Jackson stood there for a couple seconds, his chest heaving in anger. His eyes were mere slits that spelled rage. He looked at her first, his dark brown eyes boring into hers with heavy accusation and then they turned on the man, who just moments before had been melded to her body and only the barest of fabric separating them, with pure, cold hatred.

Poor William never had a chance. He pulled him up off the bed by the collar of his half-buttoned shirt and there was a crunching sound as Jackson's fist made contact with William's face.

Though the actual violence disgusted her, she had to admit she was a little turned on by this rough display of masculinity that was rooted in keeping her, his mate, to himself. It was just so primeval.

She was soon pulled out of her reverie as more blood spilled and William looked on the edge of unconsciousness.

"Stop, you're going to kill him!" she shouted, jumping out of the bed and running over. She was still in a dress but missing the undergarments that were supposed to be underneath it.

Miraculously, he did stop.

"You brute," she said, kneeling on the floor to see how much damage he had done to her would-be lover.

It gave him perfect reach of her hair and he took it in his fist and drug her out the door, tears stinging her eyes from the grip he had on her hair.

In the hallway, he felt her person until he found the wad of cash in her shoe, what she hadn't already spent of it anyway. He had taken his time feeling her body, which he had to have known couldn't have hidden the money. He was without a doubt reminding her neither the cash nor her body belonged to her. He stuffed the bills into his own pocket. The momentary desire she'd felt for him totally gone now. Then he dragged her along again.

"Something tells me you're dissatisfied," he said.

She fired off her own brand of sarcasm. "Well, could it be because I've been your mail-order bride?"

He had no response for that. He just continued roughly dragging her out of the hotel.

As soon as she saw the dogs, a sense of panic welled up in her. "I can scream."

"You could and I wonder how sympathetic they would be knowing you stole my car, my savings, and my food supply. And was in the middle of committing adultery."

"We're married. That's not robbery. That's taking what's owed me." She wasn't sure about that though. And she knew adultery was a crime in Virginia where she could be fined money that she didn't have. She had no idea about Tennessee, but she very well might find herself behind real bars instead of figurative ones if she screamed.

"What about your car?" she asked as they walked past it without stopping.

"I'm going to put you in the truck with the dogs for company while I go get the jars of food out of it. Other than that, it's just a piece of junk I meant to get rid of a long time ago. It can stay here in Monterey for all I care."

In other words, there would be no second escape. At least, not by car. She hadn't honestly thought he'd pursue her or she would've taken the truck keys. He couldn't love her.

"Why?" she asked. "Why did you come after me? Why are you taking me back?"

"I paid for your trip out here. I've clothed and sheltered you. We said vows. You're mine."

She snorted as she climbed into the truck. As she thought, financial reasons, not sentimental ones. "I've never been yours and I never will be. I don't even like you. You've got no style and I've gone wild being holed up with you, bored to death. We're like oil and water, you and I."

"Be that as it may. You're my wife and I'm your husband." He shut the door to the truck. His mutts encircled the truck like they were treeing a raccoon at his command. She was the raccoon and she knew they would tear into her if she tried to run.

He backed the car up to the back of the truck and had the jars loaded in no time at all.

With a clink of his tongue and a finger point, his furry minions jumped up in the truck bed and he got in the driver's side.

They weren't long on the road when he pulled off the highway and drove a little ways down an old dirt road.

Finding a deserted place where the trees sheltered them from view and no houses could be seen, he turned the ignition off and climbed on top of her without so much as a by-your-leave.

She gave a small gasp. "What are you doing?"

"You want to be with a man, don't you? It looked like you did just minutes ago."

He pinned her to the seat with the weight of his body. When she saw struggle was useless, she made herself stiff instead and glared up at him with unadulterated hatred.

But he didn't even look at her as he invaded her body, pounding out his fury.