Til Debt Do Us Part (Married At Midnight #4)

Chapter 4

Four

Dare

I t takes longer than I thought to get up to the remote cabin in snowy rural Vermont. By the time I turn my Porsche onto the tree-covered, snowy private driveway, it's nearly light outside. The path is so filled with fresh snow that it becomes impassable just as the vague outline of the little cabin roof jutting out of the fresh snow appears.

But I am not about to let myself be slowed down by anything. Not weather, not distance, not anything short of death could keep me from Talia now that I know where she is.

It's a slog to get through the rest of the snow between my parked car and the cabin. But I push on and remind myself that inside this cabin is my little wife. The idea of her shock as she finds me knocking on her door is enough to power me through the thick snow without proper gear. When I finally step foot onto the cabin's front porch, my eyes narrow. I'm freezing and all my extremities are so cold as to almost be numb. But I knock the snow off my pants and boots, smiling to myself. I try the front door and find it locked but that's really no problem for me. I fish a credit card out of my wallet and make quick work of jimmying the lock.

Once inside the cabin, I am blasted with a wave of hot air. Talia is nowhere to be seen but I have a feeling that I am about to find her at long last. I close the door behind me, looking around the little sitting area and the kitchen. Then I see that there are two closed doors. I start to walk towards them when the door directly facing me creaks open. I see a flash of scared, pale face and a few strands of brilliant copper hair. Then I hear a muffled sound as the door is slammed shut.

Leaning down, I run at the door, ramming it with my shoulder. It gives way with very little resistance and I burst into a tiny bedroom. All I can see inside is my little wife, sitting rigidly on the bed, gripping the mattress with both hands. Her head is thrown back, her red hair streams out from her head in a wild mass, her expression is frightened and tight.

Her eyes are pleading with me.

“Dare,” she says, her voice soft. “What are you doing here?”

In my chest, my heart thumps raggedly. I stalk towards her, not stopping when I reach her body. Instead, I push her down on the bed, my hand wrapping around her throat, moving my legs until they settle between her knees. I lean down and look into her eyes, close enough to her lips to kiss her. I can feel her begin to tremble all over and God help me, I can't get enough of her fear.

“You’re my little wife now, darling girl.” My voice escapes my lips in a seductive purr. I drop my body down against hers, my hips flexing into her body. My cock stirs when it meets her inner thigh. I grab her left hand and thread my fingers through hers, bringing it down to my lips and intentionally flashing the huge diamond engagement ring I bought her. “I thought I made myself clear. You can never leave me. We’re man and wife now and it will be that way as long as we both shall live.”

Her breathing comes in shallow pants. She licks her lips and looks up at me, as if trying to decide if it's worth fighting back against me. I encourage her by flicking my hips against hers, and lowering my mouth the last few inches to her lips. This is no sweet, tender kiss.

I kiss her with an intensity that I've never felt before. Brutal, harsh, completely lacking in any sort of kindness. My hand moves up to cup her chin and I suck in a breath as I plunder her lips. She opens her mouth to protest against the invasion. But I just angle her head and snake my tongue deeper into the crevice she creates.

I'm hungry for her, starving in fact. All but suffocating with the need for Talia to submit to me and give me what I'm asking for.

All of her.

Every last inch.

When I finally break the kiss, Talia sucks in a breath and looks at me with something bordering on hatred in her eyes. “I don't want you, Dare. This marriage was a mistake.”

I run my free hand down her hip, squeezing her thigh painfully. I look in her eyes and utter, “You signed away the right to have anything to say. When I paid you, I bought the right to touch you how I want. To talk to you however I want. If I want to chain you to my goddamn bed? I will. So don't fucking test me, darling girl.”

Talia gives me a glare and tries to push me off. I lean down and utter the next sentence against her lips.

“You don't have any choice anymore. I want to see the pussy that I paid for. So spread those legs for me and smile while you take my cock.”

She gasps. I push myself up and rip at her clothing, an ugly sweatshirt and a pair of black yoga pants. She tries to cover her breasts but I step back for only a second to shed my clothing too. Her breasts areheaving as I return to her body, prying her knees apart and pressing my thick erection against her inner thigh once more.

She's going to protest. I can see it in her eyes. I smirk at her and run my hand down her collarbone, tracing a line between her breasts.

She shivers and I can see myself as she sees me in that moment. A big, powerful man who hunted her down when she ran away.

A man who isn’t interested in hearing the word no .

Talia gasps and kisses me hard, arching her body into mine and biting my lip hard. I growl and pin her hips with my own, thrusting against her soft warmth. She bites her lip and wraps her legs around my body, trying to draw me in.

I am uninterested in her attempts at wresting control from me. I pull away from her warmth, kissing her hard and then putting a hand to her chest to separate us completely.

Talia surges up and I put my hand around her throat, squeezing gently and looking her dead in the eyes. “Behave. I’ll fuck you when I’m good and ready, not a second before that.”

“You’re the devil,” she spits back.

“Don’t I know it.” I grin and flex my fingers against her delicate neck. “Now be a good girl and stay put while I explore.”

She writhes beneath me, a fire in her eyes that is only matched by the fire inside me, threatening to burn me alive if I don’t kiss the skin of her collarbone right fucking now. It’s hot and sweet, with a trace of salt from the fact that it’s getting hot in this tiny bedroom. When I suck hard for just a moment, a low hiss leaves her lips.

“Shh,” I murmur. “If you make a sound, I’ll stop.”

I hear a muffled yelp as Talia struggles to sit up. I skim my fingers down her stomach, teasing the skin just below her belly button.

“Do you want me to continue?” I ask.

Her mouth pulls to the side. I can tell she wants to argue, to fling words at me. I still my hand, quirking a brow. She looks distinctly frustrated.

But instead of telling me off, she just shakes her head. I smirk at her and drop a kiss right between her glorious bare breasts.

“Good girl.”

I palm one of Talia’s tits, admiring its shape and the weight against my skin. The skin of her areola intrigues me; it’s a whispered caress against my skin, just the color of a soft satin ballet slipper. Her breasts are on the small side but they’re nearly symmetrical. I can’t stop staring at them and touching them, rolling her nipple between my fingers until it grows hard and dusky.

She makes a stifled noise and I remember with stunning clarity that she is here too. Her nipple pebbles, creating an interesting texture beneath my fingers. I lower my mouth to her breast, dropping hot kisses around her nipple. Teasing, tormenting little bites to her velvety nipples that arouse me as much as Talia. She represses a moan and I stop, looking up at her.

“What was that?” I ask, cocking my head to the side.

She shakes her head quickly, her mouth bunching. I stare at her for a few seconds before I push her breasts together and lick, suck, and bite them both. She squirms, her breathing growing harsh.

I skate my fingers down between her thighs, carelessly shoving at her legs to open them, and tease one finger slowly up her slit. She’s dripping, hot and wet, her body preparing itself for me. She convulses, sitting halfway up.

I’m quick to shush her. “Don’t make me stop, darling girl. Not when I am enjoying your body so much.”

I bring my finger up to my mouth, my eyes locked with Talia’s while I lick her juices off as messily as possible. I swear that I actually see her pupils widen. Usually when I have sex, it’s all about my pleasure. I’m in a hurry to give the nameless, faceless woman an orgasm so that I can come.

But right now, it’s different.

With Talia… it feels different. I get as much pleasure from watching her squirm as I ever did from burying myself in any number of basic fucks.

I don’t understand the emotions that swirl around us at this moment, but I drink them in, savoring them all the same.

She starts to lower her hands from their position over her head, frustrated at my lack of movement. At last, I move down her body, kissing and nipping her tender flesh, skimming down her ribs, her belly button, her hips.

Talia writhes and squirms, making a soft sound that is clearly not happy. I take the hint and move on, pressing her thighs wide as I drop kisses on the area that would normally be covered by the tiny triangle of her panties. Her hands touch my hair and I let her thread her fingers through my locks.

I mark her flesh on her inner thighs, inhaling deeply when I catch the sweet musk of her excitement perfuming the air.

“Fuck, Talia. You smell so damn sweet, darling girl. I can’t wait to taste you.” My voice is raspy and low, my hands shaking slightly as I move back up to explore her body more extensively.

My kiss moves slowly down her body, tracing the curves and dips of her sculpted form until I reach the juncture between her legs. The sweet scent of her arousal fills my senses and I revel in it, inhaling deeply as I tease and tantalize the slick folds of her desire. Talia gasps and writhes beneath me, every inch of her body begging for more. She is fucking pleading with me to hurry up. But I take my time to savor each and every sigh and squirm.

I love having such power over Talia.

I answer her pleas by pressing forward, pushing my tongue against each ridge and curve until she is arching into my mouth with a convulsing sigh. Each taste and sensation sets off a wave of pleasure that shudders through both our bodies, leaving us panting as the intensity builds.

She clutches at my hair as I swirl my tongue around her clit. I lick and taste every part of her until she is quivering from head to toe. Then I stop, pulling away. Talia groans, her nails turning into weapons as they rake my shoulders.

“You’re so impatient.” I rear up and kneel between her legs, fisting my cock.

“And you’re a bastard.” Talia moans and writhes, her hand slipping down to her clit. I fling her hand away, pinning it back on the bed.

“Good things always come to those that wait for them,” I whisper. “Have I ever left you unsatisfied, darling girl?”

Her eyes spark with defiance. “Hurry up and fuck me, Dare.”

I shove my hands underneath her body and lift, pulling her closer and repositioning her. Fisting my cock again, I smirk.

“You asked for it,” I grate out.

Talia’s thighs shake as I put the flushed head of my cock at her entrance. I tease her pussy with shallow strokes, never fully entering her pussy. She wraps her legs around my back and tries to use the leverage to force me to stop teasing her.

That only makes me slow down my thrusts. She makes a guttural sound that is part enraged, part imploring.

“Dare, I swear to god,” she mutters.

I grant her request, sinking my cock deep into her greedy pussy, fucking her hard for a dozen strokes. Then I pull out and press her knees wide as I smoothly switch back to sucking her clit.

“Oh god,” she whispers, her hands burrowing deep in my hair. “Fuck!”

She tastes like nothing else in the world. She’s sweet yet salty and full of passion. It makes my mouth water even more each time I swirl my tongue around her clit.

Talia gives her body over to me completely, finding new heights of ecstasy. Just before she reaches the peak though, I pull back slightly. I’m purposely edging her, giving her what she wants, but so gently that it’s maddening. The contact is just enough so that we can still feel connected without sending her over the edge just yet.

“Dare,” she whines.

I kiss and lick my way up her body, leaving a trail of love bites behind me until I reach the juncture between her legs. She shivers beneath me as I explore every inch with my tongue and lips and fingers. She cries out in pleasure, eyes fluttering shut as she absorbs every sensation that I give her.

When I reach the peak of pleasure, Talia is writhing beneath me, clutching me tightly and moaning my name in a desperate whisper over and over again. Her breathing is heavy and erratic as she clutches at my shoulders for leverage while pushing herself against me, begging for release from this exquisite torment that she has been subjected to.

I can feel her anger radiating off her like heat off a sidewalk after a summer storm.

Although I'm not sure what has sparked this sudden rage, I know better than to argue with her. Instead, I silently move back to allow her the space she needs to process whatever is going on inside of her head.

She stands in front of me, eyes blazing as she stares me down defiantly. I expect a scathing comment or an insult but instead, she surprises me yet again by lunging forward and pushing me onto the bed. She straddles my waist as I lie motionless, allowing her to take control of this situation.

Talia leans down and places gentle kisses on every inch of my body before finally moving lower and lower until she reaches my cock. She strokes it gently with one hand while licking and teasing it with the other. Waves of intense pleasure shoot through every nerve in my body.

It's almost too much for me to handle but despite the agony that is building up inside of me, I refuse to give in just yet. I refuse to let go until Talia is ready. As if sensing my struggle, she stops suddenly and flips over onto her back next to me on the bed before teasingly holding up one finger in invitation for more pleasure.

I don't hesitate for even a second before pushing myself atop her, our bodies pressed together as closely as possible until every inch is touching some part of the other's skin.

The raw power of our desire for each other is palpable in the air as I thrust deeply into Talia's body.

“You’re never leaving me again, little girl,” I utter. “You hear that? You’ll die as my perfect little wife, Talia.”

Talia huffs an icy laugh. “We’ll see about that.”

My strokes turn punishing. I have nothing left except enmity for Talia, and I prove it to her as I fuck her senseless.

“You’re going to pay for trying to leave me,” I grate out.

Talia tightens her grip around my shoulders as she feels the depth of my need for her. She nips at my ear with her teeth, running her tongue around the shell as if to emphasize her point. My eyes roll back in my head as I'm overwhelmed by the sensations that wash over me.

I move my hips faster and harder as I feel Talia's body respond to my movements. She encourages me, grabbing my ass and wrapping her legs around me tightly as I plunge deeper still into her. Her nails score my back as her moans get louder and louder. The sounds are a testament to the pleasure I'm eliciting from her body.

“That’s right, darling girl. Moan for me. You know who you belong to, don’t you?”

“Fuck you,” she hisses, her eyes closed in conventration.

Each movement intensifies the waves racing through both of us until finally we crest together in the perfect moment of pure bliss. A second before I come, I pull out, jetting hot spurts of creamy liquid onto the flushed skin of her thighs. The orgasm seems like it lasts forever.

Fuuuuuck. God damn, she’s so fucking good. I lean my head against her chest briefly.

“How does it keep getting better every single time we fuck?” I manage to gasp out.

Talia shakes her head, unable to speak.

I drop a kiss onto Talia's pebbled left nipple and use the too-sensitive tip of my cock to smear my cum over her skin. Marking her. Making her mine.

“My come looks so pretty on your skin, darling girl.”

Talia gives a startled laugh and pulls me down to the bed for a deep, satisfying kiss.

As we lay there in the afterglow of our lovemaking, I find myself looking deeply into Talia's eyes. I cup Talia's jaw and brush her hair away from her salt-sticky skin. "You're mine.It’s a good thing that you said yes to marriage, because I just marked you for life. You’re mine. No other man will have you. You'll always be mine, darling girl."

She shudders as she looks me in the eye. "It’s not that easy, Dare. You lied to me."

“I’ll make it all better,” I murmur. “Just kiss me and forget the rest.”

I gently brush a few strands of hair away from her face before leaning down to kiss her again, needing to feel her lips against mine one more time. Her lips against mine are firm and unyielding. She’s so fucking stubborn.

And so very sexy.

I cradle the back of her head in one big hand and kiss her crown tenderly. She looks up at me, eyes flashing dangerously. But it seems that the rough sex took the wind out of her sails.

She pushes against my chest and I wordlessly move to the side, letting her get up. She heads to the door and goes to what I assume is the bathroom, though I haven’t laid eyes on it myself. But she does return, the same angry smirk in her expression.

She bends down and grabs the yoga pants off the floor. I sit up and reach out, narrowing her arm.

“Come here. Don't get dressed yet.”

“Fuck you, Dare.” She tries to tug her arm from my grip but I won't let her go that easily. Instead I move forward, stand on the side of the bed and put my hands on her hips to move her forward towards me. Her expression is one of hatred but I turn my face up, offering my mouth to her. She tosses her hair and licks her lips, her eyes darting at me.

“Kiss me,” I tell her. Not an order, exactly. But I am not asking, either.

Her chin juts out and she leans over, giving me a peck on the cheek. But I am ready for that. I spear one hand in her hair, holding the other on the small of her back and kiss her lips.

This time it's less about dominance and more about the fact that I like the way she tastes. Lightly sweet, purely feminine, with an edge of salt and a note of honey. I kiss her passionately for a moment but when she doesn't make any move to kiss me back, I let her go.

“You're carrying my baby.” I flatten a hand over her stomach and look up at her, wanting the words to sink into her brain.

I have to say, I like it this way. I look up at her and she doesn't look nearly as defiant any longer.

“Yeah?” she asks, as though confused. “Maybe I made a mistake saying yes to your proposal.”

I flash her a smirk.

“But you did. Now you'll never be able to escape me. But I don't want you to want that, either. I want this to be the most luxurious velvet-lined snare that ever existed. I want you to forget that you were ever caught and collared.”

Talia looks away, her expression turning bitter. “I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon. Just because you found me and we had great sex doesn't mean anything really. You still deceived me. Now please, for the love of God, let me go.”

She wrenches from my grasp and I don't try to fight her on it. She pulls on her yoga pants and hunts around for the sweatshirt, untying the knot in the arms. Then she pulls it on, all the while ignoring me as hard as possible.

When she turns and stomps out of the room, I finally stand up and redress myself in my slacks and my button up shirt. I don't know what her specific concern is just now, but I'm left feeling uneasy.

After putting my shoes on, I head back out into the tiny cabin. I find Talia curled up with a blanket near the wood stove, staring out the window blankly. She has no shoes on and no coat to speak of. Sweeping my gaze around the room, I check my watch. It’s well past dawn, with the sunshine just streaming through the windows now.

“Come on. Get your stuff. We’re going.”

She looks at me like I’ve grown a second head. “Why would I go anywhere with you?”

Annoyance fills me and I cross my arms, shooting her a glare. “You're my wife. We have things to do. We can’t be traipsing around the hills of rural Vermont. Let's go.” Checking my watch again and pulling my cell phone from my pocket, I try to figure out where the nearest small airport would be. Somewhere big enough to land a chopper is all I require.

Talia doesn't move. She looks out the window again and grits her teeth. It's a new side of Talia that I haven't yet witnessed and I can't say that I am too crazy about it. “You are not being very helpful,” I say to her.

That earns me a sharp glare. She stands up, wrapping herself in the soft white blanket. “Well, you are unbelievably selfish.”

That stops me cold. “What does that mean?”

“You can't really think that I wouldn’t find out about your deceptions and just be okay with it. That's insane.”

I shrug. “I did what I did out of necessity. It's true. But in the end, you knew what you were signing up for. I haven’t changed. I'm still the same person.”

She gives a cold little laugh. “You are rude, boorish, temperamental, domineering, and selfish. Before anything else or anyone else, you are always on the lookout for yourself. It's disgusting.”

My brows furrow. “What is that supposed to mean? Everybody looks out for themselves first. That's what being alive is all about.”

She makes a soft noise of disgust and turns toward the window again, giving me her blanket covered back and the long copper mass of her hair. “You would say that.”

“What is that supposed to mean? Are you saying that you don't look out for yourself first?”

She whirls, her tone exasperated, her face pained. “No! I don't. I think of other people first. And for someone that is going to be a father, you are going to have to learn to put someone else ahead of yourself for once in your damned life. You have to start looking out for other people, even if it's only me and the baby.”

My mouth opens but I don't know what to say. For the first time since I met Talia, I find myself unsure.

Is she right? Do normal people walk around all the time with thoughts of how they affect others? That sounds awful.

“So?’ She demands, stomping her foot.

“So what?” I ask.

“Are you not going to even try to apologize for coercing me into this marriage?”

“Would that make it better?”

She looks at me, pressing her cheek out with her tongue. “It wouldn't make it worse. I need to know that I can trust you and I can count on you. And you haven't shown me even the slightest bit of humanity. There has to be something else that's going on under your surface. But for the life of me, I can't figure out what it is. How am I supposed to trust anything with you? How am I supposed to trust you with a baby?”

I feel the back of my neck heat. I grimace and shrug at her. I have no idea how to answer any of the indictments she is spitting at me.

“Get yourself together. We're going. Maybe when we get back, we can have a conversation.”

Talia whips around, walking past me and bumping my shoulder. The miserable look on her face doesn't make me feel exactly warm inside.

I pull out my phone and text Rob, telling him that we need to be picked up at my location. Then I glance behind me, where Talia is just packing her bag.

Her questions weigh on me, as I don't seem able to answer a single one of them. I hadn't frankly put much thought into being a father until just now…