The trunk closes at the foot of my bed with a loud clack. All the memories of my past have been placed inside, including my journal. I have no need for it anymore, no desire to write another word.

It’s over.

There’s not a single target on my back with both my father and my brother gone. Zander’s assured me he’ll keep his ear low to the ground. His finger's on the pulse of what’s going on behind closed doors. I’m not sure what he wants from me, he’s yet to ask. I don’t like owing a debt to anyone if I can help it, but still I’m grateful.

Because of Lilly.

I want her back. I want her here, in my house and in my bed, just like I did that first night I saw her. She belongs to me now. So any protection I can take, I will. Even if that means making a deal with Zander.

As I grab my keys, they clink off the foyer table. The sound echoes with me as I realized the only reason I’ll be coming home without her is if she doesn’t want me. My hand hesitates on the doorknob, my mind replaying all the moments we’ve had in the past month.

We’ve grown together. I’ve been there for her, and she’s been there for me. At least in my mind, that’s what happened. I know these past two weeks she’s been a prisoner, unable to go as she pleases. It was for her own safety, her own good. As I close the front door behind me, my body heats as I remember her in the cage staring at me with daggers in her eyes.

She could leave me now. She could walk away from me forever, and there’s nothing I can do. I never locked the cage, and I never will.

The thought chills me along with the bitter cold February air. I forgot my coat. I don’t give a fuck; I’m not going back. Not until I have her in my arms.

My strides quicken, and I hit the clicker to unlock my car. The faint beep beep rings out in the cold.

I’ll be coming back with my flower. I know I will.

Just as I open my driver door, I see a car coming up the long winding drive. There’s a dusting of snow over the clearing, and as the old red Honda takes the bend, the car drifts slightly.

My heart races in my chest, and I drop the keys onto the ground.

Lilly.

She regains control and takes it slower up the drive. I swear to God if she kills herself finding her way back to me, I’ll never forgive her.

I leave the keys where they are as small specks of snow float down from the sky and Lilly parks her car in the driveway. She looks up through the windshield, hesitation clear on her face, that gorgeous vulnerability shining in her doe eyes.

My flower.

I try not to assume that she’s come for me. That once again we desire the same thing. A harsh lump forms in my throat, the spikes threatening to suffocate me. My hands clench and unclench as the chill of the air starts to affect me.

I ignore all of it, walking to her driver door and opening it. She looks up at me warily as I offer her my hand. Please don’t deny me, my flower. Be here for me. Please.

Her hand feels so small, so warm in mine. I’ve always known we were different, but I’ve grown to love how she complements me. She brings out a side to me that I don’t want to lose.

We share a look, I’m not sure what mine reflects to her, but hers undeniably sends a chill through my body. She’s looking at me as though she doesn’t know what I’m thinking. I’ve seen it on her face a dozen times or more.

She should know what she means to me. And the fact that she doesn’t makes me nervous. I’m not a man who likes to be nervous. It’s not a comfortable feeling.

My hand splays on the small of her back, but I’m quick to pull her in close, wrapping my arm around her waist and holding her small body into mine as I lead her inside.

When I peek down at her, lowering myself to the ground to pick up my keys that are now freezing and coated with a thin layer of snow, I see a small smile on her lips. Nothing in my life has made me feel better. She makes me feel secure and wanted. I’ll never let her go. Never. When you find someone who makes you feel like this, there’s no reason to ever give her a reason to walk away.

She shivers in the doorway as I unlock the door, opening it and allowing the warmth of my home to spread through us both. Her heels click in the foyer as she continues walking without me. I close the door with my back to her, taking a deep breath. She came back to me. I can’t let her leave. I close my eyes at that thought, realizing that’s not what she needs. I need to give her a reason to stay of her own free will. I can’t keep her here, but knowing that she’s come here has to mean something.

I turn slowly to face her, her ankles cross slightly and she sways, standing there in the middle of the open doorway, her hands clasped and her coat hanging in the crook of her arm. She looks just as nervous as I feel. The sight of her reminds me of the first day I had her here. The same uncertainty, and just like before I know I’ll soothe her worries. If only she lets me.

“I want you to stay for another month,” I offer her, my voice echoes off the empty walls, walking to her and standing just inches in front of her. Technically our contract isn’t over yet; Valentine’s Day is tomorrow. But I want to bind her with the contract if I can. I don’t want the days to pass and have no claim to her.

“Just a month?” she asks, a look flashing in her eyes. I like hearing the words “Yes, Sir” from her lips. But this may be even better.

“You want more, my flower?” I hope she says yes. Whatever she tells me she wants, I’ll give her. I just need her to tell me.

I finally feel like I have a reason to live. And a future to look forward to with Lilly. I can give her whatever she needs. Whatever she asks for, I would happily provide her with. I’m sure she’s realized that by now. Without her with me, I was clinging to the past just to feel. I don’t want that anymore. I want her; all of her.

“I care for you Lilly,” I stare into her eyes as I tell her, for the first time I think in my entire life making my feelings known for someone else. I feel vulnerable in this moment, and she looks back at me, not answering. She could reject me. It would crush me if she did.

My thumb rubs along her cheek as I cup her chin in my hand. Her hands gently wrap around my wrists as she leans into my touch. Her eyes close, and a look of pure happiness is on her face. It soothes the worry in me, but still I need her to tell me that she feels the same. I know the way we started wasn’t what she wanted. It was a game of fools thinking we each knew what we wanted, when we knew nothing. But now I know. And I’m ready to fight for her.

“You can say you love me. I know you do,” Lilly says teasingly.

Finally opening her pale blue eyes, it's as though she's looking straight into my soul. The look in her eyes doesn’t match the tone of her voice. She needs me to tell her. I’m not sure if I’d recognize the emotion love. It’s not something I grew up with, nothing I’ve ever felt before. But there’s something different between the two of us. Something that drew me to her that first day. And something that fuels me to move mountains to be with her. To never let her go.

“I love you, Lilly.” My lips brush against hers as I whisper the words. It must be love. “I love you.”

“I love you, Sir.”

* * *

Her wrists are bound by the thin rope, the end looped over the cast-iron loop above the headboard. She’s bound to my bed where she belongs. Her movements are easy. The only reason the ropes are even there is to prevent her from spearing her fingers in my hair as I continue to lick between her legs. Her arousal is so sweet, so delicious. And all mine.

I crawl up her body, kissing my way as I go. Her thighs wrap around my shoulders and then down my sides to my waist. I’ve given her as much control as she can manage for this session. No holding still. No asking permission. All she has to do is feel and react. Although I did bind her wrists… she’s greedy.

My fingers are wrapped around her throat as I settle my hips between her thighs, spreading her even more. My hard dick nestles between her sweet pussy. I kiss her lips with the intense passion I feel. I’m grateful for every moment with her. I’ll never let her go. I need her too much.

“Who do you belong to?” I ask her.

“You, Sir, only you.” I love how lust coats her voice.

“Only me for always,” I tell her before slamming into her, all the way to the hilt, capturing her cries of pleasure with my lips. The headboard knocks against the wall with each hard thrust. It only fuels me to take her harder.

She is my one and only. And I’m hers.