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“The man should die for what he did to you.” His words were strong in conviction.
I walked closer, the light breeze now chilly. “He was so… I don’t know the word. Possessive. The first time I saw him, I was still in the clothes I’d been kidnapped in, the scrubs I usually wore to work. He was outraged, as if I should have been cleaned and dressed before being granted an audience. It was all very strange. Everyone who worked for him was terrified, but they did his bidding. The next morning, I woke up to an entirely new wardrobe, a young girl telling me in broken English that I had to shower and get ready. When I asked for what, she said nothing.”
“He is a man with several proclivities, known for his sadistic tendencies.”
“Don’t all men have them?” When I slipped my hand to my throat, I was surprised by the look in his eyes, the moonlight catching a glimmer that indicated he craved taking me again. He was truly a dominating man, but uncertain just how rough I liked it. I wasn’t certain myself. What I did know was that I craved his touch again.
“Some are darker than others, Willow. I know your thoughts about your mother, but I’d read enough stories about what that man allowed to happen to young women that he deserves a special place in hell. Now, go to bed like I told you to.”
I’d touched another nerve. What I didn’t like about the man was that he kept me walking on eggshells. Sighing, I backed away. “You’re not like him, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“You don’t know me, sweetheart.”
“Don’t do that. Any time I try and get personal, you bristle as if I’m going to hurt you or worse. Condemn you.”
“Yeah, well, where I’ve been and what I’ve done, you just might.”
Maybe I was just far too tired to handle the situation like a normal human being, but I was fed up with the self-pity he tossed my way whenever it was convenient. “We all have stories, Santiago.” He winced visibly when I used his real name. “Would you prefer I use Viper? Whatever happened in your past might have changed you, but only you can allow it to ruin the rest of your life. No one else. Stay in your pity party. One day you’ll wake up and realize that you’ve suddenly shoved everyone you cared about or who cared about you out of your life. Then you’ll die alone and lonely when you could have reached out and grasped onto life.”
“Who are you to judge me?” he snapped, rearing back then turning away.
I had no idea how to handle this man. “I’m nobody. What did I hear you call me? Oh, yeah. I’m just your mark. So be it.” I turned around, prepared to do what I’d wanted to earlier, crawl under the covers and sulk.
When he snapped his hand around my arm, jerking me back, it was with enough force I was tossed against his chest. He immediately fisted my hair at the scalp with the other, tilting my head awkwardly. “You don’t want to know me, Willow. Trust me.”
“Maybe not. Fine. I’ll do my best to stay away from you.” I smashed my fists against him, hissing from the anger and the ache in my heart. He twisted his hand, yanking me onto my toes.
“Don’t do that.”
“Don’t do what?”
“Make me want you.”
“I know. I’m a liability. Fine. Have it your way.” I did everything I could to get out of his grasp, but there wasn’t a chance. He had too strong of a hold.
His chest rose and fell from his heavy breathing, his face contorting as if I’d slapped him, which I longed to do. As soon as I pummeled my fists against his chest again, he dropped his head. “I’m a dangerous man, Willow. Get that through your head.”
“Maybe I like dangerous men, at least the kind who are willing to do anything in their power to save another.” The fury in his eyes was unlike anything I’d ever seen. As he growled, I took several shallow breaths, uncertain what to expect.
The harsh rumbles continued until he crushed his mouth over mine. This time the kiss was more out of desperate need, as if I was the only one could provide the drug he found necessary to survive. I continued to fight him, but soon my need to get out of his arms turned to a deep burning desire to have his naked body against mine.
As the kiss became a moment of brutal passion, I quivered all over, my heart racing. He continued to make guttural sounds as the sheer brutality of the intimate action pulled on every need I’d kept locked away. I was the one who was afraid, not just of what life had to offer but of finding the one person who could make me feel special, electrified. My fear of loss had kept me locked away, refusing to allow my feelings to surface.
He sucked on my tongue as he ground his groin against my stomach, the dancing sensations almost overwhelming. I was lightheaded, barely able to breathe from the sweltering explosion of passion. Nothing had prepared me for the intensity of our combined needs.
When he finally pulled away, he shook his head. “I can’t want this, but I can’t imagine not having you. You belong to me, Willow, whether you like it or not.”
“Then take me. Just take me.”
It was the acceptance he’d been waiting for, a need that furrowed deep inside. He yanked me into his arms, taking long strides into the house and to the bedroom. When he eased me onto my feet, the moonlight cast a warm glow across his face. He backed away further into the shadows, leaving me wondering what he wanted.
And what he had planned to do.
“Take off your clothes,” he commanded. I wouldn’t have recognized his voice had I not known who was waiting in the dark to ravage me. “Do it nice and slow.”
There was a strangeness to the anticipation, his demand sending a wave of tingles all throughout my body.
I took a deep breath, trying to figure out what he was doing. When I started to remove my shirt, he exhaled.
