Page 70 of Absolution
He barks a laugh. “I don’t know how you make this dreary place so beautiful.”
I beam at him. “That’s because it is beautiful.” My tone drops to a more serious register, and I squeeze his hand in a pulse of understanding. “I know you spent time here when you were growing up. I understand if you don’t have the best memories of this place. Thank you for coming here with me.”
He lifts my hand and brushes a kiss over my knuckles. “I’m making new memories with you. The past has no power over me anymore.” He shakes his head ruefully. “Although, I can’t say I enjoy the weather.”
I continue our progress toward the beach, steadfast in my goal. “We’ll see how you feel when we get onto the beach. If you hate it, we can walk back into town and get fish and chips.”
He doesn’t protest again; he seems content to follow me anywhere.
The thought elicits a warm glow at the center of my chest, and I flush despite the slight chill in the air.
We make our way through town and then descend a steep hill. As we near the beach, we walk into the fog. It starts to lap at our ankles, then reaches our torsos, before it closes over our heads. We’re engulfed in a pale gray cloud, and the rest of the world disappears. There’s only Dane and me and the damp sand beneath our feet. Even the gentle waves sound muffled, but we make our way toward the surf.
In the distance, a dog barks, and a child laughs. But they’re so far removed from us that we might as well be on our own planet.
I kick off my shoes, and my toes sink into cool sand. The salt water is icy when it rushes over my bare feet, and I laugh in shocked delight.
“Abigail,” Dane admonishes. “It’s too cold.”
I shake my head and dance out of his reach, wading in to my calves.
“I have to touch the sea,” I insist. “I’m making a memory of this moment.”
His expression darkens to something forbidden. “Not without me.”
He kicks off his shoes and strides into the cold surf with grim determination. I giggle when he grabs me in a fierce embrace, pulling me in for an almost punishing kiss.
“You’remine,” he growls. “Every moment of every day for the rest of your life.”
I trace the harsh slash of his lips and tease, “Such romantic threats.”
I love his possessiveness. Mine is every bit as intense.
I killed for my husband, and I’d do it again a thousand times over. Anything to keep and protect him.
I thread my fingers through his midnight hair and pull him in for a soul-searing kiss, imprinting my claim on his mouth.
Dane is all mine. Always.
EPILOGUE
ABIGAIL
Agloved hand clamps over my mouth, and I snap awake as pure terror spikes through me.
“Don’t scream, or I’ll have to gag that pretty mouth of yours.”
The worst of my fear abates when I register Dane’s rumbling voice, but the aftershocks of my initial burst of terror crackle through my system. Adrenaline floods my system, making my fingers and toes tingle with the primal imperative to escape.
I thrash, but rope tightens around my wrists and ankles. The bindings were loose enough not to wake me, but now that I’m struggling, the rough fibers abrade my delicate skin.
My scream into his hand, and his low hum of cold consideration rolls over my sensitized flesh.
“You chose this,” he informs me just before his fingers dig into my jaw.
I cry out at the flare of pain, and my lips part. The shocked sound is immediately muffled when he shoves something into my mouth. I recognize the lacy texture on my tongue: my panties.
I shake my head, trying to force them out of my mouth.
