“Huh. A relaxing dip in the pool or tackled by a gorgeous redhead.” He slanted me a mock-confused look. “Are you sure you understand men?”

I laughed and nudged him with my elbow.

In response Cole took the beer out of my hand and put it on the flagstone bordering the pool. “What are you doing?” I asked.

He answered me by turning to me with a determination in his gaze I recognized. My pulse started to race and I—

Cole pushed me back against the edge of the pool, his mouth devouring mine as he lifted my legs around his waist and ground his hips into me. I clung to his neck, pressing into him, kissing him back just as voraciously. Our tongues licked and tangled and tasted as the normally placid water sloshed against the sides of the pool.

Cold air covered my breasts as Cole deftly untied the string behind my neck and pulled it loose. I felt him swell against me as my nipples puckered up for him. He groaned deep in his throat moments before he bent down to suck my left nipple into his hot mouth, playing the right with his thumb. Heat began to build between my legs as he tormented me with his mouth and fingers until I was writhing against him.

The entire day had been leading toward this, and any control or patience I had was gone. I smoothed my hands down his back until I reached the waistline of his shorts and tugged.

Panting, Cole lifted his head from my chest to meet my gaze. His voice was hoarse. “I don’t have a condom.”

I smiled, my eyes bright with emotion. “We don’t need one.”

Cole froze against me, processing my words, the expression on my face, and what it all meant.

I trusted him.

He let out the gust of air he’d been holding and sank against me, his mouth slamming down on mine. If I’d thought our kiss before had been wild, it had nothing on this one. Kissing him and panting for breath at the same time, I gripped Cole tight with my legs while he quickly removed his shorts. I loosened my hold so he could take off my bikini bottoms. They floated off into the water as Cole smoothed his hands along my thighs, my hips, and around to my bottom. He lifted me easily in the water, his cock prodding against my entrance.

My inner thighs trembled and my fingers dug into Cole’s biceps with the fierceness of my anticipation.

The cry of exultation from both our lips flew up into the night sky as Cole slid inside me. Those cries, like birds, were followed by the feathers of softer, broken cries that fluttered up in their wake upon his slow, excruciatingly wonderful thrusts inside me. He teased and tortured us both.

“Cole,” I begged against his lips. “Please.”

“What do you want?” he panted. “Tell me what you want.”

I kissed him. “Harder,” I whispered, giving him everything.

His arms tightened around my waist and as he slid back inside me it was with more force than before.

“Oh God.” My head dropped back as he pumped faster and harder into me. I felt the heat inside me build toward a blaze. “I’m close.”

I barely even felt the hard edge of the pool as Cole lost the last remnants of his control and pushed me back against it so he could increase the force of his thrusts.

“Cole!” I screamed, exploding around him.

He grunted in surprise when my inner muscles clenched and unclenched around him powerfully as my orgasm rippled over me. “Shannon.” He choked out my name and tensed. A second later he groaned through gritted teeth as his hips jerked against mine.

A little while later as our senses returned, Cole pressed a sweet kiss to my lips. “Thank you,” he murmured.

I didn’t need to ask him what he was thanking me for. Instead I joked, “We’ll need to have this pool cleaned before we leave.”

His body shook against mine in the most wonderful way as his deep laughter filled the air around us.

CHAPTER 21

“W here do you think you’re going?” Ollie stared at my suitcases with a sneer.

Despite the fear snaking through my body, I jutted my chin out defiantly. “I’m leaving. We’re done. Get out of the way.”

I heard this inhuman growl, just before a blur of color streaked across my line of sight and a sudden pain slammed into my head.

Agony ripped through my right shoulder. I was dazed, and my vision kept blinking out, but I could still feel the pinching pain around my upper arms and the hot breath on my face.

Somehow I was on the floor. Ollie had me pinned there, his grip bruising my skin.

I shrieked in outrage, ignoring the throbbing ache on the left side of my head. I tried to push back against him, kicking with my legs, but my struggles were temporarily paused when he punched me in the gut.

The wind was knocked right out of me and I could do nothing but try to breathe.

Fire spread out across my cheeks from the almighty burning sting in my nose where his fist had just landed.

He pressed the right side of my face into the carpet—another kind of fire from the carpet burn streaking down my cheek. Then his weight was off me, but I took too long to realize it, turning my head to stare up at him as his foot swung into my gut.

I grunted, curling in on myself, gritting my teeth against the pain in my shoulder and the burst of pain that lit up my ribs every time he swung his boot into them.

“Mine, Shannon!” he roared. “Fucking mine!”

I felt the crack and the resultant agony, and the scream tore out of me before I could stop it.

There was nothing beyond the pain. I was barely cognizant of the crazy stuff pouring out of his mouth, about how it was us forever, only us.

It was only when I felt the cold air across my chest and the push of his hand between my legs that my survival instinct kicked in. Panic and terror rushed over me, the adrenaline kicking in, numbing the pain.

I fought. I clawed. I scratched and bit . . . but he wouldn’t get off me.

I felt him push against me. Ready to steal everything from me.

“No,” I sobbed. This wasn’t how it really ended. I had gotten away.

“You’ll never get away,” he panted in my face, his eyes turning black like a demon’s. “This is where you belong. No one wants you but me, Shannon. No one’s here but me. Not your family, not your brother. They hate you. They’ll never forgive you.” He kissed my lips gently. “But you’ll always have me.” His grip on my wrists tightened and he surged—

“No!” I cried out, my eyes slamming open in the dark.