reason that was enough to make him stop.
I escaped before he could try again. He chased me down with a shotgun, but
Kadyn and his friends found me in the woods just before Justin did. They wrestled
the gun away from him. Then my friend, Dan, knocked him out.”
Michael
ripped his hand from mine. He looked as if he’d been burned. “He nearly killed
you, twice ?”
I
nodded as I wrapped my arms around my now roiling stomach. “Kadyn saved my
life.” I risked a glance at Michael’s face. I wondered how much Justin’s
abduction factored into Michael’s timing. He probably wasn’t expecting some
other man to kidnap me when he was planning to do the very same thing. I looked
back down at the Koi shimmering in the pond. I was terrified to ask my next
question. “Is Kadyn still alive?”
“Yes,”
Michael rasped brokenly. He shoved his omelet aside. “I know he saved your life,
Kristine. I… I am grateful for that, but… is that the reason you’re still with
him, or do you really love him?”
I
exhaled softly. “Kadyn is kind and gentle. He’s patient with me. He isn’t
manipulative or controlling, and he doesn’t force me to do anything. He has
devoted his life to making this world a safer place. How could you not love
someone like that?”
Michael’s
eyes were steeped in pain. “Why did you refuse to marry mewhen I
proposed?”
I
leaned back in my chair as I quietly considered his question. “Because you
scared me, Michael.”
Michael
looked like he had been slapped. “How did I scare you? I never hurt you. I
showed you nothing but love and respect, and still you refused to marry me.”
I
tightened my arms around myself before trying to explain. “I had just gotten
out of an abusive marriage when we started dating. I was scared to begin with.
Then you came out of nowhere and proposed on the fourth date. You were so
intense… so consuming… and you moved so fast. You didn’t give me any time to
get to know you. How could I marry let alone love someone I didn’t even know?”
Michael
rose from his chair. He reached for both of my hands, then gently pulled me to
my feet. His voice broke as he spoke. “ Mon coeur , I loved you from the first
moment I saw you.”
I
searched his eyes, then abruptly looked away. “Michael, that is not love.”
Michael
hooked his finger under my chin as he gently forced me to look at him. “You don’t
think I know my own heart?”
I
shook my head. “I don’t know your heart, Michael. That’s the problem. You never
gave me a chance to get to know you before you started pressuring me to marry
you.”
“I’ll
show you my heart,” he responded gruffly. He claimed my lips in a kiss that was
both brutal and raw.
Fear
and desire spun through me. My brain warred against my body’s response. I
wanted to slap him… I wanted to resist… but I was too confused and far too scared. Hadn’t I decided not to resist? My breath caught as Michael began
kissing my neck. I swayed undecidedly.
Michael
steadied me as he slowly pulled away. His eyes burned with desire as he lowered
himself to my chair. He slowly pulled me toward him. I stood completely
transfixed as he caressed my legs from ankle to thigh before pulling them over
his lap. Michael pulled me snug against his body. I closed my eyes against the
intimacy of the position. The feel of his hands slowly caressing my back left
me suspended in a dark seduction.
I
opened my eyes but remained spellbound as he took each of my fingers in his
mouth. My eyes fluttered shut as his lips captured my wrist in an erotic open-mouthed
kiss. My breathing turned ragged as he worked his way up my arm. My heart
pounded out its confusion as my body responded to the erection now pressing
between my legs.
Michael’s
lips worked their way up my arm and neck before once again claiming my lips. I
tried to hate him for everything he had done, to be repulsed by his touch and
the feel of his lips against mine, but, for some reason far
I escaped before he could try again. He chased me down with a shotgun, but
Kadyn and his friends found me in the woods just before Justin did. They wrestled
the gun away from him. Then my friend, Dan, knocked him out.”
Michael
ripped his hand from mine. He looked as if he’d been burned. “He nearly killed
you, twice ?”
I
nodded as I wrapped my arms around my now roiling stomach. “Kadyn saved my
life.” I risked a glance at Michael’s face. I wondered how much Justin’s
abduction factored into Michael’s timing. He probably wasn’t expecting some
other man to kidnap me when he was planning to do the very same thing. I looked
back down at the Koi shimmering in the pond. I was terrified to ask my next
question. “Is Kadyn still alive?”
“Yes,”
Michael rasped brokenly. He shoved his omelet aside. “I know he saved your life,
Kristine. I… I am grateful for that, but… is that the reason you’re still with
him, or do you really love him?”
I
exhaled softly. “Kadyn is kind and gentle. He’s patient with me. He isn’t
manipulative or controlling, and he doesn’t force me to do anything. He has
devoted his life to making this world a safer place. How could you not love
someone like that?”
Michael’s
eyes were steeped in pain. “Why did you refuse to marry mewhen I
proposed?”
I
leaned back in my chair as I quietly considered his question. “Because you
scared me, Michael.”
Michael
looked like he had been slapped. “How did I scare you? I never hurt you. I
showed you nothing but love and respect, and still you refused to marry me.”
I
tightened my arms around myself before trying to explain. “I had just gotten
out of an abusive marriage when we started dating. I was scared to begin with.
Then you came out of nowhere and proposed on the fourth date. You were so
intense… so consuming… and you moved so fast. You didn’t give me any time to
get to know you. How could I marry let alone love someone I didn’t even know?”
Michael
rose from his chair. He reached for both of my hands, then gently pulled me to
my feet. His voice broke as he spoke. “ Mon coeur , I loved you from the first
moment I saw you.”
I
searched his eyes, then abruptly looked away. “Michael, that is not love.”
Michael
hooked his finger under my chin as he gently forced me to look at him. “You don’t
think I know my own heart?”
I
shook my head. “I don’t know your heart, Michael. That’s the problem. You never
gave me a chance to get to know you before you started pressuring me to marry
you.”
“I’ll
show you my heart,” he responded gruffly. He claimed my lips in a kiss that was
both brutal and raw.
Fear
and desire spun through me. My brain warred against my body’s response. I
wanted to slap him… I wanted to resist… but I was too confused and far too scared. Hadn’t I decided not to resist? My breath caught as Michael began
kissing my neck. I swayed undecidedly.
Michael
steadied me as he slowly pulled away. His eyes burned with desire as he lowered
himself to my chair. He slowly pulled me toward him. I stood completely
transfixed as he caressed my legs from ankle to thigh before pulling them over
his lap. Michael pulled me snug against his body. I closed my eyes against the
intimacy of the position. The feel of his hands slowly caressing my back left
me suspended in a dark seduction.
I
opened my eyes but remained spellbound as he took each of my fingers in his
mouth. My eyes fluttered shut as his lips captured my wrist in an erotic open-mouthed
kiss. My breathing turned ragged as he worked his way up my arm. My heart
pounded out its confusion as my body responded to the erection now pressing
between my legs.
Michael’s
lips worked their way up my arm and neck before once again claiming my lips. I
tried to hate him for everything he had done, to be repulsed by his touch and
the feel of his lips against mine, but, for some reason far
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