The morning light bled through the enormous windows, casting golden streaks across the dark sheets tangled around their bodies.
Ariana stirred first, blinking against the brightness.
Her muscles ached deliciously, reminders of the night Brandon had claimed her over and over again, leaving her wrung out and delirious in his arms.
She rolled onto her side.
Brandon was already awake, propped up on one elbow, watching her with unreadable eyes.
"You sleep like a kitten," he murmured, brushing his knuckles along her cheekbone.
Ariana smiled sleepily, feeling oddly shy under his intense gaze.
"Good morning," she whispered.
He didn't answer.
Instead, he leaned in and captured her lips in a kiss that was slow, drugging, and possessive.
By the time he pulled back, she was breathless again.
"You're not leaving this bed today," he said, voice rough with command.
Ariana's stomach fluttered.
Part of her wanted to protest, to tease him — but another, darker part loved the way he caged her in, loved that she didn't have to be strong or careful here.
Here, she could just be.
"And if I need coffee?" she teased, tracing a finger down his chest.
He grinned — a rare, wicked flash of white teeth.
"Then I'll feed you coffee in bed," he growled, flipping her onto her back and pinning her wrists above her head.
She gasped, arching beneath him.
"You're insatiable," she breathed.
He leaned down, his mouth brushing the shell of her ear.
"Only for you."
---
Hours later, the bed was a wreck, the sheets halfway torn off the mattress, their bodies slick with sweat.
Ariana lay sprawled on her stomach, utterly spent.
Brandon sat beside her, smoking a cigarette, the muscles of his back rippling as he moved.
For a long time, there was only silence — thick, content.
Until his phone buzzed on the nightstand.
Brandon stiffened immediately.
He leaned over, grabbed the device, and read the message.
His jaw tightened.
Ariana rolled onto her side, sensing the shift in the air.
"Bad news?" she asked softly.
He looked at her, some shadow flickering in his dark eyes.
"Nothing for you to worry about," he said.
She frowned. "Brandon."
He sighed, stubbing out the cigarette.
"They found a tracker on your car."
Ariana sat up sharply, clutching the sheets to her chest. "What?"
Brandon's mouth was a grim line.
"I had it checked after the club," he said. "Whoever it was, they knew where you'd be."
Fear coiled in Ariana's gut.
"James," she whispered before she could stop herself.
Brandon's eyes narrowed.
"You think your ex-boyfriend would stoop to this?"
She nodded mutely.
He rose from the bed, pulling on a pair of black jeans, his muscles bunching with barely contained rage.
"He's playing a dangerous game," Brandon growled. "He doesn't realize who he's fucking with."
Ariana watched him, heart pounding.
There was a feral violence coiled in him now, a promise of retribution.
It should have scared her.
Instead, she felt... safe.
No one would hurt her while Brandon was breathing.
Still, a tremor ran through her.
"What are we going to do?" she whispered.
Brandon crossed the room in three long strides, cupping her face in his big hands.
"We do nothing," he said fiercely. "I handle this."
"But—"
"No," he cut her off. "You trust me, little star."
Her heart twisted at the nickname.
He kissed her forehead, lingering for a moment longer than necessary.
"Get dressed," he said gruffly. "I'm taking you somewhere."
"Where?"
He smirked.
"You'll see."
---
The drive was quiet, the tension between them thick but not unpleasant.
Ariana watched the scenery blur past the tinted windows — thick forests giving way to open fields.
After about an hour, the SUV pulled down another private drive, this one narrower and wilder than the estate's.
At the end of the road stood a cabin.
Secluded.
Rustic.
Utterly alone.
Brandon killed the engine and turned to her.
"This is my safe house," he said.
Ariana raised an eyebrow.
"You have a cabin in the woods?"
He shrugged. "Sometimes the best place to hide is in plain sight."
She smiled despite herself.
He opened her door and helped her down, his hand lingering on her waist.
The air was fresh and sharp, smelling of pine and earth.
Inside, the cabin was cozy but still undeniably masculine — leather, dark wood, iron fixtures.
Brandon led her to the fireplace, where a massive bearskin rug was spread across the floor.
He turned to her, his expression hungry.
"You," he said roughly, "are going to spend the next few days here. Naked. On that rug. Under me."
Ariana's cheeks burned.
"Is that an order, Mr. Marshall?" she teased breathlessly.
His mouth curved in a predatory smile.
"You better believe it is."
---
They didn't make it to the rug immediately.
Brandon caught her against the nearest wall, lifting her effortlessly.
Her legs wrapped around his waist as he devoured her mouth.
He ripped her clothes off in a frenzy, tossing them aside.
Ariana fumbled with his jeans, desperate to feel him against her skin.
When he thrust into her, hard and deep, she cried out, nails digging into his shoulders.
He moved brutally, the thick head of him rubbing against that perfect spot inside her.
Ariana shattered in his arms, clinging to him as he drove her through orgasm after orgasm.
Finally, with a deep, shuddering groan, he emptied himself inside her, marking her all over again.
They slid down the wall together, panting.
Brandon buried his face in her hair, holding her close.
"You're mine," he whispered hoarsely. "Mine, Ariana."
She kissed his jaw, her heart aching with how fiercely she wanted to believe him.
---
Meanwhile, back in the city, James Nick was moving pieces on his twisted chessboard.
He watched a screen displaying grainy security footage — Ariana, in Brandon's arms.
His jaw clenched.
"You won't keep her from me," he said softly.
Behind him, a man in a leather jacket shifted uncomfortably.
"Boss, are you sure about this? Marshall's not someone you fuck with."
James smiled coldly.
"I don't care."
He poured two fingers of whiskey and downed it in one gulp.
"Prepare the shipment," he said. "We move tomorrow night."
The man hesitated.
"That's risky—"
"Do it," James snapped.
He turned back to the screen, his eyes gleaming with obsession.
Soon, my love, he thought.
Soon.