Page 76 of Married to My Master

Dane

He drove without purpose. He hoped the constant, unceasing movement of the car would somehow magically impart some sort of deep, mystic understanding of the universe, and of his actions. But, he was out of luck, at least on that front.

As he drove around the city, Dane realized he hadn't really thought this plan all the way through. He'd acted on impulse this time, just like he had before with BioSphere. And, a year of prison notwithstanding, that had worked out surprisingly well. Hadn't it?

He shook his head.

This time things were different. His reasons for acting weren't vindictive. They were pure. At least, he hoped Emily and the cops would see it that way. After all, he had kidnapped her.

Emily's head lolled to the side, and she groaned a little.

Shit. The sedative would be wearing off soon, and Dane didn't have much of a follow-up plan. He didn't have any more syringes, and she might fight him to take her back to her wedding.

God, what the fuck was he doing? Clearly, she loved Ian. Look how beautiful she'd made herself for their big day? She was wearing beautiful, expensive gown, her hair was all done, with a crown of flowers woven into her blonde tresses, and her makeup was virginally radiant. On the one hand, he felt bad for breaking the wedding up like this. On the other, though, he knew he could change her mind.

Deep down, he wished this had been their wedding, not hers and Ian's. He wished, more than anything, that Emily had been going to walk down the aisle to his waiting hand.

Then, it hit him. “Shit,” Dane groaned to the car. Emily just groaned wordlessly back.

Benton. He hadn't even considered how this would affect his brother, or his girlfriend. He was pretty sure Charlene hadn't intended him to do this. Of course, it wasn't like he or Emily had ever revealed the whole, unvarnished story to everyone. That had been part of the reason why he'd plead guilty. He knew Emily had no desire to be forced to testify against him, and there was no reason why their personal stories needed to be thrust into the limelight like that.

If this somehow made national news, he and his brother would be thrust right back into the spotlight. And, if things didn't go well, this wasn't exactly the same as exposing a massive drug fraud case. He doubted he'd garner as much sympathy for this stupid move.

He didn't know what he was thinking. But, at least this time, no one else's life was on the line besides his. This was his stupid decision to make, and no one else’s. But, when everything was said and done, at least one thing would be true. He could at least finally unburden himself to her and force her to listen to the thoughts that had kept him alive in that jail cell from one day to the next.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Dane

Emily was beginning to come out of her stupor when he pulled up in front of the house. Before she could completely come to, though, he'd already slipped into the house and opened the garage door, then pulled the car in next to her Escalade.

“Did you break into my house earlier?” she asked, as he lead her inside by the arm, his hand still clamped down like a vice.

He ignored her. He had, of course, to get her sedative she still kept in the nightstand. But he still ignored her. There were more important things going on. He dragged her into the middle of the living room with one hand, and grabbed one of the chair from the dining room, the one that they'd used as her timeout chair so long ago. He put the chair in front of the couch and ordered her to stand in front of it. “Strip,” he said, as soon as he was in position, his voice full of the command and authority he knew she remembered.

She looked at him, her eyes blinking. Finally, she seemed to register what was going on, and her eyes dropped to the rug in front of her. She reached behind her back and unzipped her wedding dress.

His eyes swept down over her body, taking all of her in as she dropped her white gown to the floor. She was breathtaking in her matching lacy white lingerie, and Dane had suppress a needful groan as he looked on her with longing.

She looked up at him and locked her eyes with his, keeping his gaze on her like she had engaged some sort of magnetic bonding between them, as she slipped her panties down over her hips, letting them slide to the floor.

Dane nodded to her bra. “That too,” he said.

She turned away a little, hiding what he imagined were shame-filled eyes. But, she reached behind her back and unclasped her bra, then shrugged out of it, letting it drop from her body one strap at a time.

He picked up the roll of duct tape he'd found in the mudroom, just where she'd kept it the last time he'd been in her home. He walked around behind her, took both hands, and pulled them to her back. “Hold them there,” he ordered, then began to tape her wrists together.

Because of the way he had her arms pinned back, her chest heaved with each breath, her breasts rising and falling almost hypnotically. It was like waves crashing on the ocean.

He tore another small piece of tape and put it over her lips. “Sit,” he said, gesturing to the time out chair.

She gracefully sat in the chair, her eyes fastened to his.

He took a seat on the couch in front of her, their eyes still glued together. “Emily,” he began. “I need you to sit there, and I need you to listen to me. This is important.”

With her eyes still locked on his, though, she just slowly shook her head. She rose from the timeout chair, her eyes never leaving his face as she crossed the short distance to him, her hips swaying with every step. She stopped just in front of him, and he unconsciously moved farther back in to his seat.

He gazed up into her eyes, into the wanton lust there, but also the love. She looked so beautiful, with the downy blonde thatch between her legs, the light pink of her nipples, her flat stomach, and the delicate structure of her hip bone.

---