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Shock tore through me, a sick feeling rumbling in my stomach. I slapped my hand across my mouth, blinking to keep tears from forming. Why had I allowed him to make me so emotional? To get to me?
I’d just exposed the exact way I felt about him. I was out of my mind completely. The horror of what I’d done settled into me, the look of shock on his face forcing another wave of embarrassment through my system. No. No. No.
Before he had a chance to say anything in retort, I bolted, racing down the shoreline toward the forest. At this point, I didn’t care where I ended up as long as it wasn’t near him. Why had I exposed my feelings, setting myself up for another chastising moment? I was such a fool. I hated myself that tears had not only formed in my eyes, the salty beads stinging, but that they were quickly sliding down both cheeks. He didn’t deserve my tears. Not for a single second.
While I didn’t bother looking behind me, I sensed him racing behind me, so I picked up speed, refusing to allow him to catch me. The last thing I wanted was to feel his hands on me ever again.
I ran even faster, managing to make it to the edge of the forest.
“Oh, no, you don’t, Zoe.”
His deep growl infiltrated every cell in my body, sending a wave of shivers all the way to my toes. When he grabbed my wrist, whipping me around to face him, I threw a hard punch to his jaw, shocking the hell out of both him and myself in the process.
“Let me go!” I screeched, pounding his chest with both fists.
“Not a chance. I’m going to protect you whether you like it or not.”
“Just leave me alone. God, I hate you. I hate everything about you and this life. My father. You’re right. No one is going to make choices for me. I’ll run far away where no can find me.”
“Then I’ll hunt you down. There’s nowhere you can run where you’ll be able to get away from me. Do you hear me, Zoe? Nowhere.” He was as exasperated as I was, even more so. His hot breath was cascading across my face, the musky scent of him creating a feeling of pure intoxication.
“No. I can’t… You won’t. I know you won’t.”
“Like fucking hell.” The powerful man wasn’t to be denied, his he-man protective side taking over, tossing me over his shoulder and trudging back through the woods.
“I’ll get you for this.” I refused to stop even when he smacked my bottom several times, the tingling sensations of pain evoking far too many emotions.
“I’m eager to watch you try.” He smacked my bottom again, hoisting me even higher as he made his way back to the campfire. The second he lowered my feet onto the blanket, I did my best to scramble away. He refused to tolerate any additional antics, immediately fisting my hair, jerking me against his chest.
“Get off me!” I fought to drive my hands against his chest.
“Not a chance.” He lowered his head. “I’m not letting you go.”
“Why? Why are you bothering, Maddox? Tell me why you won’t just let me go. Tell me why it matters to you. I’m nothing in your eyes, forbidden. Just a girl with a stupid crush.” I continued to struggle in his arms, doing everything I could to slip free from his strong hold.
But when he slipped his hand to the back of my head, digging his fingertips into my skull, I had a feeling this was just the beginning. There was another explosion of energy between us, as if the entire world had just erupted into flames.
“Because you belong to me. And I swear to God. No man is ever going to touch you again. If they dare try, they will die by my hands. Do you hear me, Zoe? Do you?”
As he captured my mouth, every muscle in my body froze. There was such a sense of need building between us that I was driven to the very point of madness, the longing that intense.
His words were exciting, dangerous, and possessive. And I never wanted to be set free from his powerful hold ever again. He thrust his tongue inside, dominating mine as he’d done before, but as with everything about the structured, chiseled man, he was laying claim. As he shifted his hips back and forth, I was pulled into a darker moment, needing the intensity of our raging passions more than ever.
The fact his cock was rock hard, throbbing against my stomach sent a thrill of excitement deep inside, every nerve ending seared from the intensity of our connection. I was lightheaded and even with my eyes tightly closed, I could see vivid flashes of light spinning around my periphery of vision like a firestorm. Even the electricity shifting back and forth was more powerful, my extremities tingling from the white-hot sensations.
He tasted of scotch and strawberries, the combination as irresistible as the man. I allowed myself to become lost in the moment, swept up in the notion that this would mean something. As I slipped one arm around his neck, tangling my fingers in his thick curls, he pushed me backward, forcing me into an arc.
Within seconds, he eased me onto the blanket, straddling my legs as his kiss became merciless and unforgiving, as if the man were desperate to become intoxicated from my heated breath. The thought that all time stood still, that we were the only peopleleft in the universe flowed through my mind. The idea was crazy, but one I hung onto as if by doing so, I could prevent cold reality from resurging, dragging us both into purgatory.
When he finally broke the kiss, he issued a deep, husky growl before dragging his tongue from one side of my jaw to the other.
I took gasping breaths, wrapping my hands around his shirt as I clung to him. I was terrified that if I let him go for even a few seconds, I’d realize he was nothing more than a mirage. He bit my lower lip before sliding the tip of his tongue down the column of my neck. I arched my back, the pleasure so intense I couldn’t think straight.
He yanked the straps of my bikini top, easily exposing my breasts. As he untied the slender string behind my back, easily yanking the hindrance free, he whispered additional filthy words of longing. Every sound from his mouth, every guttural breath he took only added fuel to the already raging fire.
I rolled my hands over his shoulders, rubbing my palms down his back, marveling in the way his muscles felt underneath my fingers.
Chuckling darkly, he flicked his tongue across my already taut nipple, pushing another humming series of vibrations into my stomach. As soon as he pulled the tender tissue between his lips, sucking and biting down, a series of whispered moans escaped my lips. He took his time, the sounds he was making becoming more savage in nature.
