Page 54 of Driven by Desire

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

"Wake up, Riley.”

She knew those words. That was what Soloman had said to her before he left for the club to deal with a problem. Right before the explosion. Right before Shank dragged her out of the house, across the sunbaked land, across the border and into a church. Or maybe that stuff didn’t happen? Maybe it was a bad dream and her lover was calling her back to reality so he could demand she acquiesce to another bout of lovemaking.

She needed to wake up and tell him to fuck off. She was too sore. He’d ridden her too hard the night before. Everything ached. He loved to impress his dominance on every part of her. But it wasn't like him to push her this much, to drive her to the brink of exhaustion.

She moaned helplessly and tried to open her eyes. It was so hard. Alarm filled her. The sound that emerged from her lips was barely a frail imitation of the vibrant voice she was used to. He shifted her in his arms and pressed something against her mouth, encouraging her to drink. She swallowed willingly. She loved Soloman, she would do as he asked.

Cool, sweet liquid filled her swollen, torn throat. She moaned in satisfaction and quickly took more sips of what she now recognized as fresh water. Then it hit her stomach. All at once it went from cool to burning, twisting heat. She struggled to rise in his arms, but was too weak. She moaned in distress as her stomach heaved and the water bubbled up her throat. It spilled from her lips and soaked into the front of her dress. She supposed she should be happy the only thing in her stomach was water. Her eyes finally opened as tears of pain leaked out.

The face hovering over hers was not Soloman’s. It was pockmarked and tattooed with a skull that gave him a permanent grin. She shuddered, the tears flowing freely from her eyes. She knew she was unbearably weak and getting weaker with each mile that passed. She knew that she was probably going to die. Not because Shank wanted her dead. He was staring down at her with a mixture of lust and psychotic adoration. No. In his driving need to keep her, he was going to accidentally kill her.

“More water,” he mumbled. “You’ll be fine, my angel.”

She tried to shake her head, but he lifted the glass to her lips and tipped it, forcing more water into her mouth. Her stomach cramped instantly, before the water even went down her throat. She tried to spit it out. He clamped his hand hard over her mouth and nose, smashing her lips against her teeth. Her eyes widened in fearful surprise.

“Swallow it,” he said gently, rocking her in his lap, despite his vicious actions. She struggled to breath but was too weak to do anything except swallow the water. He continued to hold his hand clamped over her face, watching her dark velvet eyes grow wide with panic. Once he was certain she wouldn’t immediately spit up the water he eased his hand away.

Riley sucked air in and sobbed weakly against his chest while he rocked her back and forth and brushed hair back from her face. She wanted to scream at him and shove him away. Tell him he was the most disgusting human being she’d ever met. She wanted to scratch his eyes out and punch him in the dick. She wanted to steal his car and then fuck it up beyond all repair. Even though it was a beautiful car, there were too many bad memories in that fucking trunk for it to be salvageable now. She was going to throw the wedding dress in what was left of that bitch when she was done fucking it up and then she was lighting the whole thing on fire.

“More pills, Angel mine,” he commanded, leaning back with her still in his lap. He dug around in his pocket and pulled a couple of tablets out.

“No… no…” she cried weakly against him, her voice barely registering. She tried to push him away, but her hand only landed limply against his T-shirt and slid down his chest.

“Yes, baby. It’s time for us to be man and wife. This’ll help you feel better,” he said gently, pressing his lips against her cheek and then licking her.

She shuddered and turned her face away. He took advantage by licking her ear and then her neck. She wanted so badly to fight him, but her limbs would not obey the vicious thoughts floating through her mind. Maybe she should just accept the pills? If this was going to happen anyway, maybe it would be easier to just float into oblivion. She couldn't accept his touch any other way.

He placed the pills in her mouth. She let him. He trickled water past her lips, washing them down her throat. She let him. She closed her eyes, shutting out the look of burning possession in his eyes. It was never a look that should be his. It belonged on another. She understood that now.

Riley was never a prize to be won, she was her own woman. She knew what she wanted in life and went after it. That was why she never allowed herself to fall in love before. Until she stole the Koenigsegg. And went for a ride with a man that knew what he wanted. She finally allowed her heart to get swept away. She was no man's possession. But she was in possession of his heart, as he held hers. She smiled happily as she remembered their dance. Sometimes brutal, always exciting.

She felt the soft touch of a finger on her lips, tracing her smile. She knew it wasn’t Soloman. She knew it was a man intent on stealing her smiles for himself. She didn't care. She was going to float away in the arms of her lover and hopefully never return. She felt something shift underneath her. Her head dropped back and her arms and legs dangled as she sailed slowly through the air.

Riley laughed. The sensation was so similar to floating she almost thought maybe she had died and was in the process of drifting away in the arms of the Reaper. She forced her eyes open and saw that Shank was carrying her around the side of the bed. They must have been sitting on the end. The room spun dizzily around her, lights flashing in a crazy kaleidoscope of colours before her eyes. She reached out to touch one of the fuzzy lights, but it danced away from her.

Then she was being lowered. Panic consumed her. Was she being put back into the trunk? She would almost certainly die this time! Strength she didn’t know she had surged through her and she pushed herself up on the bed, crying out in fear.

“No, angel, lay back down,” Shank insisted, pushing her forcefully down by the shoulders. He kneeled on the bed between her legs.

“P-please… don’t... make me…” she begged breathlessly, trying to force the words out of oxygen starved lungs and past parched lips.

She fought against him with everything she had, but her body was just too weak. Her fingers scrambled helplessly along his tanned arms and her limbs flailed sluggishly against the mattress. The room whirled in her vision, stopped, and then whirled off in another direction while flashes of lights sparked and streaked, sometimes sharp, sometimes fuzzy. She knew it was the drugs.

She called for Soloman. And then he was there. Standing at the end of the bed. Watching her fight with her kidnapper. Why wasn’t he helping her? He just stood there watching, his dark eyes as cold as they had ever been. Then he disappeared. Turned and walked through the open door. Except it wasn't open.

Crack.

Riley froze in shock as Shank’s hand connected hard with the side of her face, rocking her sideways on the bed. The dress tore where his knee had been holding it down. She curled onto her side and cupped her palm against her hot cheek. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried not to vomit as pain saturated the numbness that had been spreading through her body before. Her stomach heaved in protest and she worried that she might throw up once more.

Shank leaned over her, took a fistful of her loose hair and wrenched her head back violently. She gasped and tried to bring her arms up to grasp at his cruel hold, but her hands dropped to the bed. Her exertions had drained the last vestiges of energy from her. He shook her by the head and leaned against her back to hiss angrily in her ear.

“Don’t you dare say his name in our wedding bed.”

Her eyes flared open wide. Had she said Soloman’s name out loud? She hadn’t realized. Tears trickled once more and her chest heaved in reaction. Though Shank had been horribly brutal in his treatment of her, he hadn't been deliberately violent until now. What had she unleashed? Should she apologize?

She closed her eyes, wishing the oblivion would float back to her. She could feel the drug in her system, but adrenaline was also coursing through her bloodstream forcing her to awareness. Shank shoved her torn dress out of the way and ran his hand up her bare thigh toward her panty-less pussy. She flinched back and closed her knees, only to curve her spine further against the sweaty hardness of his chest.

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