Read Owning the Beast for Free Online Page B

know.
    “I apologize for how I treated you and how things have
turned out between us.”
    She rubbed her thumb across my hand, keeping silent.
    “I want you to know I asked for your file. I wanted to know
more about you, to understand your want to be here.”
    She stiffened but didn’t respond to my confession.
    “I want you to trust me. I want to show you that I’m a man
worthy of you. Will you spend the day with me? Will you let me show you the
grounds and keep you company today?”
    I nearly choked on my words trying to get them out. I sat
there, tense, waiting on her words of rejection. I needed to remind myself that
she still thought that I was her husband-to-be. I had this driving need to hold
on to her. To please her, and to own her. This dilemma weighed down on me and I
wasn’t sure how I should handle it. To Bella, I was her life now. I didn’t want
to deceive her, but maybe if she could fall for me like how I was falling for
her right now, she might not want to leave.
    “I would really like that, Griffin.” She flashed me the most
beautiful smile I had ever seen. Out here, in our own perfect world, with the
sun shining down on her perfect face, I could pretend that she was truly mine.
And in that moment, I felt my heart bound to hers.
     

 
    CHAPTER 5  *Annabella*
     
    Something had changed. Most of the anger I’d seen every time
I looked into Griffin’s eyes had faded. He half-smiled at me, making the scars
on the side of his face scrunch up slightly. Catching me looking at his scars,
he turned his face away so that all I could see was his good side.
    “Please don’t do that,” I pleaded softly.
    Shifting to face me, he asked, “Do what?”
    “Turning away from me so that I can’t see your scars.”
    He remained silent, as if contemplating my words. I reached
up, slowly and gently caressing his cheek. Closing his eyes, he leaned further
into my touch despite the pained expression on his face. Leaning forward, I
scattered butterfly kisses onto the most puckered scar and I felt his body
tense up and his eyes clench shut. I wish I could ease away some of his
self-consciousness. Bringing my lips up to his ear, I whispered, “They don’t
bother me, Griffin. And if they bother other people, then that’s their problem,
not yours.”
    I leaned back to try and look him in the eye, to let him see
that I had meant what I said. Opening his eyes, he flashed me an even wider
smile that made my heart race and I wondered what it would be like for him to
kiss me. Despite having shared such an intimate and physical moment this
morning and the night before, he has yet to kiss me. For a moment before he had
entered me last night, I thought he would. I want to taste myself on his lips.
Heat crept up my neck and my gaze dropped to his lips.
    “Can I kiss you?” I rushed out breathily. Despite my bold
behavior earlier, I still felt shy asking such a question. A kiss seemed so much
more intimate, as if it would bring us even closer than before. I could see the
shock of my question on his face. I wanted nothing more than to kiss him at
this very moment. There was just something special about him that was pulling
me towards him, pulling us together. I might not have been around many men in
my life but I felt it. The connection, the sparks. I wonder if he felt it too.
Many people had fallen in love at first sight before. Why couldn’t it be that
way for us?
    “Annabella, I—” Afraid of his rejection, I lunged towards
Griffin and pressed my lips to his. He let out a soft growl and hauled me onto
his lap, taking control of the kiss. He pushed his tongue deep inside my mouth,
devouring me, clashing our teeth together and dominating the kiss. Pressing
into his warmth, molding my body to his, he slowed down the kiss, as if he
finally realized that I wouldn’t be pulling away. His tongue slowed down to a
soft gentle exploration. I’m not sure which I liked more, his rough, dominating
kiss or his gentle, possessive