By the time she came out of the bathroom, now a brunette, Lawson had undergone his own transformation. He sat on the bed, leaning against the headboard with his legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles. Gone were the dark jeans and Henley shirt: bad-ass criminal Lawson was gone. He now wore a dark grey polo shirt, relaxed khakis, and leather sandals, looking practically respectable.

  Laid out on the bed was her own new outfit: a dark blue maxi dress, gold flip-flops and a floral bag. She could see pack of plain underwear, deodorant, and other sundries he obviously thought she might need.

  “We’re taking a little road trip, a romantic weekend away with my girl. Got to look the part. You’re hair looks great. Now get dressed.”

  Tightening the towel that was wrapped around her after her quick shower, she started to gather up her outfit to take to the bathroom.

  “No. Get dressed in here.” His pose was casual but his words were far from relaxed.

  “Why?” Ivy knew it was an order and she was at the whim of this man, but despite all that she couldn’t help but challenge him, even if it was over something insignificant.

  “Because I said so. And you’re mine. Or did you forget everything from this morning? Maybe you need a quick reminder.”

  This morning, despite how unbelievably erotic it had been to have his fingers in her like that, had been a mistake and he knew it. Keeping eye contact with him, Ivy dropped the towel and ripped open the pack of simple cotton thongs. Slipping a pair over her ankles, she shimmied them slowly over her hips and smoothed her hands over the front, biting her lip to stop from smiling as she heard Lawson groan. There was no bra in sight and from what she could see he’d gotten rid of the clothes she was wearing this morning.

  “No bra, huh?” Ivy casually asked as she lifted the dress over her head slowly. She gave an extra wiggle as she started to drop it over her head, knowing full well his eyes were trained on her swaying breasts.

  “Nope. You don’t need to wear one with me around. And I like the idea of having easy access. Just one little tug, and they’re all mine.” An image flashed through her head of Lawson yanking down her dress and feasting on an exposed nipple. She shouldn’t have wanted that. Not now. Not after he’d made it abundantly clear how that he intended to treat her like a prisoner.

  She finished pulling the dress down and looked up. Despite herself, a soft flush had spread through her cheeks. Seeing Lawson’s face mirroring her own ache made her squeeze her thighs together. His eyes lingered on her now covered breasts before sweeping up to meet her own lustful gaze.

  “Come here, Ivy.”

  “I thought we were in a rush. You said we had to go.” Ivy stalled, not wanting to be near him again. If she went near him, she’d have to exercise self-control, something she was clearly lacking when it came to Lawson.

  He crooked his finger at her, his face hardening and she knew hesitating any further was a bad idea. Weren’t her raw wrists and sore jaw lesson enough?

  Ivy walked around the bed. By the time she reached him, he’d swung his legs off and he pulled her in between his spread knees. Silently, Lawson reached up and pulled down one of the straps of the dress, revealing her left breast.

  “Lawson, wait—” she managed to get out but whatever protest she was trying to make turned into a low moan as he leaned forward and enveloped her hard nipple in his hot mouth. Instinctually her hands gripped his hair, holding him closer to her as he sucked hard, hard enough so that she winced. After a few seconds, he pulled back, her nipple popping out of his mouth crudely. He pulled the strap of the dress back on her shoulder and stood up, gently running his hand over her now over-sensitive nipple through the material.

  “Easy access,” he murmured and leaned down, brushing his lips softly against her still open mouth.

  Picking up the bag near the side of the bed, he took her hand and led her out to a car parked in front of the room. Guiding her into the passenger seat, he handed her the floral bag that he bought to go with the rest of her outfit. It was only then that she noticed there was stuff inside. A quick look and the mystery of Lawson only grew bigger. He’d bought her lip gloss, sunglasses, a hair brush and a few bands, mascara. And condoms. A pack of condoms. Ivy blushed and shut the bag. Glancing over at Lawson she saw he was smiling at her.

  “Don’t worry, there’s more in my bag.” Ivy turned and looked out the window instead of responding. He chuckled as they pulled out of the motel parking lot.

  They drove for hours. Deep into the night, Lawson kept going. Despite the ridiculous nap she’d taken earlier, Ivy felt herself falling asleep. She tried to stay awake, hoping that she could take advantage at some point of Lawson’s inevitable fatigue. But she couldn’t keep her eyes open and the next thing she knew, Lawson was stroking her cheek, trying to rouse her.

  “Ivy, baby, come on, we need to go inside.”

  She blinked and tried to get her bearings. They were at another remote motel, practically identical in its state of abandon as the first place they stayed. A beat-up truck sat in the lot but other than that, the place looked empty. Lawson came around to help her out of the car and she leaned on him as they made their way to the door. Still half asleep, his warm arms around her in the cool air were too comforting to turn away.

  Once they were inside, Lawson started getting set up to sleep. Ivy watched hazily as he locked the room door and then put his gun, car key, and phone in the safe that sat next to a TV. He locked it before proceeding to pull a coil of rope out of his bag and place it on the bedside table.

  Crossing his arms, Lawson towered over her. He looked worn out and she wanted to run her hands over his creased brow to help smooth away his worries.

  “I need to rest. I’m giving you two choices. I can tie you to the bed, which will make for a shitty night’s sleep but at least I won’t need to worry about you trying to sneak out. Or I can trust you to stay put. Bearing in mind we are once again in the middle of fucking nowhere. Even if you do manage to get out of the room without me noticing, you won’t have keys to the car, so you’ll have to take your chances with the pervert at the front desk, who looks like something the guy from the hotel in Psycho and we all know how that ended up. What’s it going to be?”

  “I’ll be good,” she immediately blurted out, “I promise. I’m tired too. I just want to rest and my wrists really can’t take any more rope burn.” They weren’t that bad but she couldn’t handle the thought of being tied up again. He stared at her for a few more seconds.

  “All right, get undressed and get into bed.” Her eyes grew wide at his order. Capitulating, she stood up and kicked her flip-fops off before sliding her dress over her head and draping it over a chair, deciding that being topless and braless in front of Lawson was only as uncomfortable as she made it. Keeping her eyes down, she crawled onto the bed and slipped under the covers.

  “Good girl,” he murmured before stripping down to his tight boxers and turning out the light before getting under the covers. Ivy gasped as he pulled her back against his chest and shoved a leg between her thighs. Her head rested on his arm and his free hand lay high on her stomach, just barely brushing the skin under her breast.

  Ivy stiffened, unsure of what she was supposed to do. She wriggled her hips but then stilled as she felt him push his erection against her ass. The small thong she was wearing left her mostly exposed and she shivered as her sensitive bare skin rubbed against his covered groin. How the hell was she supposed to fall asleep when she was this aroused?

  “Jesus Christ, Ivy, if you don’t stop wiggling I’m going to roll you over, pull that damn thong off and fuck you until you pass out,” he growled into her neck, his arm tightening under her ribs.

  “Oh my God,” she whispered, and involuntarily her hips thrust back as she tried to squeeze her thighs together.

  “Now you’re being a naughty girl. Trying to keep me awake when you know how tired I am, rubbing your sweet ass against me.” Lawson moved his hand up and cupped her breast, rolling her nipple between his fingers. “You want me to break out those condoms, don’t you Ivy?” She nodded her head, blushing at his dirty words, and pushing her breast further into his hand. She felt like her skin was on fire and she started to pant at the thought of Lawson doing exactly as he’d threatened.

  He began to move his broad thigh against her core, rubbing the soft material of her thong against his hairy leg. She moaned his name when he squeezed her breast hard, eliciting him to shove his hips against her.

  Suddenly he released her and pushed her into her stomach. She looked over her shoulder to see him yanking his boxers off and donning a condom he pulled from under a pillow. God, she’d played right into his hands. But at that moment, she didn’t care.

  Not even bothering to fully remove her thong, Lawson yanked it down her hips until it was just above her knees, stretching into her flesh. His own boxers sat just under his ass and he leaned forward, kissing the middle of her back before thrusting in with a groan.

  Unable to control the noises coming out of her mouth, Ivy shoved her face into the pillow in front of her, her hand grasping at the cheap sheets while Lawson moved above her. She tilted her hips up further.

  “Fuck, yes, just like that. You’ve been driving me crazy all night in that damn dress and no bra.” He lay down on top of her, barely keeping his weight off her as he slipped a hand under her body to squeeze at her breasts.

  Feeling his hot breath on her neck, Ivy turned to kiss him, shoving her tongue in his mouth. She felt him bump against her cervix with every thrust as he rutted into her. A haze come over her and her thighs quivered as she came.

  Pushing his face into her neck, Lawson powered through her orgasm, his hold on her shoulder and breast tightened as she felt her muscles clench around him.

  “Yes, baby, that’s right, give it to me, give me everything, Ivy.” He stiffened and his deep groan spread across her neck. His cock pulsed inside her and she closed her eyes, reveling in the sensation of his body in hers, losing control, just as she had.

  Lawson pulled out of her and she mourned the loss of his heavy heat against her back but she was too tired to move. After a minute, he returned to her side and gently pulled her thong back on into place, his fingers traced over her back, his lips trailing up and down her spine with tender kisses. The last thing she felt before she let herself slip away was the Lawson’s voice as he kissed the back of her neck.

  “I’m not letting you go, Ivy. Never letting you go.”

  Chapter Four

  Lawson

  He watched her sleep, resisting waking her up despite the fact that they should have been on the road hours ago. She had bags under her eyes and her wrists were still a bit sore. He needed today to be different. Despite everything he’d done to her, he needed Ivy’s cooperation from here on in. Finally he roused her, quietly telling her to get showered and dressed.

  A half hour later, as they finished gathering their bags, she finally asked “What happens now, Lawson?”

  He watched her wring her hands together, her slim fingers subconsciously flitting over the marks on her wrists. “We leave. That’s the plan. I’ve got enough money to keep us going until we figure out where we want to get set up. It’s not a lot but it will cover the basics—new ID, tickets, the works. I’m not talking caviar and champagne but I’ll take care of you. That’s all you need to know.”

  “We? What if I don’t want to leave?”

  Lawson stared at her. God, he loved seeing her trying to act so tough with him. She wasn’t asking to be let go but she wanted options, options he wasn’t happy to offer her. After everything they’d been through, she was still holding back, still pretending that this wasn’t something worth fighting for and it was beginning to piss him off.

  “Why would you want to stay? What do you have here that isn’t easy to walk away from?”

  “My job! My friends! My life!” She threw up her hands in exasperation.

  “Right. You mean your wonderful friends who know so much about you? Oh and your great job with the awesome salary, that gives amazing medical coverage and time off? Or maybe it’s your beautiful pent house apartment that you’re going to miss so much? I get it now.” He snapped his fingers. “It’s your close-knit family who you go to church with on Sundays and spend every holiday with.” She turned away from him, her shoulders hunched over. “Oh wait a second! You don’t have any of those things, do you, baby? No real friends, who actually know anything about you, a shit job, shit apartment, and no family. Nobody to turn to, nobody to call. Worst case scenario you’re looking at jail time for being an accomplice and best case scenario you go back to your lonely life, where the most exciting thing that happens to you is a buy-one-get-one-free deal on fucking cinnamon rolls. So tell me, Ivy, because I really want to know, what’s this great life I’m taking you away from? Because it’s not like you’ve been fighting me to get back to it, this wonderful life of yours.”

  Her shoulders shook and Lawson knew she was done. All he wanted to do was wrap his arms around, tell her that everything was going to be all right, but he held back. She needed to think that there was nothing left for her. He knew it was twisted and wrong but the more hopeless she felt, the more she was likely to come with him on her own.

  He grabbed the door key, needing to get away from her at least until he’d calmed down.

  “I’m checking the car. I’ll be right outside so don’t try anything stupid,” he growled.

  “You’re an asshole, Lawson,” she said, her voice shaking with emotion.

  “Yeah, I’ve heard that before,” he barked out before slamming the door.

  Twenty minutes later, Lawson was calm, or at least as calm as he was going to get until he was sure she wasn’t going to leave him. Twenty minutes though was all Ivy needed to move from hurt to livid.

  A flip-flop hit him in the face as he walked in the room. He stalked toward her, knocking away the deodorant she hurled at him.

  “People have told you you’re an asshole before? Well, maybe you need to hear it a bit more!” Her hair was a mess, like she’d been running her fingers through it, and her red-rimmed eyes now flared with rage instead of pain. “You lying scumbag. How dare you judge me? You’re a goddamn thief! What the hell do you have to show for your life?” She screamed and batted her hands at him as he reached her. “Don’t fucking touch me! Don’t you dare touch me!”

  Lawson wrapped his arms around her as she struggled to escape him. Her bare feet kicked against his shins. She was too small to do any real damage and he easily pinned her to the bed, while she bellowed a stream of insults.

  “You done?”

  “Let me go, Lawson!” She wriggled furiously and he grew hard as her soft curves pushed against him.

  “Why? So you can find more stuff to throw at me?” He knew the second she felt his erection pushing into her stomach. She stilled and her eyes met his. She might pretend to hate him, but she couldn’t hide her reaction from her body. He shifted between her legs, making sure he was nestled against that sweet spot, holding back a smile as her breath hitched under his movements.

  “Yeah, I think you’re done.” He made to kiss her but she turned her face to the side.

  Ignoring her little act of rebellion, Lawson softly kissed her cheek instead and moved his mouth to her ear, whispering.

  “Everything I said before was true, and you know it. You can’t be angry with me for telling the truth. Yeah, I didn’t have to be such a prick about it but it’s still true. I wasn’t judging you. It’s just the truth. And as for my life? You’re right. I’ve got nothing real to show for it. Nothing to be proud of, nothing I can’t easily walk away from. Except you. I can’t walk away from you. The only time I ever lied to you was when I threatened to leave you in the van. I never would have done that. You can call me a lot of things, but don’t call me a liar.” He could feel her heart beating in her chest.

  Her voice was still shaking from emotion when she finally spoke. “You are a liar though. You lied when you made me believe that we were the same, that there was that thing in both of us, that darkness. And I let myself believe that I could let you in and it would be all right. I let myself forget—”

  Lawson remembered her tattoo and he sought out her hand that was still caught between them. Rubbing his finger over the ring, he threaded their fingers together.

  “Forget what?”

  She closed her eyes but he wasn’t going to let her block him out again. “Ivy, forget what? What happened to you that you always need to remember?”

  She sighed and opened her eyes. “Nothing happened. I mean, lots of things happened, but that’s not what I’m talking about. I got it to remind myself that no matter what, no matter how safe I feel, no matter how much I think I can trust someone, I’m on my own. It reminds me that I don’t need anyone and no one needs me. And that’s a fact. It’s not bad. It’s just the way life is.”

  Lawson wanted to tell her that was a messed up way to look at the world but he couldn’t because it was the same attitude he’d taken to keep himself safe. Until her.

  “That darkness, baby, I know it feels bad but it’s something beautiful. I made you feel that the first time we were together. That darkness is cloudy but when I let you in, and I did, it cleared, and became something else.” He released her hands, shifting slightly off her to let her know he’d let her up if she wanted. “All you have to do is stop fighting it.”

  “Lawson,” she breathed out as her eyes become heavy. Her hands slid up his arms and around his neck as she yanked back down to meet her lips. Their mouths clashed together and the pain, anger, and frustration they were both feeling, erupted through their bodies.

  Ivy fisted his hair and nipped at his lip, almost drawing blood. He pulled back and yanked her dress off her in one swoop, pawing at her breasts as soon as they were free. Her hands moved down and fumbled with his jeans and he helped her undo them and pull him out. A few moments later he slipped a condom on, running on muscle memory more than anything and shoved home. She arched her back and released his mouth, moaning as he pushed into her again and again.