn’t quiteregister! I don’t know how to give you what you want because it’snot in my nature and no amount of pain you threaten will changethat!”
Darren cocked his head to the side as hestared down at me with that consuming wild ocean in his eyes. “Thatsounds like a challenge to me, Miss Wilder,” he saiddangerously.
“No! Goddamn it! You’re not listening tom-”
“No, princess,” he cut me off sharply,“you’re not listening to me, and that’s the problem we keep runninginto. I understand your frustration. You had a life you worked hardto achieve, and now, it’s gone. Get over it. The life you will havewith me will be far greater than any life you could ever have givenyourself. You just have to surrender to it.”
“I can’t do that,” I said bitterly, a singletear of frustration slipping free of its confines, as I continuedto push away from him. I wiped it away quickly before it became toonoticeable.
“Yes, you can, Jaden, and you will. I’m notgiving you any other choice.”
I felt my heart slam into my chest as thoughsomeone had just punched it with an iron glove. I felt hopeless andlost, drowning in an ocean I could never learn to swim in. The tidewould always be far too strong for me to escape its pull.
Darren didn’t care about my internalstruggle; he didn’t care that my pride and independence weren’tused to being chainedawayandthought it should be so easy for me to let go. But it wasn’t. Andit never would be.
“Can’t you see how unfair this is?” I saidsoftly. “How wrong this all is?”
“Jaden,” Darren said as he gently but firmlygripped each of my shoulders. “I’m the kind of man who takes whathewants,when he wants, andwithout regret, simply because he can. Where you may see somethingas unfair or wrong, all I see are endless possibilities. I don’tbelieve in limitsand, therefore,do not subject myself to them. You may hate it now, but I think youwill come to enjoy your role in my life sooner than you think. Onceyou finally stop fighting me and give in, you’ll wonder why youever fought me in the first place.”
“And what about my family? Am I supposed tojust forget about them? Pretend they never existed?”
“As far as I’m concerned, I’m your familynow. It’ll be easier for you to just let them go.”
I slowly shook my head back and forth. “Howcan you be so cruel when you have a family?” I shot back. Hestarted to speak, but I cut him off before he could. “You say youwant me to be happy, yet you force so much unnecessary pain onme.”
“You think me cruel?” he asked softly as hestepped up to me. His eyes bore down, drinking me up and swallowingme back. “You haven’t seen the depravity I could subject you toshould you continue this argument, so stop pushing. The pain youfeel is solely from your own inability to let go of what is nolonger in your control. If you would just surrender yourself to me,I promise you will be free of that pain.”
“You’re practically asking me to walk onwater.”
