And she’s definitely aware of exactly what pressing her nearly naked body against mine has done to me.
“Why?” she asks suddenly, her voice small against my chest.
“Why is my dick so hard I can’t see straight?”
She huffs through her nose.Was that a laugh?“Why did you c-come after me? Why not just l-let me die?”
It’s a good question. One I’m not sure I have a good answer for, or at least not one I’m willing to say out loud.
“I didn’t go through all of this trouble to let you die in a snowstorm,” I tell her, keeping my response direct, even if it’s not the whole truth. “I know it’s difficult to accept, but death isn’t the answer.”
She’s quiet for a long moment, then replies, “I’ll n-never stop trying to escape.”
“I know.”
“I’ll never f-forgive you for this.”
“I know that too.”
Another pause. “And you’re still g-going to make me marry you?”
“Yes.”
She sags against me, the fight draining out of her body. Not surrender, not yet. But acceptance of the immediate reality. She’s alive because I saved her. She’s warm because I’m holding her, and she has nowhere to run.
“I hate you,” she whispers.
“So you’ve said a time or five.” I brush strands of her silky blond hair back from her face, feeling the warmth returning to her skin. “Doesn’t matter. You’ll marry me, anyway. Tomorrow we will go to your father. Get the license and make this official.”
“He won’t believe it. He knows I wouldn’t choose this.”
“He’ll believe what we make him believe.” I meet her gaze in the firelight. “I want you to tell him you love me. Tell him we’ve been seeing each other in secret for months. And you want this marriage.”
“I c-can’t?—”
“You can’t or you won’t? Because there is a difference, and if you don’t, then I’m going to have to look like the monster you claim I am. I’ll have him out of that church and homeless within a week, and we both know that’s not what you want.”
Tears fill her eyes. “You’re c-cruel.”
“I’m practical.” I wipe away a tear with my thumb. “The sooner you accept it, the easier all of this will be.”
“It’ll n-never be easy.”
“Maybe not,” I agree. “But there’s a chance it might be, and I want to take the easiest road possible with you.”
She closes her eyes, fresh tears tracking down her cheeks. I hold her through it, letting her cry, letting her grieve the life she thought she’d have. The freedom she thought she’d keep.
When her tears finally stop, she’s limp in my arms and exhausted beyond measure. The near-death experience, combined with emotional devastation, has completely drained her.
“Sleep,” I tell her, adjusting the blankets around us. “We’ll deal with everything else tomorrow.”
“Can’t s-sleep here. With you.”
“You don’t have a choice. Moving you right now would be stupid. Your body needs to stay warm.”
“But—”
“Saint.” I catch her chin, making her look at me. “You ran into a blizzard to escape me and nearly died. I’m not letting you out of my sight for the rest of the night. So accept it. Close your eyes. Go to sleep.”
