We drove all day, putting New York behind us. By nightfall, we were somewhere in Connecticut and driving up another lonely country road to an old shack in the middle of nowhere.

I waited in the truck until Dex gave me the all clear, then I grabbed my stuff and headed into the house.

My behind hurt from sitting in the truck all day with minimal stops. Dex was like a slave driver — eye on the prize mentality — so unless I was threatening to piss myself, he had refused to make unnecessary stops.

However, as much as my ass ached, it was nothing compared to the constant pull on my heart.

I hated that Dex had called me out. I’d deny it until I died but he had totally nailed my lovey-dovey feelings for him.

And it was humiliating to be so easily read — and shut down.

Not that I shouldn’t be used to it by now.

The guys I’d set my sights on had never reciprocated.

I missed my camera.

Photography was my escape, a way to see the world the way I wanted to see it.

But Dex hadn’t thought to snag my camera when he kidnapped me.

So, my beautiful, expensive Canon was still sitting at my apartment, collecting dust.

At least I’d remembered to put my lens away this time.

I had a bad habit of leaving my lens in inappropriate places — an expensive habit.

A stupid oversight had cost me my best lens and I still hadn’t been able to replace it.

I guess if I lived through all this, I could sell some of that expensive shit in my mom’s house.

That was a heartening thought.

Like that $20,000 vase.

Who the hell paid that kind of money for a vase?

I shook off the random thought, stopping short when I saw that it was another single bedroom house.

Oh, hell no. “I’m not sleeping with you,” I said flatly. “I’ll take the couch.”

His expression was as grumpy as mine and clearly not having my stance on the whole bedroom deal.

“Bree, get your ass in the bedroom,” he growled. “I’m not going to argue with you.”

“Damn straight we’re not going to argue because I’m not sleeping with you. End of discussion,” I maintained stubbornly. If he thought I was going to snuggle up to him after everything he’d said to me, he was an idiot. “Just find me a blanket, I’ll be fine.”

“Bree,” he warned. “Get your motherfucking ass in that bedroom before I carry you to it. I won’t have you out here in a non-defensible position. With me, at least you’re safe.”

There was a certain logic to his statement but I didn’t care. My pride was on the chopping block.

“No.”

“You’re really going to draw this line in the sand?” he asked, his eyes glittering as his mouth firmed.

I trembled a little. “Yep.”

“Fine.”

Damn, the man was like a blur of motion.

I dropped my bag, trying to get away but Dex was faster than a bullet train. I landed over his shoulder with a grunt and immediately started pummeling his back with my fists.

“Put me down, asshole!”

“Shut the fuck up,” he roared, slapping my ass hard enough to sting.

He strode into the bedroom and tossed me to the bed. My teeth knocked together at the impact of hitting the hard mattress. I tried to roll away but he was on me before I could.

“I’m not going to sleep with you!” I howled, kicking at him but his grip tightened on my ankles and dragged me toward him. “Stop it, Dex! Stop it!”

“Someone needs to teach you some fucking manners,” he growled as he yanked my jeans down, knocking the wind out of me as he pulled me over his knee and held me in place with his forearm locked across the back of my neck.

“What are you doing?” I screeched, wiggling to be free but his arm was like a piece of iron across my neck.

Holy hell, was he going to...?

The sharp whack of his palm across my bare butt shocked a cry from my lips. I’d never been spanked in my life — not as a child and certainly not as an adult — but Dex’s hand heated my ass over and over until I stopped struggling and just wept.

Dex stopped, but the heat pulsed in my cheeks, reminding me where his hand had been.

I gasped as he dragged his fingertips across the sensitive skin. Pain melted into pleasure as he dipped between my damp folds to find my swollen clit.

His finger penetrated me and I shuddered as he slowly pushed in and out, mimicking how he’d made love to me only last night.

No! Not making love. He fucked me. Get it right.

Cold reality cut through the sensual haze and this time when I struggled, he let me go. I stood, shaking, hating him for pushing my buttons so easily, without regard to my feelings.

Then, without dropping his stare, he sucked his finger into his mouth, licking away the moisture from my insides.

My knees weakened as quickly as my resolve threatened but I kept hearing his sneer in my memory and I found my backbone again.

“Enjoy it, that’s all you get,” I said, ignoring the way he watched me like a predator locked in with its prey. “I am not having sex with you again. That part of our relationship is over. Got it?”

Sensing I wasn’t going to budge no matter how aroused he could make me, he rose and stalked toward me. I held my ground.

“Have it your way,” he said, bypassing me to strip his shirt. “But you’re sleeping in here.”

“You expect me to believe that we can sleep next to each other without having sex?” I retorted. “I may have been born at night but it wasn’t last night.”

He graced me with that cold look that’d skewered me earlier, saying, “Baby girl, you were starting to bore me anyway. I’ll welcome the chance to actually get some sleep.”

I blinked back tears but scooped up my panties. “Good,” I said. “Because I was getting bored with you, too.”

Yeah, okay, maybe I couldn’t sell that lie as well as Dex could but I had to say something to save face.

When he climbed into the bed and rolled onto his side, dismissing me entirely, I knew I should never call Dex’s bluff unless I was prepared to ride the consequences all the way.

Dex’s slow, easy breathing told me he’d dropped off into dreamland quite easily.

I wasn’t so lucky.

As tired as I was...sleep didn’t find me for a long time.

Truthfully, if it weren’t for the shred of dignity I was still clinging to, I would’ve shaken him awake, begged him to ignore everything I’d just said and screw me senseless because at least when I was screaming with an orgasm, I couldn’t overthink every single moment between us.

But I wouldn’t do that.

That tiny scrap of dignity was stronger than I realized for it kept me silent, hands stuck to my side, my body rigid.

If I slept at all, I wasn’t sure.

All I knew was that I wished I’d just kept my mouth shut.