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I’d hoped it would be enough I’d hoped I no longer needed to watch the hands of ti Tess’s state of rohole again and leaning on me to help, she lied

Every lie she told whittled at my temper until I knew eventually I’d explode I could only accept her tales for so long before I forced her to tell the truth

For three weeks she healed We spent tiether as man and woman rather than master and slave We beca

I sat in the back of the li at the woman ned host An unknown riddle of human spirit as too stubborn to burden et her to accept me? Why didn’t she trustI knew she was e rant me peace because I knew she had no peace It was elusive, evasive, and I was fking tired

Tess suddenly scooted across the seat, pressing againstso pure, so fking ancient Her soul was ht that’d always existed no longer glowed like the cosht only to be dimmed by sorrow Sorrow she refused to talk about

I’d tried to show her the depth of iving it to her alhts, not for her to read Scribbled in the dark while she thrashed with drealimpsed into my psyche She owed me the same courtesy I could force her to share hers--a trade

Grabbing a handful of her silky blonde hair, I held her still Threading h the strands, I made my way till I cupped the back of her neck Her cupid lips parted, sending a thrill through led the entire four hour journey with a massive hard-on She’d kept her eyes closed most of the way, but I knew she wasn’t asleep

I knew because she wasn’t drenched in sweat and screaht thehtened around the delicate cord of eable It was a lie Her body may bleed, her bonesfortress

And I wanted in

I wanted to raates, cross her htmares I needed to knohat swirled and swelled behind her eyes I needed to kno to help her

"Just by being you, you’re fighting the me her weaknesses, her vulnerability

Myher throat until she spilled her unspoken secrets Maybe then I’d find the truth

Forcing her to meet my eyes, I murmured, "I’ll be by your side forever, but I won’t allow you to pushher nose with mine, I added, "And I sense it, Tess Your reluctance to tellon me So lean, otherwise, I can’t promise I’ll keep my temper"

The opaque screen between driver and car interior slid down I glowered as Franco spun in his seat, cocking his head "We planning on sitting on this runway all day, or do you have a destination?"

Tess spun in o Her perfectly white cheeks rushed with colour "Franco What? How…" She gawked at my head of security

Tess and Franco had forhly when she first ca himself taunt a slave asn’t broken He’d chased her when she ran, he’d hunted her when she was stolen, he’d been beside me every step, and I knew he had a deep respect for Tess Even though he took a while to forgive her for leaving reen eyes connected with Tess as I relaxed into the seat I would never ad them interact I liked that Tess wasn’t afraid of him I liked that Franco had developed an older brother protectiveness toward her

When Franco didn’t reply to Tess’s mismatch of questions, she shifted in the leather to face hiet here?"

"Who do you think flew the bloody plane?"

Her eyes flew toback a sain "You fly, too?" Her shoulders were tense, head cocked warily A swell of pride filled me She didn’t believe him

As she shouldn’t He was a bullshitter

"He flew in the cockpit to give us privacy," I said, letting the small smile twist my lips

Tess’s eyes locked onto mine The blue looked softer, warmer She must’ve knoanted privacy in the hopes of another et the thought of her on her knees with her cheek pressed to the helicopter carpet out ofinto her froasainstworld

I sed, re hoild she’d been when I spanked her How her back arched and shemoan

It had been the last time we’d been connected completely Master and slave Do It alsofor this beautiful woman until the day I died

It was also the day she disappeared

Fuck Even that memory was tainted by the bastard traffickers

My hands curled on hty to reincarnate Red Wolverine so I could rip open his chest, cut out his heart, and feed it to hi less civilized and ed both of us "Privacy, huh? Doubt you’ll getup You’re a lucky little lady, not having any in-laws to impress Mercer, on the other hand, better be on his best behaviour"

Tess leaned back in her chair, fastening her seatbelt "As far as I’m concerned, we’re both on our own in this world Just him and me" She flashed me a look full of shy pro awe grew day by day inside me I’d sold my soul to her

Her

This worabbed her hand, linking h hers I didn’t say a word I didn’t need to Our souls did enough talking

"Take us to the island, Franco I need to take Tess soers twitched in mine "Wait…what island?" Amazeetting hed "Guess what it’s called Go on You’ll never guess"

Tess shook her head "You own an island that you naers went loose as she looked at er "This is too ht of wonderment

I hated that Hated the look of awe and confusion Just like she looked at s for the first ti self-conscious ofrich