Page 31 of The Chains that Bind
I consider restarting my boat, making a desperate run for it, but logic prevails. He'd catch me in minutes in that high-powered craft. Better to face him with dignity than be dragged back like a runaway child.
"Going somewhere?" Knox calls as his boat pulls alongside mine, his voice deceptively casual despite the anger radiating from every line of his body.
"Away from you," I respond, lifting my chin defiantly. "You left the island. Apparently your imprisonment rules only apply to me, not to you."
"I left to handle a situation that couldn't be resolved remotely," he says, stepping from his boat to mine with a grace that belies the difficulty of the maneuver. "You're trying to escape our future."
"I'm trying to escape being treated like property," I counter, backing away as he advances toward me in the confined space of the small boat. "Like something you can lock away whenever you please."
His hand shoots out, fingers wrapping around my wrist in an unbreakable grip. "You know that's not what this is."
"Do I?" I try to wrench free, but it's like trying to break steel with my bare hands. "Because from where I'm standing, it looks exactly like imprisonment."
"Protection," he corrects, pulling me against his chest with enough force to knock the breath from my lungs. "From yourself. From your stubborn determination to run from what you know is right."
"You don't get to decide what's right for me!" I push against his chest, fury making me reckless. "Let me go, Knox! Now!"
Instead of releasing me, he lifts me bodily, ignoring my struggles as he transfers me to the speedboat. My fists against his shoulders might as well be raindrops for all the impact they make.
"Put me down!" I demand, my voice rising with each word. "This is kidnapping! Again!"
"This is me bringing you home," he counters, depositing me on the seat of the speedboat with more gentleness than I expect given his obvious anger. "Where you and our child belong."
Before I can respond, he's secured me with one arm while using the other to start the speedboat's engine. The service boat I commandeered is left adrift as Knox pilots us back toward the island, my escape attempt thwarted as completely as if it never happened.
"How did you know?" I ask finally, my voice tight with defeat and lingering anger. "How did you know I'd try to escape today?"
His laugh holds no humor. "Because I know you, Seraphina. Better than you know yourself sometimes. I knew the moment I left the island, you'd see it as an opportunity. I just wasn't certain which exit you'd choose."
"So you were testing me," I realize, renewed anger flooding through me. "You never really left. This was all a setup."
"I did leave," he corrects. "Had business in New York that couldn't wait. But I returned specifically because I knew you'd try something like this." His arm tightens around me. "I'll always find you, angel. Always bring you back where you belong. The sooner you accept that, the easier this will be for both of us."
The speedboat slices through the water toward the main dock, the mansion looming above us on the hillside. My prison, my sanctuary, my torment.
"I hate you," I whisper, the words lacking conviction even to my own ears.
His lips brush my temple, surprisingly tender given the circumstances. "No, you don't. You hate how well I know you. How completely I see you. How impossible it is to hide from me." The boat slows as we approach the dock. "And most of all, you hate that part of you doesn't want to escape at all."
The worst part is, he's right. And we both know it.
Chapter Eighteen
Knox
She wears defiance like armor,her chin tilted at that stubborn angle that both infuriates and captivates me, her eyes flashing green fire as I guide her firmly up the path from the dock to the house. My hand remains locked around her wrist, tight enough to assert control but careful not to bruise the delicate skin. Inside, I'm a storm of conflicting emotions—rage at her recklessness, relief that I caught her before she got too far, primitive fear at how close I came to losing both her and our unborn child to the unforgiving sea. If her boat had capsized, if a sudden storm had blown in, if she'd gotten lost on open water with limited fuel…The possibilities torment me, feeding a protective fury that threatens to overwhelm my usual calculated control. I've never been a man who experiences fear—not during the lean years of my childhood, not when building my empire from nothing, not facing down competitors who wanted to destroy me. But the sight of Seraphina on that boat, fleeing from me, from us, awakened something I barely recognize inmyself. Something that will do absolutely anything to keep her safe—even from herself.
"You're hurting me," she says, though we both know my grip is firm but not painful. Testing boundaries, always testing.
"You're lucky that's all I'm doing," I respond, not slowing my pace as we approach the house. Staff members quickly make themselves scarce as we enter—they recognize the storm brewing between us, know better than to get caught in its path.
I don't stop until we reach the master suite, practically lifting her over the threshold before releasing her wrist and closing the door with a decisive click. Not locking it—the symbolism would be too obvious, and unnecessary. We both know she's not going anywhere.
"Are you out of your mind?" I demand, my voice dangerously quiet. "Do you have any idea what could have happened out there?"
She rubs her wrist, though again, we both know I didn't hurt her. "I was fine. The mainland is only thirty miles. The boat had plenty of fuel."
"And if a storm had come up? If the engine had failed? If you'd gotten lost?" Each possibility fuels the fear-driven rage coursing through me. "You're pregnant, Seraphina. With my child. Our child. And you risked both your lives on a reckless escape attempt."
