Claimed

He knew already what must be done. He’d been a fool to think he could keep Kelsey at his house, at least not until she came to understand that her place was at his side. He had been an idiot to fall asleep without first tying her down. He had come that close to losing her. If he hadn’t woken when he had, she might even now be jabbering to some policeman, painting the story of what had transpired between them in black and white, leaving out the rich, colorful tapestry of love beneath what might seem to the uninformed like brutal actions.

These thoughts crowded his mind as James flew through the house. Hurriedly he pulled on jeans, a T-shirt and a pair of sandals. He threw some of his clothing and toiletries into the duffel that contained the things he’d retrieved from her apartment. He would come back later for more clothing and supplies, once he had Kelsey properly settled in the cabin. He swept the sex toys still waiting on his computer desk into the bag, excited at the thought of using them all. Lastly, he grabbed his laptop, placing that in the duffel as well.

He glanced at the pictures of his beloved that covered the walls. Those would have to come down, but there was no time now. He would return later in the week to remove any evidence of his secret obsession, just in case.

For the first time, he found himself glad that his parents were no longer living, and that his sister, with whom he’d never been close anyway, resided over a thousand miles away. He needed no one but Kelsey. And she needed no one but him. The family vacation cabin by the lake would be the perfect hideout while he trained her to adapt to her new life as his soulmate and most prized possession.

He slung the duffel over his shoulder and, gun in hand, raced back to the kitchen, where he locked the back door and set the alarm before returning to the garage. He could see Kelsey through the car widow. She had regained consciousness and was struggling mightily to get free of the bungee cords.

He pulled open the passenger door and aimed the gun in her direction. “Stop it!” he ordered tersely. “I don’t have time for this shit right now, Kelsey.” He saw that the gauze he’d wrapped over her bandaged wound was red with new blood, and a rush of guilt washed over him. But it was her fault. She shouldn’t have run outside like that. He’d had no choice but to tackle her.

Ignoring her yelping demands to be let go, he leaned over the backseat to inspect how the bungee cords were holding up. She had nearly managed to wrench herself out of them; one hand was almost freed. James tossed the duffel on the backseat and placed the gun beside it. He adjusted the cords, winding them more tightly around her arms and giving them a tug to make sure she couldn’t get out of them during the drive.

Once satisfied she wasn’t going anywhere, James grabbed the gun and hurried around the car to the driver’s seat. Setting the weapon just under his seat, he reached across Kelsey and pulled the seatbelt over her body. He buckled her in, positioning the belt so it rested between her luscious breasts. It was good she’d put on his T-shirt. He couldn’t very well take her on the highway naked, though he would have liked to. She looked disheveled, her hair wild, a smudge of dirt on her cheek, but he doubted anyone driving by them would notice or care.

“James, where are we going? Where are you taking me?” Kelsey’s normally low, sultry voice was pitched an unpleasant octave too high. “The cords are too tight,” she whined. “My arms hurt. My leg hurts. You can’t do this. Damn it, you bastard! You have to—”

Her squealing was making his head throb. Without thinking, James lifted his arm and smacked her mouth with the back of his hand. “Shut the fuck up, Kelsey. Just shut up.”

She was staring at him with wide, frightened eyes. Her face was unnaturally pale, especially in contrast to the thin trickle of bright red blood that had appeared on her pouting lower lip.

“Damn it,” he swore. “See what you made me do?”

She didn’t answer. A single tear rolled down her cheek.

James’ anger melted away. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have hit you in anger.” He knew he needed to control his temper better. He needed to have patience until Kelsey learned her lessons properly. The sooner they got where they were going, the sooner the lessons could start.

As he backed the car out of the garage, he reached over to pat her thigh. She flinched, her body tensing, and he realized she thought he was going to strike her again. “Hey, relax. You need to stay calm and quiet while I’m driving, okay? Just relax.” He pushed the button on the garage door remote and watched the garage door begin its descent before turning his attention to the road behind him in the rearview mirror.