Free In the Arms of a Stranger by Kimberley Reeves Page B

wanted?”  he growled, pinning her arms above her head. 
    Tears spilled down the sides of her face.   “Chad, please…you’re hurting me.”
    “Only becaus e you’re fighting me, Brianne.  You have been begging me to make love to you for weeks, and now that you’ve managed to convince me to do it, you want to change your mind?”
    “But you’re not making love to me,” she sobbed, “you’re acting like an animal!”
    Chad froze, staring at her in horror.  “Oh, God, what have I done?  Bri, I…I’m sorry, so sorry.  You know I would never deliberately hurt you.”  He lifted his weight from her and stood up, flinching when he saw the tattered remains of her blouse.  Turning away from her, Chad raked his fingers through his hair.  “This isn’t entirely fault, you know.”
    Brianne sat up slowly.   “ What?   What did you say?”
    He started pacing back and forth but didn’t so much as dart a quick glance her way.   “You know I’m not like this.  I never lose control.  But when you started doing that…that thing with your hips…” 
    “And you think that gave you the right to do what you did?   Look at me, Chad!  You tore my blouse and wouldn’t even stop when I said you were hurting me.”
    “I’m sorry about that, Bri, I really am , but you were the one who escalated the situation beyond the few little kisses I was giving you.  This has been a problem from the beginning; you’re too assertive and it sends out the wrong signal.  I mean, can you really blame me for what happened?”
    Bri’s eyes narrowed.   “Get out,” she gritted.
    He turned to look at her then, his own fury matching hers.   “I’m leaving.  I have a plane to catch anyway, but I’ll be back in a few weeks.  I suggest you take that time to learn how to curb your shameless behavior.  No wife of mine is going to dress or act like a common…”
    “How dare you talk to me like that!  As for being your wife, I wouldn’t marry you now if you begged me.”
    Chad’s lips drew into a thin line.   “Oh, you’re going marry me all right, just like we planned.  I won’t have people laughing behind my back, or worse, pitying me because the spoiled little rich girl dumped me two months before the wedding.”
    “You should be pitied.  I have never met a man who was more self involved than you are.  I deserve better.”
    Chad stormed across the room, smirking at the way she shrank back  when he leaned over her.  “You will marry me, make no mistake about that.  If you even think of backing out or tell anyone what happened here I’ll tear your reputation to shreds.  I’ll bring on a whole entourage of men who will swear they’ve slept with you and won’t mind telling the tabloids where and how you did it.”
    “You wouldn’t dare,” she croaked, but she knew by the look on his face he meant every word of it.  
    Bri weighed out her options.   The only one who could swear it was a lie was Jake and what good would that do?  In order to dispute Chad’s claim, Jake would have to admit he’d slept with her without even knowing her name.  No one would believe there was a mix up with the rooms or that she’d honestly thought she was sleeping with Chad.  On the other hand, what good would saving her reputation do if she had to spend the rest of her life bound to a man she hated?
    Brianne shook her head.   “No, I won’t do it.”
    “You listen to me,” he ground out menacingly, “it’s not just your life you’ll be destroying.  How do you think your doting Daddy will take it when he learns his little girl has been sleeping around like a common tramp?”
    “He won’t believe a word of it and neither will my mother!”
    Chad shrugged.  “Maybe not, but his friends will, and so will his business associates.  Phillip is a highly respected man, but all that will change when rumors of his daughter’s loose morals start spreading around.  He’ll be ashamed of you and he certainly