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Chapter 11
The three of us climbed into the waiting helicopter. We barely had time to sit down before it took off. I watched the ground grow small outside the window as we rose into the air, seeing a group of men in white cargo vans pull up in front of the villa only to be greeted by the ruthless gunfire from Grayson’s men. Not wanting to see any more blood or death, I turned away and curled up beside my rightful husband, needing his protection as well as his warmth.
I shivered hard and he gathered me into his lap. For a long time, we were silent. Esmerelda sat across from us, just watching as we cuddled together. Her eyes were warm and eventually she looked away with a wistfully soft smile. Even though she was right there, it felt like she was far away.
Grayson kissed the top of my head, and I chewed my bottom lip as my hear
t fluttered at his much-needed gentleness. He squeezed me tighter and I was suddenly overcome with intense emotions that demanded a voice.
“I love you,” I whispered.
“I love you too, my pretty bride,” he answered.
With a soft sigh, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep, more than a little exhausted from the harrowing events of the day and finally content now that I was back in his arms. I woke up again once we landed, groggily opening my eyes to find us at a new port. It was a private dock set off on a white sandy beach and there wasn’t another soul in sight.
His yacht was waiting a short distance away. I sighed in relief.
I moved to get off his lap, but he didn’t let me.
“No. I will carry you onto my ship and you will let me take care of you,” he scolded firmly, and I knew better than to fight him right now. To be honest, I didn’t want to because his demanding nature was making me feel safe.
I stayed quiet as he carried me off the helicopter and all the way down the docks to the gangway of his yacht, enjoying the no-nonsense way he insisted on caring for me. I couldn’t see her, but I knew Esmerelda wouldn’t be far behind us.
“I don’t want to see land for the next three days,” Grayson barked at a nearby crewmember, and he scurried off, likely to give orders to the captain. Grayson paused and cleared his throat, turning backwards as he began to speak again.
“There are extra crew cabins down below. You are welcome to whatever one you desire,” he said, looking back at Esmerelda. She nodded and bowed her head in deference.
“Thank you, Mr. Asher,” she whispered. “You won’t regret this.”
“You’re welcome to enjoy the amenities of the ship if you like,” he offered.
“I’d like to make myself useful in the kitchens, if at all possible,” she answered, and he nodded.
“As you wish,” he replied. “I must go. I have need to see to my wife.”
He turned away without another word and descended into the ship, making his way toward the master suite. He closed the door behind us with his foot before he carried me into the bathroom. With a shaky breath, he placed me down on the tile.
I swallowed hard. My lungs stopped working as we just eyed each other.
There was a savage wildness in his gaze, an open panic painted all over his face as he stared at me in a wedding dress that wasn’t his. I had a feeling that I was looking back at him with the same terrified expression and the sudden loss of his touch felt like a raw wound. I couldn’t help but reach for him. He forcefully grabbed my hands and pulled me flush against him.
“How did you find me?” I managed to whisper. My voice shook with every single syllable as his fingers tightened around mine painfully hard, but I didn’t much care.
“I’d heard rumors that Nemesio was looking for you, that he still wanted to take you as his wife despite the fact that I’d purchased your contract myself. Before we’d arrived, my men had cased the port; we’d made sure it was safe. I’d offered a ridiculous sum of money in exchange for any information,” he began.
“I didn’t mean for it to happen. There was a boy. He’d gotten hurt,” I tried to explain.
“I know, my sweet bride. I’m not angry with you. The woman who owned the lingerie shop saw what happened. She saw him lead you off into the jungle and when she was certain she wouldn’t be followed, she came to me. By the time I reached the spot where you’d been taken, it was too late,” he replied. “You were already gone.”
“But you came for me,” I whispered, fighting back a sob.
“I wouldn’t have rested until you were safe with me again,” he swore, and I knew that every word was the truth. “I made a vow and I intend to keep it for the rest of my life.”
He pulled me closer and firmly captured my lips in a hard, persistent, and desperate kiss that left my head reeling and my heart pumping inside my chest.
At once, the dress felt too constricting. The neck was too tight, and I struggled to draw in enough air.
“Please. I don’t want to wear his dress. Take it off. I need it off,” I cried out. His gaze darkened and he spun me around, gripping the fabric around my neck firmly before he tore it open from the back. Buttons popped off everywhere, but I didn’t care. He didn’t hesitate and tore that frightfully ugly dress to shreds. He destroyed it from the neckline down until it finally fell to the floor in a mess of tattered fabric.
