Taken (Dark Grove Plantation) (7 page)

Brandon was at Ella’s side in an instant, running his hands over her, checking for injuries.  He cursed when he felt the warm, wet blood on her arms.

“Wh
ere’s the fucking key?”  He
half-shouted, running his hands through his hair
in frustration
.  He rifled through Charlie’s pockets.

When he turned back to her, his eyes were furious, his rage palpable.
  He quickly unloc
ked the cuffs, and she cried out
as the metal was pulled from her skin.
  She would have fallen to the floor if Brandon hadn’t caught her.  As it was, she still whimpered when his supporting arm pressed into the cut along her back.

He unbuckled the gag with his free hand, and she gratefully spat it out of her mouth.

“Brandon,” she sobbed his name.  Then she found that she couldn’t say anything else.  Sobs wracked her, and she was gasping in breaths as tears flowed freely down her cheeks.
  For once, she was grateful for a man’s support, relieved to have someone to lean on.

He lifted her up, hugging her to his chest.  “It’s okay, kitten,” he murmured reassuringly.  “You’re alright now.”

Ella spent the night in the hospital, where they bandaged up her wrists.  Thankfully, she had only
torn
a ligament rather than breaking it as she had feared, and the cuts on her back didn’t
need stitches.  Despite the emotional trauma of what had happened to her, physically she hadn’
t been
damaged
too badly
.

The police had come and questioned her.  Charges were being filed against Charlie for assault and attempted rape.  It would be hard to get him convicted considering where they were when the incident had occurred, but Ella knew some pretty good lawyers who could get him thrown in jail for a long time.  The cops had had some tough qu
estions for Brandon; apparently
he had nearl
y fractured Charlie’s skull.  But
when they saw the damage on Ella they backed off.

Over the next week, Brandon insisted staying at her house ever
y
night as he n
ursed her back to health.  T
o be honest
she didn’t need much nursing, b
ut she didn’t protest.  She found that she was glad to have him around; his presence was comforting.

He hadn’t touched her, though.  Although she had tried her best to seduce him, he insisted that she needed to heal before getting down to any “hanky-panky.”
 

T
he more time she spent with him, the more she realized that she was falling for him.  He wasn’t an imperious ass after all, it seemed.  He was caring, gentle,
funny
.  And he treated her not as a submissive, but as an equal.

As much as she relished his company, she was crestfallen that he didn’t seem to want her any longer.  Did this new respect for her mean that he was no longer interested in her sexually?  He had been avoiding her advances, after all.  But then why wouldn’t he leave her side if not for the fact that he cared?

But now the cuts on her back were fully healed, and her wrist was well on the mend.  It was time to test him, to see if it was possible for her to lure him in.

Whe
n he came back to her house after
work that day, she was sprawled out on the couch, completely naked, her legs open and her arms stretched up over her head.  She could hardly have appeared more wanton if she tried.

Brandon stopped dead in his tracks when he caught sight of her, his mouth hanging open.  A few moments passed, and he remained silent.  Then his jaw clenched, his mouth thinning to a hard line.  Was he… angry with her?

Ella sat up quickly, hugging her knees to her chest.  The harsh sting of rejection washed over her, and she couldn’t stop foolish tears from forming at the corners of her eyes.  She tried desperately to swallow them back, but the traitorous wetness spilled down her face.

He was at her side in an instant, concern etched in the lines of his face.  He reached up and wiped the tears gently from her cheeks.

“Don’t cry, kitten,” he said, sounding pained.

Her heart lifted, hope welling within her.  It was the first time he had called her that since the night he had found her with Charlie.

“What’s wrong?”  He pressed, wrapping an arm around her.

She leaned into him,
inhaling his intoxicating scent, relishing it.
  “I…”  She fumbled.  “I… care about you.”  She couldn’t meet his eyes as she made her admission.  Holding her breath, she waited for his response.

His strong finger was under her chin, lifting her head so that she was forced to meet his eyes.  They were filled with nothing but wonder.  “I care for you too,” he breathed, as though relieved to say the words.  “I’ve known I wanted you from the first time I saw you.”

A small giggle bubbled up in Ella’s throat.  “I’ve been terrified of you since the first time I saw you.”

He chuckled with her. 
“And what about now.
  Do I frighten you?”

“Not remotely,” she said honestly.  This new, tame Brandon didn’t frighten her in the slightest.  And that was what made her so sad.

His grin turned wolfish, predatory.  Something shuddered within her at the sight of it.  “Then we’ll have to fix that, won’t we?”  He asked.

Ella gasped.  “But I thought…”

“You thought what?”

“I didn’t think you were interested in me in… that way anymore.”
  She said softly, peeking up at him.

He looked at her, puzzled.  “How could you possibly think that?”

“Well,” she shifted uncomfortably, caught in his unflinching gaze.  “You haven’t touched me in a week.”

Brandon shook his head, sighing as though at a particularly difficult child.  “And I told you why, didn’t I?  I didn’t want to hurt you.
  You weren’t fit enough to handle what I wanted to do to you.
”  He paused, cocking his head at her.  “But I can see that you’re fine now. 
Except for your hearing.
  It seems we need a lesson in how to listen, kitten.”

Ella thrilled at the words.

“Stand up,” he ordered, his tone brooking no resistance.  She obeyed with alacrity, eagerly complying.  He grinned at her.  “So it seems we can listen attentively, after all.”

He stood before her and
placed his hands on either side of her neck, encircling it.  She gasped in delight as he brought out the submissive in her
as no one else could, as no one else would ever do
.  Her body came to life at his touch, heat pooling in her belly and spreading outward to her fingertips.
  Suddenly, he placed one hand at the back of her neck and shoved her roughly.  Ella gasped in surprise as she tumbled forward, falling across the sofa so that she was draped across the side of it, her hips supported by the armrest. 

Brandon gave her ass a playful swat.

“Hey!”  She cried.  “What was that for?”

He grinned down at her. 
“For my own amusement.”
  But then his expression turned more forbidding.  “But unless you want more I wouldn’t advise talking out of turn.”

She groaned at the eroticism of his words,
could feel herself growing wet in response to the Dom in him.
  She heard
him unzip his pants behind her.  There would be no long seduction this time; he needed this as badly as she did, and she was pleased to realize that he must have longed to touch her just as she had longed to touch him over the last week.

With no further warning, he drove into her.  He hadn’t prepared her, but she was already wet and ready for him.
  His fist tangled in her hair, and he pulled her head back sharply, forcing her to arch back into him as he fucked her hard.
  She could feel her orgasm building inside her as he hit her g-spot with every
thrust.  Her core
began to
contract around him, letting him know
she was close.

“Come,” he ground out, smacking her ass sharply to reinforce his command.

She exploded around him at the same time as he finally allowed himself to let go.  He howled as he continu
ed to drive into her roughly.  She reveled in t
he intensity of the way he handled her, the wa
y he utterly dominated her body
.
  She cried out her pleasure as she came, her hands fisting against the couch cushions, her toes curling on the carpet.

Brandon collapsed atop her, gasping.  When he had finally caught his breath, he pulled out of her.  His arms were around her shoulders, lifting her up so that he could lay her down on the couch,
resting her head
in his lap.

He stroked her hair idly for long moments, pondering something, before finally looking
down at her intently. 
“Will you be my submissive, Ella?”  His expression was open, vulnerable, his eyes betraying his anxiety.

She thought for a moment. 
Did she want to be his submissive?  Yes. 
Was she ready to give up her
Domme-
ly
ways?  No
.  She wasn’t.

“I have one condition,” she said.

“Name it.”

“You are my only Dom.  I still get to be the Domme of Dark Grove.”

He grinned. 
“Agreed.
  In fact, I rather like the idea that I’m the only one who can bend you to my will.”

Ella blushed even as she felt her sex heating once more.

Brandon’s
lips came down on hers for the first time, his possessive kiss ensnaring her heart as thoroughly as he had claimed ownership of her body.
  She knew that from then on she would be his.

The End

Also by Julia Sykes

Dark Grove Plantation
Stories
Awakened
Taken
Broken
(Coming Soon!)

The
Dark Submission
Series
Switched
Dangerous Desires
Bratting
Secret Submissive
(Coming Soon!)

The
Captured by the Billionaire
Series
Pursued
Captured
Teased
Bound
Tested
Collared

Captured by the Billionaire (The Complete Series)

Torn: Caught between the Billionaires
Book 1: Lucas
Book 2: Jonathan
Book 3: The Choice
Book 4: Consequences

Torn: Caught between the Billionaires (The Complete Series)