Regina
I wake up alone in bed to the sound of the shower running. Gasping at the realization, I begin to roll off the bed only to find I’m attached to the bedframe. What in the fuck? He has used what looks like three silk ties to attach the cuffs to the metal bedframe. This motherfucker.
The door opens behind me, and I tighten the covers around me. I turn to find him standing in the doorway with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. Oh my god, my mouth waters and I’m shockingly wet. It’s only when I blink that I realize I haven’t in so long my eyes sting. His body is a work of art, there are tattoos in Latin inked into his skin, I hadn’t been able to take in before. Even the jagged scars don’t detract from how stunning he is.
“What happened?” Then he turns his back on me and I gasp as I take in the network of scars on his back. “Dominic?” My stomach turns, I close my eyes tight as I struggle not to be sick at the pain and violence etched onto his beautiful body.
“Ah, princess, don’t cry. It happened a long time ago. It’s not worth your tears.”
“How can you say that?”
A strong hand comes up under my chin, tilting my face up to him. His thumb wipes a tear away. “I hate when you cry. My injuries are what happened when I made the mistake of trusting the wrong person. I deserved what I got. I should have died, I’m lucky I didn’t. I learned my lesson. I haven’t gained another scar since.”
I hate the loss of his touch as he kneels down in front of me to untie me.
“I need to get dressed. Do you want to take a shower? I brought your bag in from the car.”
Nodding, wiping away my tears, I take my bag into the bathroom still foggy from his shower.
I put up my hair, not wanting to deal with it wet, then jump into the shower. I wash quickly and dry off. There is a toothbrush still in a wrapper but no toothpaste, better something than nothing. It takes a few minutes to brush out my hair then braid it. My clothes are at the bottom of the bag, so in frustration I upend it.
At the top of everything is the white lace dress I had picked for my wedding dress. It is simple with a high collar and goes all the way to my ankles. The moment I saw it I knew it would be perfect for a simple wedding dress. Studying it, all the dreams I had when I picked it out wash over me. I blink and they disappear. The despair I believed would come doesn’t.
Instead flashes of the previous day burn bright, the moment my eyes
met Dominic’s for the first time. The way he held my hand, his grip tightening before he let me go, how he tossed me into the damn trunk. How he wiped my tears away, his kiss; a shiver runs up my spine at the memory of his kiss. Then, oh god, my entire body shudders and I’m wet between my legs. I swear I can taste him on my tongue, feel him in my mouth and ache to feel him inside me.
When he bragged about making a woman’s eyes roll back into her head, I scoffed only to find he wasn’t bragging, it was a statement of fact. I begged him to stop not because I didn’t like it—I more than liked it, I loved it. I wanted more even though it was dirty and wrong.
Any of those things would have left a mark on me. Yet it was the culmination of it all that sealed my fate. Those hours he held me as we slept, his large body wrapped around me. For the first time in my entire life I felt...safe, home, as if I was always supposed to be in that bed in this hotel with Dominic, in his arms.
It hits me. I’m not getting out of this. I won’t be able to get away from Dominic Sabatini. Not today, a month, or even a year from now. If somehow, some way I got away, he’d find me. I have no idea why instead of scaring me, the realization thrills me.
No, no. Fear shakes me out of my reverie. I can’t just give up. There has to be a way. There is always a way, isn’t there?
I startle at the knock on the bathroom door.
“Regina, get moving. I’m starving. I want to grab something to eat then get back on the road.”
Looking down at the dress, anger at Dominic and myself fuels me. Today was supposed to be my wedding day, this is my wedding dress. I refuse to make this easy, for either of us.
Hands shaking, I put on the pretty white lace bra and plain cotton white briefs. Forcing my fear down, I slip into the white dress.
When I open the door, Dominic is standing by the door leading out of the room, carrying his leather duffle. His eyes go cold. “Change.”
“No.” I’m defiant, refusing to back down from the dark energy vibrating around him.
He drops the duffle and crosses the room in all of three steps. A hand goes around my throat and my stupid body betrays me, going instantly limp against him. “Take it off or I will.”
I shake my head as much as I can. I blink and holy fucking crap, his other hand finds the neckline and tears it from my body. We’re both breathing hard and fast. The hand around my neck lets me go and fucking shit, I stumble into him. His hands wrap around my arms as he catches me close, his mouth at my ear. Hot air is sliding down the skin of my neck and I can’t fucking breathe.
“You are mine. You belong to me. I can make you tremble in ecstasy or fear. The decision is yours.”
This time when he lets me go I can stand on my own, barely. I grab my bag and slam back into the bathroom, shaking with fear and need. Hands trembling, I pull out a long black maxi dress and manage to get it on in seconds.
When I open the door, Dominic is only inches away from me. His eyes flick over me. He nods, then he picks up my bag and his before opening the door. “Let’s go.”
His hand comes around my arm as I get within a few feet of him. I don’t bother trying to shake him off. Even though I hate my stupid damn body for the fine tremors that go through me all over again at his touch. “What time is it?”