Breaking Free (Siren Publishing Classic) (7 page)

He drew a whimper from her as he caressed the damp folds of her pussy, stroking the neatly shaved petals so open, moist, and waiting for him. Picking up the flogger again, he dropped a series of light swats, careful to only tease the delicate flesh. Danny’s body, ultrasensitive, seemed to sizzle with the electric bolts of desire flooding her exposed pussy, and she was so close to begging, she was actually biting her tongue to restrain herself.

Then he was there, his strength covering her as he ripped the blindfold from her. Their lust-crazed eyes met as he sank balls deep within her hot tight body. “Mine,” he rasped as he possessed her hard and fast, pistoning in and out. The convulsing waves of her hot cunt pulsed in ecstasy as she came again and again around him, carrying him over the edge with her. “All mine,” he
roar
ed
, his head thrown back, and Danny reveled in his possessiveness.

Panting, he held himself above her, as they tried to regain their breath. Rolling, he carried her with him so they lay sprawled beside each other. He pulled her close, tucking her into the crook of his arm.

Looking up at him, she smiled warmly. “That was incredible.”

Returning her smile, he traced the soft curve of her hip affectionately. “You’re the one who’s incredible. You make me feel alive.”

Blushing, Danny turned toward the mysterious black velvet box in an effort to change the subject. “So what’s that?” she questioned curiously.

Sitting
up
, he reached for the
gift
and brought it to her.

Apprehensive
, she hesitantly took it. “What is it?”

Laughing, he said, “Open it and see.”

Her gaze darted between his and the box. Slowly, she lifted the lid and her heart squeezed.
The anklet was simply beautiful, a work of art in gold and silver roses, but the most striking feature was the filigree heart-shaped clasp
. With trembling fingers, she lifted it out of the velvety nest, studying it. In the center of the heart was a small slit, and she sucked in her breath as she realized it was a lock.

“You’re not serious?” Her disbelieving gaze locked with his
,
and he lifted an eyebrow as he drew a small key out of the box.

“What do you think?” Gently, he lifted her foot into his lap and took the delicate jewelry from her shaking hands. “I told you the other day. You’re mine. Surely you can’t object to wearing my jewelry.”

“Well no but…” In truth the idea thrilled her. The idea of being owned, claimed, it was one of her biggest fantasies, but it was such a big step.

“What’s the ‘but’? You’re mine, I’m yours. I love the idea of you wearing my gifts. I know it’s old fashioned, but I want everyone to know you’re mine.”

She sighed. He was right. Smiling, she relaxed into his grasp and let him clasp the beautiful piece of jewelry around her ankle. The heart-shaped lock clicked into place, and he covered it with a kiss.

Chapter Eight

Yawning tiredly, Danny shrugged into her leather jacket, watching the light dim as her computer shut down. At her feet was her new backpack, with her work clothes neatly tucked inside. Once the library started to close, she’d changed, prepared to ride home with Gabe. Her businesslike work clothes didn’t fit into her carefree, new lifestyle. She yawned again. These late nights with Gabe were killing her, but oh what a wonderful way to go. Stretching, she smiled at the pleasant ache between her thighs. The man was insatiable, and she was loving every minute of it.

The relaxed smile on her face froze at the nasally voice behind her. “Danika, dear, I’m afraid we must talk.”

Closing her eyes and praying for patience, Danny turned to face her ex-fiancé. She fought the urge to shiver as she let her gaze travel over him in disgust. How could she have ever thought him attractive? Just being near him made her skin crawl. When she finally gathered enough strength to meet his gaze, she saw they were wide and had an odd look in them. She’d never realized how creepy he was. The urge to get away from him was almost overwhelming.

“I don’t see that there’s anything to talk about, Wesley, now if you’ll excuse me,” she said as she scooped up her purse and helmet and tried to move past him. But in his typical style, he acted as if she hadn’t even spoken and continued blocking the door.

“You see, dear, there are these nasty rumors going around the school about you that I felt you needed to be aware of. And I suppose now I can see the source.” He openly let his gaze rake down her, taking in the tight T-shirt, ripped jeans, leather boots, helmet, and jacket. She wasn’t sure how a single look could be both lustful and reproachful at the same time. “Really, Danika, people are talking. They‘re saying you’re keeping the company of a rough crowd. And look at you. What are you thinking wearing such scandalous clothing at work? Your reputation will surely be in tatters if you continue this irresponsible behavior.”

Danny tried to breathe
,
but she’d never felt so angry in her entire life. Walking in on him with his little slut was nothing compared to what she was feeling now.

“How dare you, you hypocritical bastard,” she gasped. “You have no say over what I wear or who I’m seen with. I do my job, and I do it well. You, on the other hand run your classes like an enterprise. You award grades to the students who please you and the pleasing has absolutely nothing to do with the grades. No, no, Wesley, don’t act so pure and good, because the rumors going around about you are far worse. If I’m foolish, it’s because I didn’t realize what an ass you were for so long.”

Pushing him aside, she marched past, head held high, feeling better than she had in years, but that feeling was short lived, as he had other ideas.

Catching her trailing hair, he clung to her. “No wait, Danika, you’re right, I don’t deserve you, but I adore you! Please say you’ll give me a second chance.”

Danny turned to him in shock. Did he honestly think she’d forgive him? And really how could she go back to a spineless weasel like this after having been with a real man like Gabe? “It’s over, Wesley. Let go of my hair.” She’d never realized just how pathetic he was.

“No, it can’t be over,” he wailed, disbelieving. Desperately, he grabbed her shoulders, dragging her into an awkward embrace. “Just let me kiss you, and it’ll be okay,” he cried as his lips descended in a sloppy, open mouth kiss.

Bile rose in Danny’s throat at his touch, and she started to raise her knee to kick him, but a deep throaty cough from the doorway drew their attention.

Turning, Danny saw, to her horror, Gabe standing stone still
,
his large frame filling
the doorway.

“You want to back off from Danny?” Gabe snarled, taking a menacing step toward them.

Wesley lifted an imperious brow. “I realize that Danny has been slumming a bit lately, but you don’t really think she will choose you over me? Why you’re nothing but an unwashed thug. You might be entertaining, but that’s all. She was just sowing some wild oats. She was merely paying me back for my little infidelity, but now we’ve decided to forgive.”

“No!” Danny tried to protest.

“Now dear, there is no reason to hide it. He can’t have possibly thought you were serious. Think what it would do to your career to be seen with the likes of him.”

Surely Gabe wouldn’t think she wanted Wesley’s attention, but the look on his face said it all. Doubt filled his gaze, and then his lip curled into a sneer of disgust. She remembered the story he’d told her of his ex’s betrayal. This must seem like a horrible replay to him. His harsh words confirmed her worst fears. “So sorry to interrupt, but I thought you needed a ride home Danny. Guess I was mistaken.”

“No wait,” she cried, but he was already turning, disappearing down the hall.

As if sensing Gabe’s pull on her, Wesley latched onto her like a leach, anchoring her as she tried to chase after Gabe’s retreating form.

Spinning in frustrated anger, Danny turned on Wesley. “Let go of me now!” she demanded, her voice vibrating in a deep, menacing warning that he was too foolish to heed. Digging his stubby fingers into her arms, he tried in vain to pull her back into his embrace.

She saw red, and it was as if all the rage and all the hurt of his betrayal and all the years she’d wasted came rushing back. With all the fury of a raging hurricane, she drew back and unleashed on him with a jab to his pinched, aristocratic nose. The bone crunched under the blow, but she quickly followed it up with a knee to the groin and a kick to the breadbasket.

Shocked and bleeding, Wesley landed on the floor with a hard thud.

“Oo’ brote’ ma’ noss,” he cried from between his fingers as he tried to staunch the bleeding.

“You bastard, never, ever lay your hands on me again!” she cried fearlessly.

The commotion quickly drew a crowd to her door, and within minutes campus security was there.

It was hours before they finally let her leave. She’d tried several times to reach Gabe, but he refused to answer his cell phone, so she’d finally given up and called Gloria for a ride home.

Numbly she answered her friend’s questions.

“He just left you there with that creep?” Gloria asked in disbelief.

Sighing tiredly, Danny rubbed her closed eyes as she answered. “Yeah, well, I guess it looked pretty bad, what he walked in on.” She was too emotionally drained to try and summon the anger to be mad at him. She just wanted to go home and sleep. Well, that was partly true. She just wanted to go home and curl up in the safety of his arms, but that wasn’t going to happen.
Maybe things would look better in the morning.

Gloria wasn’t quite ready to let the issue drop
though
. “When I get my hands on that jerk, I’m going to ring his neck. I mean what would have happened if you hadn’t been able to handle Wesley?”

Danny didn’t even want to think about that. “I don’t know. I know he has issues with his ex cheating on him, but you’re right, that doesn’t excuse it. To be honest, I’m not sure what I’m going to do. Right now, I’m too tired and too mad to make any kind of rational decision.”

“You poor thing, let’s get you home and fix you some hot tea.”

Danny shook her head. “No tea, just bed,” she said as they pulled up behind the loft. Leaning over, she hugged Gloria. “Thanks for the ride. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“But…” her friend sputtered as she climbed out of the car, but it was no use.

Danny climbed the steps and let herself into her dark loft. Stumbling across the floor, she stripped and fell onto the bed. Exhausted and in shock, she fell into a deep troubled sleep.

* * * *

Gabe rolled restlessly around his bed. He was in agony. He couldn’t seem to get the image of Danny and that slimy little creep out of his head. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw them there, kissing, caressing. It made his stomach churn to think of anyone touching her. It made his chest hurt to think of her betrayal. It had hurt before when his ex-fiancée had run off with his business partner, but that was nothing compared to this. It was as if someone had shoved a knife into his chest and kept twisting it deeper and deeper.

It had been hours since his phone had stopped ringing. It had been all he could do to not answer it, but he couldn’t, not now. Not yet.

Finally, as the first pale pink fingers of dawn had begun to reach across the sky, he gave up and wearily climbed from bed. Physical labor
,
that’s what he needed.

After telling his dad he was taking off for a few days, he packed his saddlebags with some food and a few changes of clothes and took off for the mountains, turning off his cell phone, so he wouldn’t be tempted to answer if she called.

He’d been neglecting the house he was building since he’d taken up with Danny. Now it was time to get back to work. He told himself it was because he didn’t want the lumber
and other supplies
he’d had delivered to get ruined by his neglect, but he knew the truth.

Cutting, sawing, nailing, and lifting had the desired physical effect, and at the end of the day, he was finally able to sleep, but his dreams were filled with nightmares, torturous images of his sweet, beautiful Danny doing all sorts of perverted things with her spineless ferret-faced ex.

* * * *

Danny called in sick the next morning, feeling broken and bruised inside. She’d tried several more times to call Gabe, but his phone went right to voicemail, so eventually she gave up. The final capper for her day came just after noon with a knock on her door.

Hoping against hope that it was Gabe, she flew to the door only to have her heart plummet into her feet at the sight of two uniformed police officers.

“Can I help you?” she asked the tall, handsome, older office
r
. His wide smile and salt-and-pepper hair would normally have put her at ease, but she was strung so tight she was beyond that point.

“Yes, ma’am, I’m Officer Douglas, and this is my partner, Officer Kline. I’m afraid you’re going to have to come with us down to the station.”

Shaking her head in disbelief, Danny tried to make sense of what he’d said, but her mind just couldn’t grasp it.

“It’ll be okay, I’m sure this is a misunderstanding, but we have a warrant for your arrest, so if you’d please come with us, we can take care of this as quickly as possible.” Officer Douglas gave her a reassuring smile as he let her process what he’d said.

“Arrest? I don’t understand,” Danny whispered. It was like she was in a nightmare and couldn’t seem to wake up. Things just kept getting worse and worse.

Opening the warrant, he skimmed it before saying, “Apparently an individual by the name of Wesley Dandridge has filed assault charges against you. If you’d please come with us, I’m sure we can get this straightened out.”

Danny felt her mouth fall open. “The little prick actually filed charges against me?” Her voice rose, and she was close to losing it. “But he attacked me. I was just defending myself.”
This couldn’t be happening!

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but like I said, come along with us
,
and we’ll see if we can figure out what’s going on. In the mean time I have to read you your rights. If you promise not to make a fuss we can forgo the cuffs.”

Danny could only stare at him in shock as he began to read from a small, tattered card he pulled from his uniform
pocket
.
This can’t be happening
, her mind screamed
again
, but she was too numb to do anything more than nod when he finished. In a shocked stupor, she followed them down the stairs and crawled into the back of their squad car.

* * * *

The finger printing and picture taking were all a blur, and the next conscious thought Danny had was getting into Gloria’s car after her faithful friend had come to bail her out. She hadn’t even bothered to call Gabe. She’d given up on him. She’d given up on everyone.

She’d ended the day by crawling into bed with a bottle of wine and a box of Kleenex.

* * * *

The next few days passed in a blur for Danny. The University had put her on administrative leave until things with Wesley could be
“
sorted out.
”
The students seemed supportive of her, but the faculty was split, with the majority favoring Wesley. Many had seen her new look and figured she deserved whatever she got.

She’d met with her court-appointed attorney, who
advised her to plead guilty since
it was going to be a matter of who the judge believed
, and Wesley certainly seemed the more believable witness, with all his bruises
.