Chapter 26
POV: Gabrielle?
The breathing exercises shouldn’t help, but they did. God, they did.
Because the truth was—Dane knew me, no matter how much I wanted to deny it, he did.
And for some reason that comforted me instead of scaring me.
I should have over thought everything—the sex—the cuddling—more sex—the shower, but for some reason, some fucked up reason, beyond explanation, I was actually just…enjoying the moment.
Which, let me tell you, I never did.
I was a constant overthinker. But oddly enough, not now. Not with him.
I knew things had shifted in a way I couldn’t ignore when Dane insisted we make dinner together—actually make it. Not the usual routine of a plastic cup, fork, and plate, but something real. For the first time, it felt like I’d been trusted.
When Dane handed me the knife, I almost lost it. Staring down at the sharpened edge, wondering how and why he actually thought it would be a good idea to give me a knife right now.
But that’s the thing, he trusted me. He trusted that I wouldn’t stab him or run or do something to ruin this moment.
Because he knew I enjoyed it. He knew I was…comfortable.
So, instead of running away or using the knife to stab him—I cut carrots, potatoes and onions while he cooked baked chicken.
And when we finally sat down to eat, everything felt like it had come to the surface. Every single emotion from the shower and making dinner, until now.
Dane looked up at me, with a forkful of chicken and potatoes and smirked. He was enjoying this, wasn’t he?
I scoffed, shaking my head and stuffing my mouthful with a hefty bite of food.
“What?” he asked.
But he already knew.
I rolled my eyes. “You’re enjoying this.”
“Of course I am,” he commented and the way his smile crept across his face, so effortlessly handsome, made my stomach flip.
I set down my fork and folded my arms against my chest.
“Why shouldn’t I be?” he asked, as if there was a reasonable answer to that.
There wasn’t.
He knew why.
He just liked harassing me. Typical, kidnapper thing, typical narcissistic behavior too, but I liked it and I hated that I did, but I did.
“Because of everything, Dane.”
“Because of what?” he asked.
I shook my head. “You’re unbelievable. Un-fucking-believable.”
“And you like that, Belle.”
That damned smile of his made my stomach flip again as he leaned his muscular arms across the table, with his unflinching gaze.
“Fine, well—what if I do?” I asked, flushed.
His smile spread across his face as his eyes danced with mine. “You need to stop trying to convince yourself you shouldn’t want this. Embrace it.”
“Well, what if I did…embrace it?” I asked, and I hated myself for doing it, but I needed to. I needed to know what would happen now. If he was just into playing sick, twisted games or if this was actually…it.
“Then we can start having fun,” he smirked, wickedly.
“Fun?” I rasped out, barely.
“Fun,” he echoed, as his tongue slowly swiped over his bottom lip. “We can start to explore each other.”
“Explore?” I echoed, but I knew what he meant, even though I was playing dumb.
He got to his feet and slowly walked towards me.
Each step slowed further than the last until he came to a stop directly in front of me, close enough that I had to tilt my head up to meet his gaze.
“Our inner desires. Our hidden fears. Every in and out. The things we hide from the world. I figure I’ve seen only a glimpse of it—of what you hide from the world—of the woman you are—the one who’s dying to be accepted.”
“I don’t need to be accepted,” I told him, but I didn’t believe my own words. They weren’t convincing.
Because deep, deep down, Dane was right. He had read me like an open book, like no man had before.
I opened my mouth and said, “What if I do? What if I have things that I hide from the world? Will that be a turn off for you—realizing that I’m not some perfect girl—the girl who you thought you kidnapped? The girl who you thought would fight you for years on end?
The girl who you thought would never give in? The girl who you thought didn’t have insecurities and was unbreakable? What if I’m not that girl? What will you do then?”
I had just released half of my insecurities, the thoughts that lingered inside of my mind, unspoken but present, i n one breath,
This was my ‘oh shit’ moment.
Because I had just risked exposing too much of myself—enough for Dane to decide this wasn’t fun for him anymore, that I wasn’t fun anymore.
And the thought of losing him—well that scared the shit out of me now.
“Sweet girl,” Dane said, playing with a strand of my long blonde hair, causing my heart to beat faster by the minute. “Your submission will taste exactly as your defiance does. Sweet.”
I could feel my pulse quicken as I tried to regulate my breathing, but it was of no use, not with him this close.
I felt my knees weaken as his grip tightened along my shoulders, grounding me at the same time, as he lit a fire inside of me from his mere touch.
“And as for your flaws,” he chuckled. “Well, baby, I have plenty. I never wanted perfect. A match isn’t responsible for the spark, it is just a catalyst for what was always there all along.”