Page 112 of Master of My Heart

I moan softly when Ramon pinches my nipple. Everything hurts as I lay on the wooden table in the arena. I didn’t think I could feel anything else after the past several hours of torture, but when he presses on the burns, I feel it.

“Normally, yes, they can. But I put a ring of protection around the area.” I’m pretty sure that’s Khyan’s deep voice above my head. “No one will find her here. Keep her name hidden and you’ll have nothing to worry about.”

Sabrina blinked and looked back up at Chase before her memories delved deeper than she wanted them to. She didn’t want to remember what happened next. But now she remembered what was said. “I think I was just someplace you couldn’t find me. I don’t think anyone could.”

“I’m glad you escaped,” Chase said. “It was killing me, not knowing where you were.”

“Why?” She knew how she felt about him, but it wasn’t possible that he’d held onto those memories as she had... was it?

“You stole my heart that night,” he admitted softly, reaching up to caress her cheek. “It felt as though part of me was missing when you disappeared.”

Sabrina felt her cheeks warm again at his intense gaze. She looked down at her dessert, then smiled when she returned her gaze to his. “I used to have imaginary conversations with you,” she confessed. He looked confused. “When I was first taken. It was the only thing that kept me... from losing my mind.”

“What did we talk about?”

“Well, at first, I just replayed our time on the yacht over and over again. But then I’d tell you about my childhood and... stuff like that,” she finished lamely. She felt her cheeks warm as she realized how stupid she sounded.

He squeezed her hand. “I relived our night in my head, too.” He frowned. “Did you ever get my letters or emails?”

She shook her head. “You sent me letters?”

He smiled. “I told you I would. For the longest time, I wondered why you didn’t write back. But that was before I knew you’d disappeared. I thought you’d changed your mind about me.”

“I kept imagining you busting through the door to rescue me,” she said softly.

“Had I known where you were, I would have been there in an instant,” he said earnestly.

“I believe you.” And she did, especially now that she knew no one would have found her.

He pulled her hand up to kiss the back of it. “I’m so glad you found your way back to Boston.”

She couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across her face. She felt... complete. Dancing with the ballet company had filled a void in her heart that had been open ever since she’d left Boston. But there had still been something missing. Being with Chase filled a hole she hadn’t wanted to admit was there. For the first time in years, her heart was whole.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Chase glanced at his watch. They had about thirty minutes before the show started. “You gonna eat that?” He nodded toward the tiny cup of chocolate mousse in front of Sabrina.

She looked down at her plate and back up at him apologetically. “I think I’m full. I’m sorry.”

“No apology needed. It’s amazing how much tiny plates can fill you up.” He wouldn’t have minded eating it, but he didn’t want to look like a pig in front of her. Instead, he motioned to their server, who arrived a moment later with the check.

A few minutes later, he and Sabrina were snuggled up in the back of the sedan for the ten-minute drive to the opera house. She lay her head on his chest and relaxed, making his heart speed up.

“Are you okay?” she asked, looking up at him.

“Yeah. Why?”

“Your heart’s pounding.”

Chase was glad the car was dark. He was certain his cheeks had turned red. He cleared his throat. “You make my heart pound,” he said, taking her hand and kissing her palm.

Her lips parted and eyes widened as she sucked in a breath.

Stupid move, Chase. He heard her breath quicken and his own pulse ran rampant. He’d never wanted a woman like he wanted her. Not just sex, although he imagined it would be quite spectacular to press his naked body against hers... Stop it! Sex is not what you need to be thinking about right now. That wasn’t what he really wanted from her. He wanted her to trust him, to open her heart to him, to love him. For more than a night. For the rest of their lives.

His mom had sat him down when he hit puberty and had a long, heart-to-heart talk with him about sex. Not the mechanics, but the heart and emotion behind it. She’d told him that boys and girls viewed sex differently and that if he had sex with a girl, it would bond her to him and break her heart when they broke up, even if he didn’t mean to. As a result, he’d always been careful when engaging in sex with women. Hell, he’d been a virgin when he’d graduated high school. His first time had been after Richard had told him about the Brotherhood and he’d been introduced to the Manor girls. He and Jayson had spent a lot of time at the Manor—with Richard’s permission, of course. Richard hadn’t believed he was a virgin until Jayson confirmed it. Jayson had slept with his junior prom date, then made his way through several girls during their senior year of high school. He was so charming, the girls didn’t seem to mind.

Now when Chase wanted sex, he usually went to the Manor. Less complicated. Yes, he’d slept with more than a few women and had several one-night stands, but only after he made it very clear that it was only sex and nothing more. When he was at West Point, it was a little more complex. But the few women who were there weren’t about to jeopardize their standing in school by getting into relationships with the other cadets. Sex happened. A lot. But they did a good job of keeping emotions out of it. Most of the time.

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