Grayson
Rowan stirs beside me, her movements sluggish as the chloroform wears off. The dark, empty road stretches ahead and I glance over at her, watching as her confusion gives way to her panic. She tugs at the restraints, eyes wide and frantic. She’s thinking she’s in a much worse situation than it actually is. Probably imagining the worst. My goal is to make her comfortable, but not too comfortable.
“Good morning, Rowan,” I say calmly, keeping my eyes on the road. “I see you’re awake.”
“?” Her voice is a mix of disbelief and fear. “What’s going on? Why am I tied up? ”
I sigh, knowing this moment was inevitable. “I need you to stay calm, I’m going to explain everything.”
“Explain?” She spits, anger flashing in her eyes.
“You drugged me and tied me up! How do you expect me to stay calm?”
“Your father,” I start, ignoring her outburst, “owes me a significant amount of money. More than he could ever hope to repay. When he couldn’t come up with the cash, he made a different offer.”
She freezes, her breath catching in her throat.
“What are you talking about?”
“He offered you, Rowan,” I say, my voice steady, but dark. “As payment for his debt.”
Tears well up in her eyes and she shakes her head.
“No, you’re lying. He wouldn’t–”
“He did,” I interrupt, my tone firm. “And now you’re coming back to Chicago, with me.”
She looks at me with a mix of horror and disbelief.
“Why would you do this? What do you want from me? ”
My grip tightens on the steering wheel as I feel a wave of dark desires rising in me. I try to push it down, but her fear, her vulnerability, it’s intoxicating. “Well, this isn’t just about the money, Rowan. There’s more to it.”
Her eyes search mine, looking for any hint of compassion, but I give her none.
“More to it?”
I let out a breath, choosing my words carefully. “You’re a beautiful woman, Rowan. Strong, intelligent, wholesome. I knew I wanted you. This arrangement is about satisfying me just as much as it is about the debt.”
She recoils, her body trembling. “You’re sick.”
“Maybe,” I admit, my voice low. “But I’ve been drawn to you from the start. I couldn’t let you slip away.” A dark smile curls my lips.
Her breathing is ragged, and she turns away, tears streaming down her pretty cheeks.
“You’re a fucking monster.”
I reach over, brushing a tear from her cheek. “True. But you’ll learn to see things differently in time. ”
She flinches at my touch and I pull my hand back, focusing on the road.
“For now, just know that you’re mine. Completely and utterly mine.”
She sits silent, I’m sure the reality is sinking into her. I feel a mix of triumph and desire knowing there’s not a thing she can do. The power I have over her fuels the darkness I’ve felt inside me since I saw her. There’s something about Rowan. I feel a need that I’ve never felt before. It could be the fact that she’s a challenge and I typically don’t have to work hard to get what I want. Sure I’m saving her, but I don’t plan to let her go even after we remove the threat.
As we drive through the night, I can’t help but think about breaking her, bending her to my will, it's a heady rush. She may hate me now, but in time she’ll come around. She’ll have no choice. She’s already agreed to go on a date with me so getting her to comply with the situation shouldn’t take too long. Getting her to want me the way I want her shouldn’t take long either.
“This is just our beginning, Rowan. You’re mine.” I say, a dark smile playing on my lips.
She glares at me defiantly.
“I’ll never be yours and nothing is ours. ”
“Oh on the contrary Mrs. Santoro. According to the state of Illinois, you and I are married.” I lean my head back on my seat, waiting for her to find her words.
She blinks, her expression shifting from fear to confusion.
“Did you say Santoro? And that’s impossible, I’d need to agree to being married.”
I can’t help but smirk at her innocence. “I figured you’d be familiar with the name. With the right connections and enough money, it’s possible to have a marriage license issued without the other party’s knowledge.”
Her jaw drops, and she stares at me in disbelief.
“Are you fucking insane? There’s no way that’s even legal.”
“Legal enough,” I reply casually, “I have friends who owe me favors. Your signature and identification– it was all taken care of.”
She shakes her head violently, as if trying to wake herself from a nightmare. “This can’t be real. There’s no way you could have done that. ”
“Believe me, Rowan,” I say, turning my full attention to her. “It’s very real. As of yesterday, we are legally husband and wife.”
We talked all night last night and she had no idea the entire time I was her husband. Admittedly, it gave me satisfaction knowing that last night.
Her breathing quickens. “Why would you do that? What the hell do you gain from making me your wife?”
I pause, trying to choose my words carefully again. “Control, for one. It gives me leverage over you, and by extension, your father. It also binds you to me in a way that’s hard to break. You’ve saved yourself for marriage, right?” A sly smile curls my lips.
She glares at me, fury burning her eyes. “I’ll fight this. I’ll get it annulled. And nope, I gave up waiting a long time ago so don’t even try.”
“You can try, assuming you’ll be able to escape.” I say, my tone hardening. It’s cute she’s trying to lie about not being a virgin, just like her father tried lying about stealing my money.
Rowan turns her face away, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs. I reach over, gripping her chin and forcing her to look at me. “This is your reality now. The sooner you accept it, the easier it will be for you.”
She wrenches her head free, hatred blazing in her eyes. “I’ll never accept this. Or you .”
My smile is cold, calculated. “We’ll see. In time you might find our arrangement isn’t as unbearable as you think.”
I have all the time in the world to snuff out her defiance. To break her. As the miles roll by I can’t help but take it as a challenge. A dark thrill. She’s mine now, in every way that matters. I’ll do whatever it takes to make her see that.