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“Where did you learn to fight, hellcat?” I grab fresh beers from the fridge.
“College.”
“What the hell do they teach in American colleges?”
She laughs. “It was a self-defense class. After Nicole, I took every one I could find, twice. I don’t want to be a victim. Honestly, I think that’s what killed Nicole. Not just what was done to her, but that she felt powerless. Helpless. I never wanted to feel like that. Horrible things happen in life sometimes, but I don’t want to be in a position where they define me. I’ll always know I fought back, even if it doesn’t change the outcome. I’ll know.”
“You are an impressive woman, Roxanne Johnson.”
She smiles again. I stand and pull her to her feet. Turning up the music, I lead her to the open space between the sitting area and the dining area.
“So tell me, Mr. O’Connell, is dancing with captives in your living room a common occurrence for you?” She grins up at me as I give her a gentle twirl.
Pulling her close to me, I look into her mesmerizing eyes. “Trust me, there is nothing common about this.” Then I bend forward and take her lips for a kiss.
CHAPTER34
Rocky
I wake up with Sean whispering things in Gaelic to me. When I open my eyes, he smiles.
“Morning, sunshine.”
I look at the clock. Ugh. Seven a.m. It actuallyismorning. I moan and pull the pillow over my head. Sean laughs.
“No hiding, baby. We have things to do.” And then the evil man pulls the covers off my body.
“Hey!” I whack him with the pillow.
“Oh, good, you’re awake.”
I can tell he’s both terribly proud of himself and trying desperately not to laugh. He pulls me out of bed and toward the bathroom, peeling off my t-shirt and smacking my butt playfully.
“Ow!” I yelp and run away, his deep laughter audible through the door. I take care of my more personal matters and turn the shower on. I catch a quick glimpse of my butt in the mirror and scream. Sean bursts in.
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
“Look at my butt! I’m one giant bruise!”
“Jesus Christ, you about gave me a heart attack yellin’ like that.” He exhales with a huff and runs a hand through his hair. He turns to actually look at my butt. He grins, a dark, mischievous glint in his eyes. Fisting my hair, he roughly pulls my head back.
“Your ass is fucking beautiful. It’s bruised from my belt and my hand, and I absolutely adore seeing my marks on you.” He kisses me. “Oh, and baby, there will be more, and I know you’re wet thinking about it.”
I moan. He’s not wrong.
He kisses my forehead and then sets me on the counter, the cold marble shocking my tender skin. He looks at the stitches in my lip carefully.
“I can take these out now.” He grabs a pair of tiny scissors from the first aid kit. A few snips later and he pronounces my lip healed. He picks me up in his arms and walks into the shower. He washes me from head to toe. It’s the most sensual shower that doesn’t actually involve sex. He wraps me in a towel.
“Get dressed. I’ll make coffee.”
“What are we doing?” I ask.
“Shopping.”
“Shopping?”
“Yep, for your dress for the ball, Cinderella.” He kisses my forehead and walks out of the bathroom.
