He crouched down beside her. “Annaliese? Honey? What is it?”
“I can’t do this,” she whispered, her throat raspy from crying.
He brushed her hair off her face. “Do what, baby?”
“This. My life as Lisa Smith. All of it. It’s not me.”
He turned off the water and helped her to her feet. “I agree. You’re not Lisa Smith.” He peeled off his shirt, dropping the soaked garment onto the floor of the shower. “You’re Annaliese Hunt. My wife. My submissive.”
Every word was like a dagger to her heart. “You don’t understand. I can’t be with you right now. Everything is happening too fast.”
“You’re running again. Don’t do it. Most people don’t get a second chance like us. Don’t throw it all away.” He grabbed a towel for himself and quickly dried off before hauling her off her feet and carrying her to the bed. “Tell me what’s got you scared.”
She waited until they lay side by side. “Mitch was here.”
His eyes widened as he propped himself up on his palm. “Your brother? Did he hurt you?”
“No, not physically.” Sometimes the emotional harm was much worse than the physical. She hoped that Sawyer could repair the damage her brother inflicted. “He didn’t admit to being behind the threats and the car, but he has to be.” She paused, searching his face. “He wants the black list.”
“So give it to him,” he said, without hesitation.
She sat up. “Give it to him? Are you crazy?”
His hand settled on the inside of her thigh. “You don’t need to protect me anymore. So what does it matter if he takes it?”
“He wants me to go with him, Sawyer. He wants me to leave you. Leave everything behind. He says this isn’t who I’m meant to be. What if he’s right? What if I wake up one day and decide I’ve been denying my true nature? That I can’t outrun the blood that flows through my veins?”
Sawyer caressed her skin, calming her. “Your blood doesn’t define you, and sharing DNA doesn’t make your brother your family. Love. Trust. Support. Those are the things that make a family. Just like I have with Oz, Hunter, and Rowan, you have that with your friends. You have it with me. Trust me this time. You are not your mother. You are not your father.” His eyes shone with love for her. “You are Annaliese Hayes. The strongest, most loyal, talented, and loving woman I’ve ever known. That’s who you are. Don’t let your brother screw with your head. You’ve got my love. You’ve got my trust. You’ve got my support.” He took her hand and tugged her onto him. “And I’m not going to fucking let you walk out of my life ever again.”
“Make love to me, Sawyer,” she whispered, her fingers brushing the hard planes of his chest. “I need my Master, my husband inside of me right now. I don’t want to think. Please, love me.”
He cupped her cheek. “I do. So much. I always have, and I always will.”
His words warmed her even more effectively than the hot shower. “I love you, too. I promise, I won’t repeat my mistakes. I’ll do it right this time. I promise.” She kissed him, letting her mouth seal her vow. “I promise.”
He bent and took her nipple into his mouth.
She tossed her head back, her hands delving into his hair to hold him hostage against her breast. Every part of her ached and throbbed, her desire so potent she could smell it radiating from her skin. She loved this man so much she couldn’t breathe at the thought of losing him.
As she cried his name, he sucked on her, using his tongue and teeth to drive her out of her skin.
It didn’t matter how he touched her, whether it was whisper soft or strong and painful. She craved it all. Needed it like she needed oxygen. He was her drug, and she was never going to kick the habit.
“Hurry, Sawyer,” she begged.
He moved over her, his gaze holding hers, before descending to take the other nipple into his mouth, giving it the same rough treatment as the other. She melted into the mattress, becoming liquid, boneless, surrendering to his innate dominance. Her nails raked down and up his spine, leaving behind her mark on his skin.
She scissored her legs, the pressure between them growing to a powerful tempest of need. Every worry disappeared, nothing and no one existing in the world except for them and their love.
Arching her back, she managed to roll him over and lie on top of him. She kissed her way down his body, paying special attention to that spot on his collarbone that always drove him crazy.
He moaned, its vibration sending shards of pleasure to her pussy. There was nothing better than pleasing him, and she’d spend the rest of her life proving that to him. She’d make up for lost time, rediscover his body and his preferences, show him how much she loved him.