Page 63 of Dominated

I wanted to yell.

I wanted to hate him for what he had done.

He leaned down and licked away the wet stains on my cheek. “God, you’re so fucking beautiful.”

He was on his second swipe when I banged my fist against his chest. “Why?!” I sucked in air. “Why did you do this to me?!”

And why was he the most perfect man for me?

Why could he satisfy my fetish, my sexual needs and desires?

Why were my feelings for him so strong?

“Come with me.”

Three words that sounded so simple but held more weight than the world.

When I didn’t give him a response, he continued, “Leave it all. Disappear. Let me protect you. Let me give you everything you need.” His eyes were fixed on mine in a way where I couldn’t look away even if I wanted to. “Let me love you.”

Even swallowing hurt.

The tears were now like fire, scorching my already-heated skin.

“That’s the question I was going to ask you.”

He glanced at his watch before his hand returned to me. But I didn’t feel it. I was numb. I just saw the movement and stillness in his arm.

“You have seconds to make your decision. If it’s a yes—and I fucking hope it is—I need you to pack up the little clothes you keep at this apartment and whatever belongings from here you want to take with you. You’ll need to leave your cell on the counter”—he nodded toward the kitchen—“and we’re going to head to my private plane. You won’t be back. Ever.” He moved so his nose hovered over mine. “If it’s a no, then I’m going to walk out that door, and you’ll never see me again.”

If I could feel, I was sure my stomach would ache like it had been punched. My chest would feel charred, like he’d just stomped out a fire on me. My head, like I’d been in rough turbulence for hours.

But instead, I had turned to ice.

What he was asking, what he was warning me about, what he was confessing—it was too much.

A swell of emotion came up my throat when I whispered, “No.” The word branded my tongue, hurting more than any rope, flogger, or whip. “Get out.”

SIXTEEN

Bale

Istood in front of Pepper, my hands at my sides, my gaze penetrating hers like this was the first time we’d ever locked eyes.

Her words—“Get out”—were echoing through my body.

I needed confirmation.

I needed her to say it again because I didn’t believe her.

“That’s your decision?” I asked.

This couldn’t be what she wanted.

She wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity for safety.

Security.

Love.

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