Raw, A Dark Romance by Tawny Taylor Read Free Book Online Page A

breeze wafting through my open French doors. I dug through the contents of the closet.
    Truckloads of expensive clothes hung on hangers and lay folded neatly on shelves. The panties and bras were all beautiful, lacy and delicate. And all of them had tags. They were all brand new, never worn.
    That should have made me feel a little better, knowing he’d bought them for me. At least I wasn’t forced to wear some other woman’s clothing. Or plural, women’s clothing. Evidently he’d gone out and purchased all new, in preparation of my arrival. But I still despised the fact that I wasn’t stepping into my own panties or clasping my own bra, or tugging on my own t-shirt.
    There were no pants, so I had to be satisfied with a skirt. At least it was long. The silky material draped over my hips and skimmed the floor as I walked to the French doors. Barefoot, since I hadn’t found a single pair of shoes in the closet, I peered outside. The sun was a fireball, perched high in the sky and dousing everything in brilliant light. The rolling sea flashed as the beams reflected off its surface. The sand glimmered. The green leaves of the plants and trees shone brilliant emerald.
    I stepped outside, onto the cool, shaded patio and a thought passed through my mind. How far would I have to walk to find a neighbor? A few hundred feet? Farther?
    I padded around the swimming pool and went down to the beach. The warm sand sank under my feet, squishing between my toes. I peered to the right. Waves battered the huge jutting tumble of rocks, sending glimmering sparkles into the air. If I followed the shore, I would have to climb onto those rocks. Those steep, slick rocks.
    Probably not the best idea.
    I looked to the left. The sandy shore arched for roughly a quarter mile then ended at a steep ledge, identical to the one on the right.
    Fuck. I was, for all intents and purposes, caged in.
    Caged.
    Like an animal at the zoo. Exactly like an animal at the zoo.
    There I was, surrounded by spectacular beauty. Brilliant blue freedom stretched out in front of me for hundreds of miles. And yet I couldn’t get away. There was no chance I could swim to safety.
    Behind me was the house.
    Trapped.
    My nerves got twitchy.
    I started back toward the patio and swimming pool, wondering if I might be able to circle around the side of the house to the road. Baked by the hot sun, the stones beneath my bare feet burned. I hopped from one scalding stone to another, seeking relief in the shade whenever possible. Eventually, I found the far end of the gargantuan house and turned the corner, but almost instantly I ran into a soaring stone wall, hidden by a line of thick shrubs and trees.
    Dammit. He’d thought of everything. The bastard.
    Angrier than ever, I marched back down to the shore.
    Fuck this. I was determined. I’d find a way out of this gilded cage, so help me God. I ran down the shore to the massive pile of rocks and looked up. The waves crashed against them, battering them with no mercy. Little crabs skittered across the lowest boulders, dumped there by the sea. I placed a foot on a flat spot and reached up to climb. It slipped right off.
    Damn, it was like climbing an oil-slicked wall.
    Bastard.
    I glanced over my shoulder to see if anyone was watching then tried again. This time I held my footing. I found a toe-hold and moved up, ducking and praying when a wave slammed into me. By some miracle I wasn’t knocked off. Sputtering, I reached with my hand, found a little outcropping, grabbed hold and climbed higher. No sooner did I secure my foot than I was looking for my next move. It was up there. I could see it. But it would be a reach.
    I stretched my arm, fingers extended as far as they would go. Just a little farther, less than an inch.
    A huge wave rolled up the coast and smashed into me, water filled my ears and nose, twisted my skirt around my legs, and tousled my hair. My fingers found purchase, but just as they did my foot slipped. I clung to