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Opening my eyes, I pin him with a glare. “Fine. But by the end of the week, I want them gone for good.”

He seals his lips to mine and strokes my cheek with his thumb before pulling away. He backs up and turns to head for the door before glancing over his shoulder at me. “We’ll discuss it.”

“Hell, no, we won’t discuss it. By the end of the week, Logan. I’m serious,” I call after him, and he just laughs as the front door opens.

“We’ll see.” He winks and leaves before I can say anything else, and I sink back into the couch with a sigh as I try to fight back a smile.

God, I love that irritating man.

I sigh, enjoying the feeling of just being in my house again after everything that happened. It feels like my little piece of heaven again, and I know a big part of that is because of Logan. Grinning, I set my book down and pull out the bridal magazine that I hid in here the other day. I had to hide it because if Logan had seen it, he would have insisted that we just run off to the courthouse and get married. I don’t want anything big or crazy but I definitely want to have a wedding.

As I flip through the magazine, I toy with the idea of having it out at his grandparents’ property. It’s such an integral part of his childhood and the man he is today. Plus, I love it out there, and after listening to his grandparents’ love story, I want to honor that and maybe get some good juju for our own marriage. I just hope he’s on board, too.

I flick to a page with an ad for wedding dresses and gasp as the perfect dress stares back at me. Oh, I so want to get married in that. It’s a white tulle ball gown with a sweetheart neckline and a band of diamonds around the waist – not too big, not too small, not too flashy. It’s perfect. Bear trots into the room and stops in front of the couch, plopping his drool-covered face down on my magazine – right over my beautiful dress.

“Bear,” I gasp, shaking my head as I rub behind his ears. “Is this a sign? Here I was thinking we’d make you ring bearer but you might just drool all over everyone.”

He lets out a lazy woof and looks up at me with pleading eyes.

“What do you want? Hungry?” I ask, and he just continues staring at me with his big brown eyes.

“Want to go outside?”

He woofs again, and I laugh as I pull the magazine out from under him and lay it open on the coffee table so it can dry. He follows along at my side, nudging my hand with his nose as I walk down the hallway and open the back door for him. He shoots out into the yard, swallowed up by the darkness, and I laugh at him as I cross my arms over my chest and wait for him to come back. The wind whips through the yard, sending a chill down my spine, and I shake my head. The weather here is crazy. It was eighty degrees yesterday, and tonight I’m seriously considering starting a fire.

“Bear,” I call, shaking from the cold, but he doesn’t come back. Sighing, I turn back into the house. “Fine, Pup. Freeze to death.”

He’ll come back when he’s ready; he always does. Personally, I think he likes having a bigger backyard to run around in. The yard at Logan’s house was barely enough room for Bear after the previous owners built the huge deck on the back.

Shivering, I go to the fridge and grab a bottle of wine and two glasses before slipping into the family room and setting them down on the table. After I start a fire, I’ll go see if my magazine is dry yet.

Once I’ve got the fire roaring, I sit down on the couch and pour myself a glass of wine, glancing over at the back door, wondering where the hell that dog is. I’m just about to go check on him when the front door opens and closes.

“That was quick,” I call, grabbing the remote to turn on the TV. Logan promised me he would sit through one chick flick this weekend, and I intend to make him keep that promise. “How was your mom?”

“My sweet, Ali,” a voice I’ve only heard in my dreams says, and the glass of wine slips out of my hand, a dark purple stain spreading across the carpet. My heart pounds in my ears as I stand and slowly turn. He smiles at me, the same sickening smile that’s haunted me since I last saw him staring in my window. “My sweet, gorgeous girl. I’m here for you.”

I move backward, creeping along the couch toward the hallway so I can run, and his brow furrows as he moves toward me, holding his hands out. “Don’t be afraid, Sweetheart. I’m here to save you.”

“No, you’re not.” My voice is soft as I continue creeping toward the hallway. I’m so close, maybe I can just make a run for it. I turn and start running but I don’t make it far before his arms are wrapping around me and pulling me into his body. He spins me around to face him, and I open my mouth to scream but he covers it with his gloved hand, the leather cold against my skin.

“Shh, Sweetheart. What has he done to you, my love?” he whispers and pulls his hand away. Before I can scream, his lips are closing over mine, and I fight against him as he thrusts his tongue into my mouth. Tears leak out the corners of my eyes as I struggle in his arms. He tastes like tobacco, and it makes me gag. Pulling away, he rubs his hand over my hair and down my face again and again as he shushes me.

“You’re all right, Ali. I’m going to keep you safe from that animal.”

“No!” I yell, still struggling as I try to free myself from his grip. “Help!”

“Why are you doing this? Besides, no one is here to help you. I personally delivered those demons straight to hell for keeping you from me.”

“No,” I gasp, picturing the two young men that I’d only had the chance to meet briefly. Miles was fresh out of the Army and Logan had sponsored him in, while Cody was from the wrong side of town and looking to better his life. Now they were gone ,and it was all my fault. Tears stream down my face, and he wipes them away.

“Don’t cry for them, my love. They got what was coming to them. I’ll kill anyone that gets in between you and I. You’re mine.”

I shake my head, looking him right in the eyes as I say, “No, I’m not.” I finally manage to connect my knee with his groin, and he falls to the floor as I start scrambling down the hallway. It feels like I’m walking through a fun maze, the walls moving and distorting as my body fills with adrenaline, my heart pounding a rapid beat in my ears. I turn the corner, and I can see the door. I’m almost free.

Air punches out of my lungs as he tackles me from behind, knocking me down to the floor and lying on top of me.

“Don’t make me do this to you, Sweetheart,” he pleads, and I scream and swing my fists, hoping to connect with some part of his body, but it’s impossible to do with him behind me. He sighs and stands up, grabbing onto my ankles. He starts pulling me down the hallway, back toward the kitchen.