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Glass-like water reflected the mountains in the form of a “V.” Clouds scattered in the bright blue sky and green spread across the panoramic vista. Each time I gazed into the snow-tipped mountains, I swore I would never tire of the calmness it brought.

He stood behind me, moved my hair over one shoulder, and put his arms around my waist. I loved it when he nuzzled my neck and tilted my head to allow him more access.

“Just you and me, K.” Sharp nips on my skin made me squeal and gave me the goosies. “This is our world; isn’t it gorgeous?”

I nodded and squirmed, rubbing my backside into his growing front. His reaction reminded me how much he couldn’t resist my shenanigans.

His lips moved over my neck and his hands moved down my hips to the hem of my skirt, lifting it. “We’re going to make it, you and me.” He groaned when he discovered I wasn’t wearing panties. “I love when you prove how much you love me.”

I turned in his arms and unzipped his pants; he was ready for me. He held me to him with one arm around my waist and the other wrapped in my hair. With a tug, he silently asked me to give him my neck. He bit me harder than he had before, but I liked it and moaned.

He slid his hands down my thighs and lifted me off my feet and onto his erection. I cried out in a mix of surprise and pain.

Surprised at how much I enjoyed being suspended, I almost didn’t hear another vehicle pull into the secluded parking lot. “Cody, stop.” When he ignored me, I tried to put my legs down, but he trapped me against the truck. Panicked that someone would see us, I asked him to stop, again.

In response to my defiance, he growled, “I’ll stop when I’m finished fucking you.”

CITY LIGHTS shined brightly in the dark Alaskan sky; we’d made it to Anchorage. The college didn’t offer dorms for juniors, they usually lived off campus. Cody’s dad owned a house in the Tudor area, a subdivision just east of Midtown.

The four-bedroom bi-level home was shabby compared to the main house in Seward. Outdated and cluttered with hand-me-down furniture, it served its purpose. My mom’s trailer couldn’t come close to any stick-built home. Period.

It was late and I was hungry; Cody didn’t stop for food during the three-hour drive, and I hadn’t eaten since the diner.

For such a large house, the kitchen was tiny.

Smaller than even the one in the trailer.

The refrigerator door stuck as I tried to open it and Cody chuckled. “Like you need more food.”

I turned and frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Without uttering a word, Cody grabbed my side and raised his eyebrows. My stomach had always been flat, so I didn’t understand why he would suggest I needed to lose weight. Whatever .

We were both tired and I wasn’t in the mood to argue. I opened cupboards trying to guess which one held glasses. All I could find were Solo cups, so I filled one with tap water.

“One of the guys on the crew, John, told me you’re still working.”

I hadn’t realized Cody had snuck up behind me. His whisper in my ear startled me almost as much as his words. “John?” Did he know my most frequent regular?

Leaning against the counter with his arms crossed, he smirked. “I didn’t believe him until I saw you walking home last night.”

Heat creeped up my neck and I could feel my cheeks redden. I tried, unsuccessfully, to calm my nerves. My voice shook. “That was you?” Unsure of where this conversation was headed, I tried to diffuse it. “Jesus, I thought someone was stalking me, trying to figure out the best time to kidnap me.”

Cody raised his eyebrows. “So, you admit that you didn’t quit the bar?”

Ugh, this isn’t going to be good . “I couldn’t. My sister …”

Cody pursed his lips and opened a drawer beside the stove.

“When I tell you to do something, you do it. Do you understand?”

“But Cody.”

“But nothin.’ If you don’t obey me, you’ll be punished.” A metal rod with a capital “M” on the end sat on the counter while Cody dug through another drawer.

“Punished? I’m sorry I didn’t quit, but I will the minute we get back to Seward, I promise.” I had no idea what this punishment would involve. Whatever it was, he was serious. His eyes turned black, and wrinkles creased his forehead.

“We’re not going back. You’re staying here with me so I can keep my eye on you.”

“What? But …” So many thoughts ran through my head it was hard to put them in order. I said the first thing that came to mind. “My mom will miss me. I need to tell her where I am.”

“Will she, Kennedy? Really? How stupid are you? She will be so much better off without you there to interrupt her partying. You’re just a burden. ”

My mom had said those exact words just last week; how could he have known? I don’t remember telling him about her trying to talk me into getting my own apartment.

With a small torch in one hand and the metal stick in the other, Cody held the flame to the “M” until it turned orange. “Give me your arm.”

What could he possibly do with that “M”? “What? No.” I pulled away from his grip.

Evil filled his dark eyes, and I knew not to resist. He held out his hand, so I offered my arm and closed my eyes.

It seemed like hours before he touched the hot metal to my skin.

Pain worse than anything I had ever experienced overtook me and I thought I would pass out.

I had never smelled burning flesh before, and I never wanted to again. My stomach turned and I gagged.

“Now everyone will know you belong to me. Only me. No one else will ever have you again. Do I make myself clear?”

Tears streamed down my face, and I gagged again. Finally able to pull away, I ran down the hallway.

“You better not puke on my new carpet.”

The first door led to a powder room and, luckily, I made it to the sink before the contents of my stomach rose to the surface.

I STUDIED the swollen, red skin which surrounded the “M” on my forearm.

It didn’t hurt as much after a couple shots of whiskey, but it still pulsed.

As painful as it was, it actually looked pretty cool.

If this was how Cody announced to the world that we would be together forever, I’d decided it could be worse.

A ring would have been better, but I took what I could get.