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  The anger that came with overlooking her finances hadn’t compared to what I’d assumed before she’d told me. Just the thought that maybe some bastard had set her up in a new place had tipped the scales on my rage. I would have lost it had that been the case. Anne was mine. Always would be. The relief I felt when she had told me the truth not only calmed my harbored fury, but put me at ease concerning her wellbeing.

  A smile came to her face and, once again, she tried to find me.

  “Still looking the wrong way, baby. I’m right here.”

  As if she heard me, her face turned in my direction and the smile fell. Not from what looked like fear or displeasure, but because maybe the thought was a lot nicer than the reality. I wasn’t sure, but her frozen stature lost its tense structure and she bit her lip, a new smile tugging at the corner of her lips. A low moan came out of my mouth. There was that seductive expression again. That “I want you to come take me and fuck me” look. This time, it was directly cast at me.

  With a turn, she gave me her back and continued moving through the booths. With each sway of her hips, I found myself captivated by her even more. I walked slowly, keeping my distance, all the while my heart was exploding in rhythm. The thought of stalking someone had never appealed to me before, but fuck, with her it was a different game. Especially now that she’d spotted me. The challenge hung heavily in the air. Who’d make the next move? Steal the next look…or more? Yes. Shit, I did want more. I wanted everything she had to give.

  I jogged to the opposite side of the market, just in time for her to turn and glance back. When she didn’t see me, she scanned the area again. I kept pace behind a group of Asian tourists.

  Anne spun in a complete circle, uncertainty sparking on her face for the briefest moment. As she went back to the vegetables on the tables, I watched her pay for what looked to be lettuce. She put it in the bag and worked her way to my side of the blocked off street. My eyes fixated on the sway of her hips in the tight fitted dress. Damn, I itched to pull it up over her ass and take hold of those curves. To grip tight and pull her back against me as I slammed my cock into her.

  The barricade came into view and she paused, looking down both sides of the street. I moved more to the side, toward the buildings lining the sidewalk, and leaned against the wall, watching. Waiting to see which route she chose. Right would take her home. Left…deeper into the city. How brave was my girl feeling? Did she want to continue playing cat and mouse, or would she decide to call it a day?

  As she stood there, clusters of people came and went. She tapped the shoulder of a woman who had a small toddler and handed them over the bag full of food she’d just bought. I think I fell in love with her even more in that moment. The brunette beamed as Anne said something, and moved in closer to the road. They walked off and still, she looked back and forth.

  Throwing her hand up, Anne stepped forward, momentarily confusing me. Then, I saw it. The cab pulled up and she swung open the door, almost as if she were in a hurry. I raced forward, cursing under my breath. So, she wanted to try to ditch me? Up the ante? Well, her tactics wouldn’t lose me so easily.

  I made it to the road just as her cab was merging into traffic. My hand waved as another came around and I jumped inside, keeping my eyes on the cab and its progress.

  “Follow that cab, the one approaching the light.”

  “They steal your wallet of something?”

  The older woman behind the wheel looked back at me.

  “No, my girlfriend. I just missed her.”

  “Ah, I see.”

  The light turned green just as we were approaching. Three cars rested in front of us. That was a good thing. Hopefully she hadn’t seen me follow, but I wasn’t so sure.

  “So how long have the two of you been together?”

  I glanced at the woman, but brought my attention back to the cab. “A few months, barely a dent in the time I plan to spend with her.”

  “A man who knows what he wants. Lucky girl.”

  Yeah, I knew what I wanted, but I wasn’t so sure Anne would think she was lucky after I got ahold of her ass and made it glow for the stunt she’d just pulled. Although, I had to admit, I was rather enjoying this. Maybe a little too much.

  “I’m the lucky one. My Anne is one of a kind. Stubborn as hell, but she’s mine.”

  “Any good news on the horizon?” Her eyes met mine in the mirror. I knew what she was referring to, but I wasn’t sure how to answer that.

  “It’ll definitely happen in time. Maybe not in the next month or two, but when the right moment comes, I’ll know.”

  A smile came to her face and she stared ahead. The cab was cool, but not nearly enough for the long-sleeved, black shirt I was wearing. I pulled at the collar and watched as the light ahead changed yellow. Anne’s cab blew through and I cursed as we got stuck behind the car in front of us.

  A few seconds went by while I clenched my fists.

  “Wait.” The woman leaned over, almost directly in my path. I moved my head to the side to see around her. “Look,” she said, pointing down the block. “I think that’s the cab. Is that her going into that park?”

  “Yeah, that’s my girl. I’ll just get out here.” I paid, threw the door open, and weaved through the traffic until I made it to the sidewalk. As I crossed the side street, I dipped past the gap in the hedges, staying back as I scanned the open area. Trees scattered the space and tennis courts rested off in the distance. A park with children playing was more toward the main entrance. I quickly found myself standing on the jogging path that looped around the place. A couple ran around me and I didn’t even see them until they disrupted my view. Shit.

  Where are you, Anne? I headed diagonally toward the main sidewalk, deeper into the park. A pond was on the far side of the field and I slowed as I saw her sitting on a bench, facing away from me. Her head was bowed and her shoulders were slightly sagging. Had she thought she’d escaped me? What was going through her mind? I hated not knowing where she was inside her head.

  For what felt like hours, she sat there, not once turning around to see if I was close by. She must have thought she was alone. Her interest in the game we were playing was gone and I wasn’t sure what to think about it. Hot and cold. That’s what she was. I knew she wanted me. Loved me. But, this part, the one that sucked her down, needed to disappear. To vanish, or else she may never truly be happy.

  The sun was starting to set and my ass felt numb from sitting in the same position against the tree for so long. As I moved to adjust, she finally stood and walked back toward the entrance. The slow robotic movements told me she wasn’t anywhere but in her own mind. I needed to fix this. Yet, I knew it wasn’t something that could be done overnight. I’d have to keep pushing her hard. Keep showing her that I was more than willing to control what scared her so much. The only way to do that would be to continue on my same course.

  I stood, taking my time as I headed back to where I’d entered. She’d probably catch another ride to her place. It wasn’t that far away. Maybe a few blocks back toward where we’d came from, but I couldn’t see her going all that way in heels. My thoughts were derailed as I viewed the top of her head, curls piled high as she was almost even with me. The only thing separating us was the hedge wall. Once it opened up at the end we’d meet.

  My feet carried me faster and I waited. Just as I saw her nearing, I stepped out and turned just in time for her to crash into me. Anne’s hands flew to my chest, her eyes wide as she breathed out heavily from her mouth.

  “Michael. You scared me.”

  I narrowed my eyes at hearing my name. “That’s not what you’re supposed to call me.” When she didn’t say anything, I battled whether to push my authority or check her emotional status first. Her wellbeing was the most important thing. “You looked upset. I wanted to check on you.”

  She leaned over, viewing the gap in the tall bushes that I’d just appeared from. “You were here the whole time?”

  “Yes. And you didn’
t look very well. Talk to me. What were you thinking?”

  A frown came to her face and she opened her mouth to speak, but stopped. She walked to push the crosswalk button instead. “I have a lot on my mind.”

  “Care to share? Maybe elaborate so I can help you?”

  A small laugh left her as she raised an eyebrow at me. “Don’t you think you helped enough last night?” There was a certain bitterness in her tone. Not to mention, the sarcasm the words were thickly laced with.

  “Last night won’t compare to what you have coming the next time I get my hands on you.”

  Fear sparked, but didn’t stay. “There won’t be a next a time. I’m not sure how you got in last night, but it won’t happen again. What we have, it can’t continue.”

  Her voice was so sure and steady.

  “And, I told you there was no escaping what we share. I saw you last night, Anne. You were exactly where you wanted to be. With me.

  The pedestrian light came on and she started across the street. I followed, catching up to her side. “Admit it,” I growled. “You want me. It’s these doubts you can’t stand.”

  “Doesn’t that say enough? I have doubts, Michael. Doubts. When two people are meant to be together there shouldn’t be any. As much as I love you, they’re there. That can’t be right.”

  “Everyone has doubts from time to time. It is normal, but yours don’t revolve around us, so stop using that as a crutch. Yours are about yourself. I’m going take those away from you. You’ll see.”

  Her eyes cut over to me. “I won’t, because we’re not doing that again.”

  Lights from the businesses were already beginning to turn on. The darkness was settling around nicely. A few more minutes….

  “Let me ask you something.” I grabbed her hand, pulling her to a stop. She immediately broke our connection and hugged her arms around her stomach. “Tell me this, if you weren’t so concerned with needing to be hurt, would you have run from me?” I didn’t give her time to answer. “Would you be happy being mine, just the way we are? Pain and all.”

  The way her eyes made quick movements, I knew she was thinking.

  “I love being with you. More than you even know, but I can’t drag you through something that I can’t promise will result in a long term relationship. As I was sitting there contemplating how ridiculous I was acting, I started thinking that maybe my best bet is to put the need back where it was before you came along. If I don’t feed the cravings, they might not be so powerful.” She swallowed hard. “That’s why you have to leave and stop this. Just…go home. Don’t look back. I’ll get my stuff out as soon as I can.”

  The darkness that was swallowing the streets devoured me right along with her words. I couldn’t believe what she was saying.

  “What you need can’t be put back on a shelf like a fucking book, Anne. You may not have dabbled with what you wanted before I came along, but you would have eventually. It was killing you. You told me that yourself. And now, you’re wanting to go back to that place? If you do that, you’re asking for more trouble. You’ll relapse, and when you do, you better pray to God I’m there. I know how deep you’re in over your head.”

  I lifted my hand, wiggling my fingers. “You see this? It would take me mere seconds to kill you. And, the thing is, you would let me. You have no boundaries, baby, and that’s not your fault. But, don’t kid yourself and think that just because you hide who you are, things are going to go back to the way they were before you met me. They won’t. You’ll be more miserable than you are right now. At least, here, you have me to take care of you. Someone who loves you. Someone who knows how much to give and take. Someone you trust. Let that sink in.”

  Anne took a step back and lowered her head as she began walking again. I let her trail ahead, staying a good ten feet behind her. This wasn’t over yet. Far from it. I’d give her a few minutes to think about my words. But, that was all. I knew what was she needed. What was best for not only her, but me.

  We crossed the next street and my opportunity arose. No one was close enough to notice anything, and the traffic was all but nonexistent. I doubled my steps, taking longer strides. Just as she reached the end of the dark alleyway, I gripped her arms and swung her into the nearly black space. My hand locked over her lips as I held her back against my chest and moved my mouth level with her ear.

  “You’ve had enough time to consider what I said. Now, it goes back to what I want. And that’s you.”

  I pulled the fitted dress up over her hips, running my fingertips up the black lace stockings that stopped a few inches from the top of her thigh. A muffled sound came from behind my hand and I pressed harder as I brought my touch over her hip.

  “No panties?” I tsked. “Naughty girl. I liked where your head was at when you decided to come out here to try to seduce me. You should stick to that frame of mind and stop thinking so damn much about something you’re not going to be able to change.”

  She tried to lunge to the side, but didn’t escape my hold. I had her pinned against the brick wall before she could brace herself. The rush of air was met with a moan, and I knew she liked the pain.

  “Spread your legs wide for me, baby. Let me feel what’s mine.”

  “Uh-uh,” she sounded against my palm.

  My hand reared back, slapping against her bare ass. The echo in the space was deafening, driving me on, feeding my own darkness to hurt her. I didn’t warm her up with one she’d enjoy. I put every ounce of my authority behind the contact. The sob that followed had the stiffness in her melting. Her ass moved back toward me and she spread her legs wide. I was almost surprised she’d given in so easily. Usually she put up more of a fight than that. Of course, I’d never started with full force before.

  “You’re learning, doll.” My hand pushed down to rub against her slit and the wetness was unbelievable, just like I knew it would be. “You like this. Me, you, the dark alley where anyone could walk by at any moment. I hope they do. I want them to pass by while my cock is deep inside of you.”

  The hint of a moan left her. “You want me to spank you really hard like that again, don’t you?” There it was. A full blown sound of pleasure. Her sex drew up under my fingers and I rubbed against her clit making her tremble. “I will, Anne. I’ll give you what you want. Regardless of what you think, there’s nothing wrong with liking this. With enjoying to be choked or bitten. If done carefully, anything is possible. But, carefully is the key word. I know you and what you need. I have the control and everything I do is thought out. I’d never go as far as letting you get seriously hurt.”

  My hand reared back and instead of spanking her once, I gave her two in quick succession. Suction pulled against my palm at her attempt to gasp.

  “There. That’s better, isn’t it. No real foreplay this time, baby. I’m going to fuck you right here in this dark alley like you’re nothing but a whore. Like you don’t mean shit to me.” I jerked my pants open, freeing my cock. Adjusting her hips, I eased against her opening and surged deep into her pussy. “But you know how fucking wrong that is. I love you. I may enjoy treating you like my personal little slut, but someday you’re going to be my wife.” I slammed into her, noticing that her hands now clutched convulsively against the brick as I went faster. “You hear me? My wife. With my last name. With my mark. I’m going to take you over completely, until you know nothing but what we share.”

  My hand left her mouth and I pushed into the hair at the base of her neck. Pins scattered to the ground at our feet as the curls came tumbling down. I held on tight and arched her more as I fucked her viciously.

  Laughter rang out and it wasn’t long before people walked by, but I didn’t ease up. Didn’t cover the heavy breathing or delicious sounds coming from deep in her throat. Her head attempted to swing in the direction, but I held tighter, not allowing her to look. Letting the thrill of what we were doing be sparked with the fear of being caught.

  Just as I felt her tightening, I stopped. “Don’t you fucking c
ome.” I began to move slowly, pushing into her channel as deep as I could, forcing her on the tips of her toes. My free hand came to her hip, those curvy weapons that had tortured me all damn day as she swayed them purposely, enticing me. Images flashed in my mind of her walk, her ass, the round shape so visible in the black dress she wore. My fingers gripped hard, trapping her even more between me and the wall.

  “Sir,” she breathed out.

  “No, you’re not allowed to come. Not here.”

  “But, Sir,” she cried,

  I pulled my hand back, making her face more visible. “What did I say?”

  “You said no.” Her bottom lip pouted and I let go of her hip to give her ass another slap. “You forgot to say Sir.” I shook my head, pushing deep enough to bring her up on her toes, again. The way her body was arched, I knew it had to be uncomfortable as hell, but that was all the better. It’d hurt her, and that was the point.

  “Kiss me, baby. Make me come.” I kept my thrust slow as I ground into her. Our lips met and with a pace just as leisurely as my fucking. Her tongue dueled with mine, softly massaging down the length and around the tip. She sucked with just enough pressure and I moaned, feeling my balls tingle. “I’m going to enjoy spending the rest of my life kissing you.”

  Her lips broke from mine and she stared at me, barely visible in the dark alley. “How do you know? How can you be so sure?”

  I let go of her hair and slid my hand along her jawline until it settled on her throat and chin. “Because, I’ll never give up trying to make things work. I don’t want to lose you. Good times and bad, remember? You can only run from who you are for so long, baby, but you’re going to have to take me with you. I’m not going to let you go. Together, we can make you better. One day at a time. Trust me,” I said, a growl creeping in at the pure desperation I felt.