I don’t expect the car keys to work, but I dig them out of my pocket just in case as I race toward the Jeep. I press the unlock button several times but nothing happens, so I throw the keys into the darkness and keep running. I can lose him in the night among the trees, and hide until it’s light enough to flag down a car.
I should be able to hear his heavy footsteps behind me, but there’s nothing. I look over my shoulder, trying to spot Rhys in the darkness.
And run shoulder-first into something hard. Gasping in pain, I fall to the ground. I feel like I’ve hit a solid wall.
The outline of Rhys’ huge body is looming over me. The dream house he described when we were kids didn’t have a fence. This is a dream prison.
“Why?” I whisper, my voice shaking with despair and hopelessness.
Rhys leans down and his hand encircles my wrist like a manacle. He hauls me to my feet and I hang there, dangling by my arm. “Because I needed you scared, Alaina, like you were when we were kids. That was the only way I could make you mine.”
Chapter Six
Rhys
I pick Alaina up in my arms and carry her inside, burying my face in her hair and taking a deep breath of her scent. “Fuck. It’s been driving me crazy not to be able to do that.”
I kick the door closed behind me and carry her to the bedroom like a bride on her wedding night. “It was the overnight bag, wasn’t it? That was a thoughtless mistake. And I can’t stand the taste of creamer in my coffee. I took a risk and I thought you wouldn’t notice, but you’re a clever girl, Alaina. You always were.” I smile down into her shocked face.
“You’re a cop. You’re meant to protect people, not break the law.”
I set her down on her feet at the end of the bed and take her waist in my hands. “You’re trembling everywhere I’m touching you.” I brush my lips over hers. “So sensitized to me. The merest touch is making your heart race and your blood heat.”
She turns her face away, but she can’t go far with me holding onto her. I kiss her throat and work my fingers beneath her clothing. I could weep her skin is so soft and smooth. When I strip off her sweater and top, I see she’s wearing the prettiest white bra, one that shows her nipples. It’s my favorite of hers. I feel like she wore it for me.
Alaina covers her breasts with her arms. “You monster.”
I smile and run my finger along her jaw. “You don’t have to feel ashamed. I’ve seen you like this plenty of times.”
She gives me a look of loathing so strong that I could almost believe she hates me.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell a soul about this,” I breathe in her ear as I slide my hand around the back of her bra and unhook it.
“What would I be afraid of telling other people? That you stalked me and kidnapped me?”
She tries to keep herself covered. I tug at the bra, and when she still resists, I rip it away. “That even though I terrorized you and deceived you, you still want me.”
Her tits are perfect. I scoop them up in my hands, feeling their softness and weight.
“I don’t—ah.” She shudders in my arms as I clamp my mouth around her nipple and suck. It buds in my mouth and I nip her with my teeth, just hard enough to make her whimper. She tries to fight me off, but there’s no way I’m letting go of her now. Not when I’m just getting started.
I yank at my tie to loosen it and throw it aside. With my hand buried in her hair, I kiss her and feel her teeth sink into my lower lip. I think she’s trying to hurt me but she’s shaking too much to make it sting.
“Alaina, my sweet angel,” I murmur between kisses. “I’ve finally got you here. Do you know how long I’ve waited? How much planning this took? When was the last time Mitchell did anything like this for you?”
She pushes against my chest. “This isn’t what I want!”
“All for you, Alaina. Because I care about you so much.”
“You planned on scaring me into having sex with you.”
“Mm. And it was working so well.” I cup her jaw, enjoying the way her face flames. “You were panting for me to fuck you before we even left your apartment.”
Alaina spits in my face.
I let her go and wipe my cheek. “Hey. That wasn’t very nice.”
She clenches both her fists. “I fucking hate you, Rhys. Let me go right now. What the hell is wrong with you? This isn’t you.”
I walk slowly toward her and she steps backward, forgetting the bed is right there, and falls onto it. This is how they must feel, the assholes I put behind bars. The murderers. The rapists. The armed robbers. This power over the one thing they want. It’s intoxicating.
I stand over her half-naked body, drinking in the sight of her. “Actually, this is me. The me that I never let you see. Didn’t you wonder why I left Rhode Island right after that car accident? If I stayed for a second longer, I would have killed Mitchell and thrown you into the trunk of my car. I would have left town with you and never looked back. Sweet little fifteen-year-old Alaina. You used to drive me out of my fucking mind with how much I wanted you. You still do.”
She shakes her head, disbelief filling her beautiful eyes. “That’s not the Rhys I knew.”
I get up on the bed with her, trapping her with my arms and legs as she
