Chapter 29

• Releasing my arms, he grasped a handful of my hair in his fist, winding the other arm savagely around my waist, trapping me effortlessly in a brutal embrace that had nothing to do with love. As I gasped in pain, he brought his head down, kissing me with ferocity and grinding his mouth on mine. There was no love, no gentleness. Only he needs to brand me as his.
• When he raised his head, I could taste blood. He flung me away, his face mirroring self-disgust.
• Breathing hard, wide-eyed with shock and a host of conflicting emotions, I watched him, touching my bruised mouth, aware that I would have darkening bruises on my arms where he had sunk his hard fingers into my arms in such a brutish way.