Conquering Sabrina by Arabella Kingsley

back to its senses,” he said with distaste.
    Raoul pulled her across the ground towards him until her face was mere inches from his. Sabrina’s heart pounded in her chest as he bent his head, unsure if he was about to kiss her or issue another hurtful jibe. He studied her lips, lowering his voice to almost a whisper. Sabrina felt her body begin to shake, not sure if it was with the cold snow falling damply onto her face, or the potent mix of desire and fear she felt for Raoul when he was close.
    “You trusted me enough before when you let me touch you, Sabrina. I know you still love me. I can feel it. It’s brimming underneath all of that deception you cower under. It’s time you woke up to yourself.”
    “I am not a bloody coward,” Sabrina snapped, desperately trying to move his arm. “Maybe you should realise that you can’t get away with your deception. Wake up. This fantasy marriage you go on about never existed anywhere but in your head. Go back to Cressida. It’s over.”
    Raoul’s eyes swirled with anger.
    “You are pushing me, Sabrina. None of this is over. Deal with it and stop running.”
    “Pushing you like the night of the ball…?”
    “I told you not to question me on this again. I never hurt you. Now go back to the car,” he demanded.
    Sabrina shrugged his arm off and glanced around her. Raoul was watching her every move. There was no way she would get out of the wood without him stopping her.
    “There is nowhere to run, Sabrina. You have to face what is happening. No more running.”
    Still she stared, her mind frantically working on a means of escape.
    “Sabrina, don’t try it. Even if you made it to Paris, I would have you picked up by the police the moment you got there. If you regain your memory and you still want to leave, then we will talk about a divorce.”
    “And if I don’t?”
    “Then you are stuck with me. Call it an incentive. Get your memory back, prove me innocent, lawyer, and uncover your love for me that’s sleeping inside your subconscious. I know it’s there. I see it in your eyes when you look at me. Then we can pick up where we left off and move on from this damn nightmare,” he urged.
    Sabrina stared. Her mind buzzed with a hundred different thoughts. Once again she considered escape. Raoul shook his head and caught her arm again.
    “Sabrina, start walking back to the car or so help me I will carry you there,” he ordered, making her jump.
    “No, I won’t. I’ve had enough. I am doing this on my own—” she stopped abruptly, staring at him as he hurriedly loosened his tie and removed it. She watched him flex the silk in his hands and walk towards her. She backed away. “What are you going to do?” Her tone was frightened.
    “If you refuse to allow me to protect you, then I am going to have to force you to accept the situation,” he told her with cold authority. “In short, darling, I am going to treat you like the prisoner you believe yourself to be. Perhaps then you will understand I will not be disobeyed. I refuse to allow that man who took you from me to harm you again. I will do whatever is necessary to keep you safe whether you like it or not. He is stalking you again and I will not take any more chances. When you first came here, I told you I would tie you down if I had to stop you leaving. And I believe the time has come for me to be more stern with you, cherie .”
    He caught both her hands in a tight vise-like grip and wound the silk tie securely around her wrists. Aghast, she pulled and tugged at the bindings, but they were far too tight to wriggle out of.
    “How can you do this to me? I thought you loved me.”
    “I am doing this because I love you.”
    Without further hesitation, Raoul dipped his tall muscled frame and pulled her over his shoulder. He carried her back to the car, but did not deposit her in it. The chauffeur stood outside of the door patiently waiting their return. He held a smooth wooden implement in his hand. The scene