He captures my face in his hands, holding me like I’m his most precious treasure. “I will never betray you, Abigail. I will always protect you. Always.”
“I know.” I seal my promise with a kiss. “I’m safe with you.”
I’m not shaking anymore. The cold that’d taken root in my bones has melted away, and I’m warm in Dane’s embrace.
“That’s why I don’t talk to my family,” I finish. “I’ve never told them what happened. But even if I did, they would still see me as a failure. I didn’t live up to their expectations, so they threatened to cut me off. I cut them out of my life before they could follow through on their threats.”
“You took back control,” Dane says, his voice still rough with residual anger. “My brave, fierce pet.” He caresses my face and stares into my soul. “You don’t have to be alone anymore. I’m not going anywhere.”
My eyes sting as relief floods me. I’d known that I could trust him with my darkest secrets, but his acceptance means everything to me.
I can tell him anything. One day, I might even tell him about the masked man.
But I’m too raw, too wrung-out. That’s been enough emotional labor for an afternoon. For a lifetime.
I blow out a long sigh, releasing all of the remaining tension from the difficult day as I lean into him.
He cradles the back of my head, holding me firmly against his chest.
“I’ve got you,” he promises.
I’ve never felt safer than I do in this moment. I’m protected in the cage of his strong arms, and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.
27
ABIGAIL
Dane holds me for hours, and I drift, simply indulging in his reassuring presence. I doze off for a while, and when I wake up, it’s dark outside.
I blink, disoriented. “What time is it?”
He kisses my forehead. “Don’t worry about it. Go back to sleep.”
“You don’t sound sleepy,” I observe. “Have you been awake long?”
“I haven’t been sleeping.”
I sit upright and turn on the bedside lamp. “I’m sorry. You must’ve been bored. I didn’t mean to drift off.”
He strokes my hair back from my cheek. “You needed the rest. And I could never get bored when I’m holding you.”
Pleasure flushes my cheeks. “That’s very sweet.”
Sometimes, I struggle to process his intense declarations and praise. No one has ever treated me like this, like I’m precious. Valued.
And after the awful altercation with my family, my old feelings of unworthiness are raw and exposed.
He hums, considering me as though he’s trying to puzzle out my complex emotions.
“There’s nothing sweet about me,” he replies. “That’s not a word I would use to characterize myself.”
I giggle. “Are you offended? Should I say you’re a very scary, very intimidating master?”
He grabs my hair, and suddenly, I’m trapped beneath him with his other hand around my throat. His wicked grin takes my breath away, even though he doesn’t apply pressure with his fingers.
“Exactly,” he drawls. “I’m very cruel and entirely selfish. And you love being afraid. You love when I make you tremble and whimper.”
My heart flutters, and my blood heats, but I tip my chin back in an act of reckless defiance. In the wake of my difficult day, I want him to completely overwhelm me. I want to revel in the darkness we share, not hide from it.
